Dr. Rick's Insights
How Autophagy Recycles Your Cells for Energy and Youth
The New Frontier of Longevity! Aging isn’t caused by time—it’s caused by accumulation, decoherence. Every day, your cells produce damaged proteins, broken mitochondria, and oxidized fats. Whether those wastes are recycled or pile up determines how fast you age. The built-in cleanup program that handles this process is called autophagy. 1. What Autophagy Actually Is Autophagy—literally “self-eating”—is the body’s cellular recycling system. When triggered, lysosomes break down defective components and rebuild them into fresh organelles. It’s how we clear senescent cells, prevent neurodegeneration, and keep energy metabolism young. The discovery of this mechanism earned Yoshinori Ohsumi the 2016 Nobel Prize in...
What makes a great pre workout? - Dr. Rick Cohen, M.D.
The Science of Smarter Energy Most “energy drinks” push the nervous system harder. Very few make the cardiovascular, muscle and mitochondrial systems work smarter. That’s the physiological difference between short-term stimulation and sustained performance—and it’s exactly what happens when natural caffeine is paired with beet nitrates, aminos, and adaptogenic compounds. 1. The Physiology Behind Performance Energy True endurance and energy begins in the mitochondria—the engines that convert oxygen and fuel into ATP. For them to perform, oxygen delivery must be optimized by the vascular system. That delivery depends on one molecule: nitric oxide (NO). It signals arteries and capillaries to dilate,...
The Science of Protein and Collagen Peptides - Dr. Rick Cohen, M.D.
What the Supplement Industry Gets Wrong Every year new “miracle molecules” promise instant muscle, glowing skin, everlasting life or bulletproof joints. Most ignore basic biochemistry. Your body doesn’t absorb hype or respond well to anything that fights against its own biology. When it comes to protein, it only absorbs amino acids and peptides in precise ratios. Understanding how those work is the key to real recovery and resilience. 1. Protein Is a Signal, Not Just a Calorie Source Protein isn’t fuel—it’s information. Amino acids trigger mTOR and satellite-cell activity to build or repair tissue. When amino supply matches need, muscle...
The Truth About Essential Amino Acids - Dr. Rick Cohen, M.D.
Cutting Through the Hype Around EAAs, BCAAs, and Creatine Supplements are a $60-billion industry, yet most people still misunderstand the foundation of muscle, recovery, and metabolic health. The core truth hasn’t changed: essential amino acids (EAAs) are the building blocks of every protein your body makes. Everything else—creatine, stimulants, “recovery drinks”—depends on them being in balance and properly working first. 1. The Physiology That Everyone Forgets Muscle, enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters—nearly all require amino acids. Nine of them are essential, meaning the body cannot synthesize them and must obtain them through diet. When even one essential amino acid is missing,...