My Early Morning Supplements
- © Nils Osmar 2025. May 13, 2025
- This post is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice.
- See full Medical Disclaimer
My anti-aging protocol is based around balancing the activation of AMPK (the longevity pathway) and mTOR (the growth pathway). It includes exercising; eating a high-nutrient diet; fasting and time restricted eating; prioritizing sleep, rest and recovery; taking rapamycin once a week; and taking supplements.
My goal is to live forever in great physical, mental and emotional health. (Cause, y’know… life’s fun.) Whether or not that happens, another goal is to be fit and healthy as long as I’m around.
My Morning Supplements
The supplements listed below are not the only ones I’m taking; they’re the ones I like starting the day with. I also take some creatine and testosterone boosters about an hour later before working out; some hGH boosters and EAA after my workout; then some anti-aging supplements (including NMN, taurine, SIRT6 activator and several others) around 2 pm. (This list was updated in May 2025. I’ll post some separate articles soon about the other supplements I’m taking.)
Starting My Day
I like starting the day by drinking two glasses of purified water, to support hydration and low blood sugar, and taking some proteolytic enzyme supplements. (They break down protein fragments in the blood, essentially cleaning our blood.
The ones I’m taking include:
- Nattokinase (helps remove plaque from our arteries, when taken with…)
- Bromelain
- Serrapeptase (lowers inflammation and clears my breathing if I’m at all stuffed by thinning mucus)
A little later
A little later (usually around 6 a.m.) I have some coffee along with the supplements listed below:
- Coffee or decaf – Coffee and decaf are both associated with improved mortality. (The decaf I drink is made using a water process that does not leave chemical residues.) (Organic free trade)
- C8 MCT powder 1 tbsp – In the coffee (supports cognitive health) (C8 MCT immediately turns into ketones) r: Beyond ketone production, MCTs also support the gut microbiome and may have antimicrobial properties. (I liked the powder better than oil because it mixes better in my coffee) (Nutricost)
- Organic heavy cream 1 tbsp – in the coffee. A source of C15 pentadecanoic acid (Supports cognitive health; anti-aging)
- Astaxanthin 36 mg – Antioxidant; supports eye/skin health, UV protection. Also supports mitochondrial function and has been shown to improve endurance and exercise recovery. Extended lifespan in mammals in an ITP study. (Bulk Supplements)
- Lutein (40 mg) with zeaxanthin (1 mg) – Blue light filtration, eye health. (Puritan’s Pride)
- Benfotiamine 250 mg – Bioavailable B1; lowers blood sugar, nerve health support. Beyond blood sugar control, it may protect against diabetic complications through multiple pathways and support cognitive function. (Life Extension)
- Fish Oil (purified) 3 grams – Omega-3s for anti-inflammatory, joint, brain/heart health.
- Krill Oil (purified) 1 gram – Omega-3s + phospholipids for anti-inflammatory, joint, brain/heart health. The phospholipid form in krill oil enhances absorption of omega-3s and crosses the blood-brain barrier more effectively. (Bulk Supplements) (NutriCost)
- L-Carnosine 1 gram – inhibits formation of AGEs (advanced glycation end products). (Nutricost)
- Organic sunflower lecithin 3 grams – phospholipids; choline for brain health. Taking lecithin along with fish oil and other supplements significantly increases their absorption. (Bulk supplements)
- Lithium Orotate 5 mg – Mood stabilization, neuroprotection, some evidence for longevity. At this low dose, also associated with improved stress resilience. Some research suggests it may support telomere maintenance. (Weyland)
- Magnesium Glycinate 1200 mg – Supports 300+ enzymes, sleep, heart health. (Bulk Supplements)
- Niacin 100 mg – raises NAD+. Lowers TG. (Nutricost)
- Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil 150 mg – rich in Omega-7 fatty acids and palmitoleic acid, for skin/mucosal health, anti-allergy. Lowers blood pressure (works very well for this for me). The omega-7 (palmitoleic acid) content supports pancreatic function and may help maintain healthy insulin sensitivity. (Bulk Supplements)
- Selenomethione 200 mg – supports healthy thyroid function, testosterone; this form of selenium supports the removal of heavy metals from the body. (Thorne)
- Vitamin C 500 mg – Collagen synthesis. (Mercola)
- Vitamin D3 with K2/MK7 – 5,000 iu – Supports testosterone production, immune function, bone health, and mood regulation. (Bronson)
- Organic elderberry/blueberry extract 1 tsp. (in my coffee) (elderberry is Sirtuin6 activator; the SIRT6 gene is the sirtuin associated with significant life extension in mammals) (Maine medicinals)
My Result
After following my current protocol for a few years, I’m doing well. I have no age-related aches or pains, am building muscle, and am very active. running a little school, teaching acting and filmmaking and screenwriting. According to the Longevity Worldcup Leaderboard’s assessment of my biomarkers, I am 13.9 years younger than my chronological age.
