OS 14: Keto beats cancer? Is speed all in the ankles? A cure for pho? Another high-swag barefoot shoe
All the wellness demonic or otherwise news that's fit to print
Good morning Irishmen. TUESDAY—St. Patrick’s Day—climbing aboard. Colder than a volleyball player’s soul in New York, rained like heck last night, mid-way into the week so about 355 push-ups in. One guy on the F train wearing green Levi’s 551xxs, hard to find in good condition. The ONLY health aggregation email that surfs between the lines of full health psychosis and being completely normal.
What we’re covering: peptides, CASEIN protein, other (animal) protein, gelatin, linoleic-acid removal mechanisms, citrus-peel to the face, nicotine patches and the people that love them, nerve flossing AKA reverse Tai Chi, post-DHT theories of hair growth, post-calories in/out models of fat loss, severe macros mastery, GHk-Cu and Wolverine, Dr. Raymond Peat, sunlight titration, EMOM workouts, pleasant-looking zero-drop shoes, vibratory therapy (movement), cotton head to toe, cave-person skincare, physical hygiene, strength, curly hair and more. Nobody writes about this. Snake Super Health Open Secrets.
Specifically this week: a bit more on David Bars; the medical industry’s ongoing research regarding the keto diet maybe beating cancer? (and another part of the industry saying it’s plant-based); a new truly highly fashionable barefoot sneaker; Supreme’s move into boxing gear; a Nike Innovation internship for extremely advanced and talented runners; a vote on the Snake Super Health workout plan—vote now baby; Huberman finally weighs in on Banksy (?); the best cold tendon in New York, a new esoteric coffee shop arrives in NYC; the kings of the IG ad break into skincare/makeup; an Irish guy who has the best shoulder rehab tips online and a very counterintuitive new study that’s pro cell phone radiation.
Onto it.
Today’s A story… not sure. David Bars, probably? Still. I dealt with them at length last week here:
Maybe the other of-the-moment story of the Oscars is the prominent lat development in the above link. Probably EMOM pulldowns?
Local newsletter to return to group workouts: This newsletter Snake Super Health’s group workouts return SUNDAY. Calisthenics, fun stuff, outdoors, rain or shine, all levels welcome, free, easy does it, all genders. Probably in the city somewhere or in North Brooklyn. Readers—where’s most convenient?
Dr. Mike (not the bodybuilder), a sort of massive, unspoken rainmaker in the ‘health discourse,’ makes the Talk of the Town in the latest New Yorker. Lives in Hell’s Kitchen, Russian descent, hates RFK Jr. He thinks boxing is unhealthy?
I’ve been talking a while about wrestling shoes. I like them. They look good and are good for the feet. The Inflicts, from a few months ago, in Air Max 95 colors sold out, though the Nike Freeks might be as good—very early 2000s design here—and the sole looks like it might survive slightly the outdoors. It’s less about aesthetics and more about they don’t offer. Not much arch, not much cushioning, albeit ankle support: a sort of constrained freedom to get your feet stronger. It’s in line with the slow fashioning-up of actual healthy, zero drop/wide toe footwear. Most is still rough—I’m partial to the New Balance MT10—but these Asics, the HYPERSYNC, a new challenger, look promising. They’re somewhere between wrestler-coded (automatic for Asics) and Kiko Kostadinov style. The grey ones especially (the black is too minimal). Still need a roadwork shoe. But we compromise and do what we can. Ankle exercises/mobility/strength protocol lower down in the letter.
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Podcast archive. The latest episode is about looksmaxxing.
Back to the Bull S. Hitt:
Fascinating tech/ish news here: this app, Yuka, was profiled by the Wash Post the other day; it’s effectively a processed-food rating app in which consumers ding products for having nitrites, additives, and so on. From the story:
Julie Chapon was 26 when she finally learned what was in her Nestlé Fitness cereal.
“I’d eaten this cereal for 10 years,” by 2016 said Chapon, and she considered it to be healthy. “When I checked the label, one quarter of this product was made with sugar,” she recalls. “That’s when we realized we can’t trust the brand and the marketing.”
So Chapon conceived Yuka, a smartphone app that gives users X-ray vision into the health impacts of 6 million foods and cosmetics.
Scan a barcode and the app will show you a detailed breakdown of a product’s ingredients based on Nutri-Score, a food labeling system developed by scientists, as well as the presence of additives and organic certification. (Nestlé did not respond to requests for comment. Fitness cereal has been reformulated since Chapon’s encounter.)
