A Mind Map of Dr. Huberman’s Protocols
Introduction
Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He hosts the Huberman Lab podcast, which is highly ranked in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness and has millions of viewers and listeners.
I have discovered Dr. Huberman 10 months ago. I find him unique among the on-line personalities: he made it his mission to change people’s lives by sharing cost free research data and explain its meaning to the every-day person in plain terms. He leaves it up to us, the audience, to assimilate the information, analyze, decide and act.
Dr. Huberman provides both broad and detailed information — so far he has 189 videos and episodes of his podcast on YouTube, and also appears as guest in other podcasts.
My interest is to include some of Dr. Huberman’s recommendations into my daily routines. I found it challenging to memorize in real time the data rich content of his podcasts. My memory is biased towards storing visual and symbolic data. Heuristically, I’ve learned that I am able to increase the life-span of language centric data streams by distilling essential information in mind-maps.
I know that, although I might be an outlier in the larger population group on this planet, there will be other folks looking to solve similar problems as I do. These days, I jokingly say, that if I can think of a problem, there must be at least a hundred people who have already solved it, and ten of them have shared the solution publicly.
With this article, I want to be one of those 10 people that help others out. I hope the mind-map will be of use to others that want to keep the knowledge Dr. Huberman provides closer to the forefront of their memory bank.
The Map
Dr. Huberman’s Protocols
In his podcasts, Dr. Huberman uses the word ‘protocol’ extensively. It is an interesting choice. Cursory review of common definitions:
- the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions
- the accepted or established code of procedure or behavior in any group, organization, or situation
- a procedure for carrying out a scientific experiment or a course of medical treatment
In the context of the podcasts, I interpret the definition of “protocol” as “the recommended code of behavior to achieve a desired outcome”, as Dr. Huberman is not offering medical advice.
Dr. Huberman’s protocols are centered on improving our performance, both mental and physical. He also emphasizes the strong interplay between mental health and physical health, I like his saying “you don’t control the mind with the mind”. I was looking to create a taxonomy that is easy to remember by linking it to real life events, activities or topics. Thus I chose five dimensions: circadian rhythm, nutrition, exercise, supplements and health.
I realize that this is just a curated selection of Dr. Huberman’s on line presence. Please leave a message if you think other dimensions actionable in daily life routines are important to you.
Circadian Rhythm
I would call the protocol “Follow the sun”:
- When you wake up (and the sun is up) go outside in the sun
- Don’t ingest caffeine first time in the morning
- Exercise in the morning on an empty stomach
- Try to maximize the ‘no calorie intake’ time interval, which means that the window for food ingestion is around 8–10 hrs (the 16/8 protocol)
- Do not ingest caffeine after 2 PM
- In the evening, if you have time, go for a walk to witness the sunset
- Do not eat 2–3 hours before bed time
- Sleep the amount of time you naturally need, keep the place where you sleep dark and the ambient temperature cool
Podcast Links
Nutrition
There are several episodes about nutrition. Some focus is on the impact of nutrition on physical and mental performance, as well at the supplements one may choose to take to enhance performance. The others offer a more generic view on nutrition choices and health in general.
Macro Nutrients
The interview with Dr Layne Norton is about nutrition, weight loss, weigh maintenance, gut health. Key takeaways:
- When you chose a nutrition protocol, ask yourself: “Can I do it for the rest of my life?”
- Think of nutrition as a budget, inputs and outputs should match; to balance the budget, measure your weight daily, at the same time (e.g. in the morning, after your morning routine, but before eating breakfast), and use a moving average (e.g. 5 day or 7 day) to smooth out the daily variances
- Protein intake — 1.6g / 1 kg body weight is sufficient to increase lean body mass; if you are mainly vegetarian, consider an isolated source of protein in order not to overeat; try to eat mostly unprocessed food because it is more difficult to overeat
- Protein absorption limit — the distribution of protein across the meals (e.g. 33/33/34 vs 10/20/70) does not affect lean body mass
- Carbohydrates / fats ratio: whatever one prefers, avoid extremes, zero fat in one’s diet can have detrimental health effects; make sure the protein amount is enough; sugar per se does not impact body composition, caloric budget does; focus less on sugar, and more on fiber intake
- Fiber — there is a positive linear correlation between the amount of prebiotics (non-soluble fibers) in peoples diets and longevity; dr. Norton mentions a 50g daily intake
- Seed oils — there are differences between saturated and poly-unsaturated fats; studies data shows it may be beneficial to substitute saturated with poly-unsaturated fats; randomized human studies do not show that poly-unsaturated fats are ‘bad’ for you; but don’t overeat, watch the caloric budget;