I’m 72.4 years old at the time I’m writing this, in terms of birthdays, but 58.5 years old biologically, according to the PhenoAge calculator,. The Longevity Worldcup’s, version makes its assessment by taking people’s best biomarker readings each calendar year. (See my note below, “Why Trust PhenoAge?”)
I’m also still gaining muscle without taking any hormones, at the age of 72.
Why Trust PhenoAge?
I’m not sure we should fully “trust” any mechanism for assessing biological age; saying I’m biologically 58.5 doesn’t mean most people would think I’m that age (though that is the age people often guess.) Blood marker biomarkers correlated with mortality are at best a measure of cellular aging.
But with that said, PhenoAge is IMO the best vetted biological age calculator, and is used in widely as a reference point among anti-aging researchers. Unlike some calculators that are highly questionable, PhenoAge based on solid science. See the interview and the notes below.
The PhenoAge clock is highly respected and widely used in the field of aging research. It is considered a second-generation epigenetic clock that has outperformed earlier models in predicting lifespan, healthspan, and the onset of age-related diseases.
PhenoAge has been shown to be a robust estimator of biological age, and it correlates well with mortality, healthspan, and other health outcomes. It considers not only age but also a range of clinical biomarkers like lymphocyte percentage, albumin, and glucose levels, making it a more comprehensive measure of biological aging than chronological age alone.
The paper describing PhenoAge has a high number of citations, indicating its influence and acceptance within the scientific community. PhenoAge is used to understand how lifestyle and interventions can alter the pace of aging, and it’s being explored for its potential in predicting individual health risks, including cancer. It represents a significant advancement over the first-generation DNAm clocks, offering more precise and accurate measurements of biological age.
PhenoAge’s development and validation have paved the way for further research into the mechanisms of aging and potential interventions to slow or reverse it.
Addendum: About Growth Hormone
I mentioned above that later in the day I take some supplements intended to bolster my human growth hormone levels. To be clear, I’m not trying to raise it to astronimical levels, just to a young adult level. This raises another point: Is having healthy young adult levels of growth hormone pro aging? Or anti-aging?
- It’s true that very high levels of IGF1 can be problematic and be pro-aging. But very low levels of both IGF1 and hGH can be extremely dangerous too.
- As with anything, we need to consider it in context. What’s our age? What’s our diet? How much do we exercise? Have we seen signs of sarcopenia? Muscle wasting is a primary danger facing people, particularly so-called “senior citizens” (people over 65).
- Low IGF-1 levels in elderly individuals, associated with an increased risk of developing dementia and faster cognitive decline.
- Studies have shown that lower IGF-1 levels in the elderly are linked to a greater risk of developing AD dementia, and that higher IGF-1 levels are associated with larger brain volumes.
- Some anti-aging researchers, like Valter Longo, recommend keeping your IGF1 low regardless of your age. They are frankly playing with fire in doing so. They may (possibly) be slowing aging but they are increasing the risk of dementia in the people following their advice. (Longo talks wonderingly about the people with very low hGH who rarely get cancer; he glosses over the fact that they die younger than people with high levels, though their deaths are from other causes.)
My situation
- I’m 72 years old. I started seeing some signs of sarcopenia a few years ago, and had my growth hormones checked and they were, unfortunately, very low.
- Since then I’ve been doing different things, including hot baths at night, to raise my hGH.
- They have raised them somewhat though I have a ways to go to reach young adult levels, which is, and will continue to be, my goal.
What should we aim for?
- As with any intervention, in my estimation, the wisest course of action is probably to aim for “healthy young adult levels”. If we don’t, we’re embracing the aging process. This may come from injections in some people; but interventions like saunas and hot baths an optimizing sleep, and taking arginine after our workouts, can help raise it a bit too.
- If anyone wants to go down the extremely low growth hormone path, that’s their choice and I wish them well. I’ve seen people (my age) who went down that path end up bedridden in nursing homes for the rest of their lives. Having very low hGH might theoretically possibly increase lifespan by a year or two, but the research makes clear that it’s not a healthy way to do so.
- P.S. We might also want to look at the TRIIM and TRIIM-X trials, in which people were given hGH injections along with metformin, zinc, vitaminD and DHEA, and dramatically lowered their epigenetic age. (TRIIM researcher Greg Fahy, who is in his 70s and has done TRIIM several times, looks significantly better to me than David Sinclair, who often speaks out against growth hormone.)
A Quick Disclaimer
To quote Brad Stanfield, “Just because I take a supplement doesn’t mean you should too. These are the ones I’ve found work well for me. I also feel great after taking them. Others results may vary.
Whether you take supplements or not, feel free to join me in drinking some water. I like drinking mine out on my back deck among the trees. Skol!
Not medical advice
This article is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice. I’m not advising that people eat any particular diet or take any particular supplement(s), just reporting on what I’m doing. Supplements, like medications and other interventions, can have side effects; I would encourage people to research both possible benefits and side effects before starting on any supplementation regimen, and consult with a medical professional about any issues which might have a medical component. See full Medical Disclaimer
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Other resources
- My Youtube channel Pathways to Longevity
- My Facebook group: Anti-Aging and Life Extension,
