THE VANGUARD BLOG
Physician-curated deep dives into the science of men's health optimization.
Monograph
Ketamine is an NMDA-receptor antagonist that has been on the U.S. market as an anesthetic since 1970. In the early 2000s, NIH-funded work demonstrated that sub-anesthetic doses (~0.5 mg/kg IV over 40 minutes) produce rapid and substantial…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Inclisiran is a small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutic that silences the production of PCSK9 in the liver. Functionally, the result is the same as the monoclonal antibody PCSK9 inhibitors (evolocumab, alirocumab): more LDL receptors on hepatocyte…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Hexarelin is a synthetic hexapeptide growth hormone-releasing peptide (GHRP) developed in the early 1990s as part of the GHRP-2/GHRP-6/hexarelin family. At equivalent doses, hexarelin produces growth hormone pulses larger than GHRP-2 or GHRP-6,…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Follistatin is a glycoprotein that binds and neutralizes myostatin (GDF-8), activin A, and several bone morphogenetic proteins. Because myostatin is the dominant brake on skeletal-muscle growth, blocking myostatin produces dramatic muscle…
29 May 2026
Monograph
The fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) is a 5-day, low-calorie, low-protein, low-carbohydrate dietary protocol developed by Valter Longo's group at USC and commercialized as the Prolon program (L-Nutra). The protocol provides about 4,600 kJ (\(~1,100\)…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) is a small (nine amino acid) neuropeptide first identified in 1977 by Monnier and colleagues in Switzerland, isolated from the cerebral venous blood of rabbits exposed to electrical stimulation that induced…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Exosomes are nanoscale (30-150 nm) extracellular vesicles released by virtually all cell types as a normal mechanism of intercellular signaling. They carry a defined cargo of proteins, lipids, mRNA, and microRNAs that reflects the parent cell's…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Bempedoic acid is the first ATP-citrate lyase inhibitor approved for clinical use, and the first oral non-statin to demonstrate cardiovascular outcome benefit in a large randomized trial. It lowers LDL cholesterol by inhibiting ATP-citrate lyase…
29 May 2026
Monograph
AHCC is a fermented shiitake (Lentinula edodes) mycelia extract produced exclusively by Amino Up Co., a Sapporo-based supplement manufacturer. It is sold under multiple consumer brand labels but is the same underlying ingredient in every product…
29 May 2026
Monograph
Cerebrolysin is a parenteral pharmaceutical preparation of low-molecular-weight peptides and free amino acids derived from enzymatically processed porcine brain tissue. Manufactured by EVER Pharma since the 1970s, it is approved in more than 40…
29 May 2026
Monograph
The carnivore diet — exclusive or near-exclusive consumption of animal products, eliminating all plants — has grown from a fringe practice associated with Shawn Baker and Mikhaila Peterson around 2018 into a major cultural movement with millions of…
29 May 2026
Monograph
5-Amino-1-methylquinolinium iodide (5-amino-1MQ) is a small-molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), the enzyme that methylates nicotinamide using S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) as a methyl donor. Two metabolic problems flow from…
29 May 2026
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