- Saturated fats — ‘no solutions, just trade-offs’: what may maximize testosterone levels may have negative effects on longevity; if there is very low intake of saturated fat, it may have a downwards impact on the testosterone levels; one needs a very small dose of saturated fats to be healthy; both estrogen and testosterone are equally important from a physical and mental health perspective, and need to be well balanced both in women and men; dr. Norton mentions a 7–10% max caloric intake / day;
- Baked apples — “a low down desert, even with a scoop of ice cream” — personal note: I love baked apples and quinces with no ice cream :)
- Cooking food — cooking meat makes amino-acids easier to absorb; stay away from charring meat - in animal studies it was correlated with cancer
From the podcasts where Dr. Andy Galpin was a guest, the main ideas around macros in the context of maximizing physical performance are:
- Physical exercise is fueled by carbohydrates, much less by protein or fat
- The amount of time it takes for the fat to be transformed by the human body into ATP is too long for it to be a sustainable source of energy for intense physical exercise; even marathon runners predominantly use carbohydrates during the run
- Keto diets ‘slow you down’, in the sense that the performance levels decrease to a degree; this is not a problem is you are not exercising intensely, or you are not concerned about reaching peak performance; good choice for people who are mostly sedentary
Hydration
- 2.4 l or 80 oz of fluids to be consumed during the first 10 hrs of the day
- while exercising: (2 ml / 1 kg body weight) or (body weight in lb / 30) every 15–20 min
Alcohol
- Don’t drink
- If you chose to drink, limit to 2 drinks per week
Intermittent Fasting
- Do not ingest food one hour after waking up
- Do not eat 2–3 hours before going to bed
- 16/8 does not lower the lean body mass compared to non restricted feeding window
Podcast Links
- Nutrition and supplements for fitness
- Nutrition for brain performance
- Nutrition diets and exercise
- How to properly hydrate
- Alcohol and your health
- Fasting for fat loss and health
- Fasting and circadian rhythm
- Effects of Fasting & Time Restricted Eating on Fat Loss & Health
Supplements
The Basics
- Supplements cannot compensate for lack of good nutrition or hard training
- It is preferable to use single-ingredient supplements to better understand and control their effects
- Supplements help meet needs that cannot be achieved via regular, balanced nutrition that is within your caloric budget
- You have to develop protocols that work for you, do your own research
- Always consult a trusted, board certified, physician when considering what supplements to take
- Be scientific, do blood work panels to guide you towards better outcomes
The Specifics
- Foundational supplements: vitamins and minerals that compensate against nutrition deficiencies; do not take them in excess
- Physical performance: Creatine, L- Citrulline, Beet juice, Tart Cherry Extract
- Sleep: Myo-Inositol, Theanine, Apigenin, Valerian, Magnesium Threonate
- Cognition and focus: caffeine, L-Thyrosine, Alpha GPC
- Hormonal support: Ashwagandha, Rhodolia Rosea, Fish Oil, Phospatidylserine, Tongakat Ali, Fadogia Agrestis, Maca
Podcast Links
- Developing a Rational Approach to Supplementation for Health & Performance
- Nutrition and supplements for fitness
- L-Theanine
Exercise
Both cardio and resistance training are equally needed to optimize physical and mental performance
Cardio
- 150–180 min/week of cardio
- HIIT (30sx30sx4) twice / week
Resistance Training
- Several protocol options, depending on goals: strength, hypertrophy, endurance
- Each muscle group should receive about 10 sets / week divided in about 4 sessions / week
- For each set get very close to failure; could be either high weights — low reps or average weights — high reps, depends on personal preferences, time available and goal optimization: strength -> high weights, endurance -> high reps
Podcast Links
- Complete fitness protocol
- Lose fat and build endurance
- Optimal fitness program
- Science of muscle growth
- Tools to improve fitness
Health
Stress Control
- Breathing can be used to control stress. There are two protocols: a) double inhale / sigh and b) box (e.g. 4–4–4–4) breathing, similar to Pranayama practices
Exposure to Heat and Cold
- There are long term health benefits to cold exposure, such as cold showers, winter swimming
- There are long term health benefits to heat exposure, such as sauna
Nutrition for Mental Health
- EPA from fish, walnuts or Omega 3 supplements
- Phosphatidylserine from fish, meat or cabbage
- Choline from eggs (especially egg yolks)
- Creatine
- Dark Berries, e.g. blueberries
- Glutamine from cottage cheese, meats, beans, cabbage, spinach
Podcast Links
- Tools and protocols for mental health
- How to control stress in real time
- Nutrition for mental health
- Head Exposure & Cold Exposure to optimize health
To Conclude
- The purpose of this article is to have a synoptic of Dr. Huberman’s topics and capture key ideas; the article does not cover all of Dr. Huberman’s podcasts
- Watch the episodes of the Dr. Huberman’s podcasts to learn about the research that drives the discussions, and more specific details
- This article does not offer medical advice. If you are considering taking any of the supplements listed here, talk to your physician