Yuka rates each product with a simple color code: Excellent (green), good (light green), poor (yellow) or bad (red).
It’s something; they use the hell out of it in France, and it’s affected market greatly there—lots of products recalled, ingredients changed for some foods (nitrites removed from meats). Wild since things are better there. I’m of two minds about this. One, the ratings are not rock solid—the Trader Joe’s peanut butter protein granola, for example, is listed as “good.” I don’t think the app is a substitute for actually reading labels. But two, it’s something. Ultimately, the answers to America’s systemic nutritional problems will occur on the consumer-company plane. Not through regulation (these people are dipshits), not through well-meaning companies cutting corners. Half a solution but promising. Also, very positive article. For the record, threw this tamarind paste I have in there, it’s 88. Decent ingredients. Costs $15 a year.
Truly curious ad/posting here: Nike’s accepting “high achieving runners” who run big miles (3h+ in a session, multiple sessions) to relocate to Beaverton Oregon to get studied/analyzed/helped by their Sport Research Lab/Innovation lab in Portland. Something higher than gen pop athletes but to me this reads hard like a call for very talented, dedicated civilians—no applications for athletes sponsored by other companies. 15 weeks, starting in mid-April. Speaks to the depth and breadth of running as a hobby in America that there are just an untold amount of people who could apply here. Books close today.
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Cymbiotika, the company who ran IG with the colostrum ads last year, is doing skincare. Need colostrum-based calisthenics chalk powder or I’ll die.
Two words:
Andrew D. Huberman, Ph.D.@hubermanlabMonday is off with a bang: @pmarca ended therapy for founders, Banksy got unveiled (rather lame press move if you ask me; it was cooler for all w/the mystique intact; but I’m sure he’ll baffle us again soon)… & everyone is being diligent to get some morning light in their eyes.1:59 PM · Mar 16, 2026 · 98.6K Views35 Replies · 8 Reposts · 383 LikesIt was cooler for all with the mystique intact.
More gear: The Supreme MM6 heavy bag/gloves combo is inspired:
Feels like a head and shoulders better example of fancy gym gear I touched on last week in my other letter. Thinking about it. The problem with after-the-fact designed pieces of gym equipment is that the addition doesn’t live up to the original. How are you going to improve on a dumbbell or a kettlebell? But the Margiela bonafides here are at once so subtle—simple color—and so loud—pony hair, heavy bag—that it’s not at all an improvement but something completely different with an ahistorical point of view. It’ll get dirty really quick, too, which is a plus. Refreshing. Rest of the collection can be viewed here. Nice collar on the oxford.
New Attaquer collection looks strong. Not sure who they are. Nice photos. I like that it’s skintight head to toe. If people are wearing workout clothes they should commit to it. Go skintight. Enough’s enough. Mog at the coffeeshop. On this topic, a day of synthetic fibers a week is probably fine so long as you’re in cotton undies.
The bros are catching up to this Atlantic article from a couple years ago about ice cream’s flummoxing research results. That it might be… healthy. I’ve written about it before and touched on it lightly in my (other) protein essay last week. A few exhibits: the Oasis account, which is a dB of farms and small food providers, this Garrett Salem video, which is a bit glib, but mostly correct… even Al Roker. A bunch more this past week that went through the ether. It’s an evergreen topic. Explanation for those not keeping up in real time coming up:
Is it? Well, prob. yes in correct application/amount, and if it’s the “right” ice cream. Sugar, cream, eggs, maybe cacao: not exactly the stuff that gets dinged above on the WaPo app. Too much, if you’re stationary. Most ice creams have lots of emulsifiers and junk; Salem highlights a good option. I do think the topic might be narrow a point to make in a story or in writing, but can be explained better in video. Most ice cream not so good, some very. How’s that complicated?
Finally housing pho again; feels good to be back on three bowls a week. I have had it every day since Saturday. Nice with the weather. Can’t rock it during the day though (Peat crash) and so when running errands the other day, get a nice plate of straight TENDON instead in Chinatown. Cold beef tendon with mouth numbing chilis. Maybe about three oz to a serving. Low fat. Long body of work in clinical/freak/trad health of its benefits, and some in research (this study esp.) regarding its benefits. Doesn’t go right to muscles but better for hair, nails, soul. Probably inhibits cortisol (which is a thornier topic that deserves more of a sentence). The freaks say this protein should be about 1/4 to 1/3 of our requirements. I’d say why not. Helpful, leads to fewer crashes. Here’s the plato:
Really good macros Macros are prob 2f 0c, 22p. Good with red Coke and white rice. I picked it up at
