The Annual Glucose Experiment

Hi {{ first name | friend}},

Personal story time: The holidays are the one season where even the most disciplined "health hackers" accidentally run a daily experiment in metabolic chaos. We’re talking big meals, endless sitting, and that second plate of dessert that appears out of nowhere.

This week, we are looking at the future of weight loss (a new "Godzilla" peptide called Retatrutide). But first, we need to survive next week.

New 2025 data has revealed a practical, zero-equipment hack to shield your metabolism during the feast. It’s not about skipping dinner. It’s about timing.

QUICK POLL

⚠️ Don't miss next week's edition of the HEALTH HACK newsletter for the results! 😉

LAST WEEK'S POLL RESULTS

Which "Mitochondrial Lever" Are You Pulling Most Right Now?

32.5% Mechanical load – resistance training, HIIT, sprints, zone 2, etc.
24.3% Chemical signaling – supplements or drugs (“exercise mimetics”, etc.)
10.8% Environmental hormesis – cold exposure, fasting, heat, hypoxia, etc.
13.5% Stacking signals – a deliberate mix of 1, 2, and 3
18.9% None (yet) – I’m still in the “observing and learning” phase

-LONGEVITY PLAYBOOK-

Please forward this edition to your friends and wish them a merry and healthy Christmas!

Subscribe here: https://newsletter.health-hack.com

The 10-Minute "Glucose Shield"

Why "Immediately" Matters More Than "Longer"

We used to think you just needed to "walk it off" eventually. A new 2025 randomized, crossover trial published in Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio) asked a specific question: Does timing beat duration?

The Setup

Researchers took healthy adults and gave them a standard glucose load (sugar crash in a bottle). They tested three scenarios:

  1. Sit and rest.

  2. 10-minute walk immediately after eating.

  3. 30-minute walk starting 30 minutes later.

The "Hack" Discovery

Both walking groups did better than sitting. But only one crushed the spike.

  • The 10-minute immediate walk produced a significantly lower peak glucose than resting.

  • The 30-minute walk (delayed by half an hour) did not significantly reduce the peak compared to resting, even though it was three times longer.

The Takeaway

If your goal is to blunt the holiday spike, timing matters more than volume. Your muscles act as a sink for glucose, but you have to open the drain before the flood hits.

The "Stack": The Carbs-Last Upgrade

To make this bulletproof, combine the walk with findings from a separate Oct 2025 study (Nutrients). Researchers found that "Food Order" drastically changes how your body processes a meal.

The Protocol:

  1. Vegetables First: Fiber coats the gut.

  2. Protein Second: Satiety signals kick in.

  3. Carbs/Dessert Last: By the time sugar hits, absorption is slowed.

Read the studies:

THE SUPPLEMENT

The "Chemical Buffer"

Can’t Walk? Use the Cinnamon Buffer.

Sometimes you can't leave the table immediately (you’re trapped in a conversation with Uncle Peter). This is where you use chemistry.

A 2025 trial in PLOS ONE evaluated a specific protocol for Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Ceylon Cinnamon) to stabilize glucose and lower LDL.


The "1-Gram Buffer" Strategy

  • The Dose: 1'000mg daily, split into two. (500mg before breakfast, 500mg before the Big Dinner).

  • The Warning: You MUST use Ceylon Cinnamon (often labeled "True Cinnamon"). Do not use the standard grocery store "Cassia" cinnamon found in pumpkin spice. Cassia contains coumarin, which can stress the liver – the last thing you need while drinking eggnog.

Read the study: Effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Ceylon cinnamon) extract on lipid profile, glucose levels and its safety in adults: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial

NOTE: While this study confirmed the significant reduction in Fasting Blood Sugar (Glucose) – validating the "Glucose Shield" strategy – it is important to note that this specific trial found the reduction in LDL was not statistically significant (p=0.161), contradicting some earlier meta-analyses. The "Hack" remains valid for glucose stabilization (the "Christmas Shield"), but the LDL claim should be treated as "mixed evidence" based on this newest data.

-PEPTIDE OF THE WEEK-

Retatrutide

The "Godzilla" of Fat Loss

Why the "Triple G" Makes Ozempic Look Like a Flip Phone

While we are manually mitigating damage with cinnamon and walking, the biotech world is finishing the code to automate the process completely. If Semaglutide (Ozempic) is the iPhone 1, Retatrutide is the quantum computer.

The "Triple G" Stack

To understand why this is the "Ghost of Christmas Future", you have to look at the receptor stack. Current gold-standard drugs (like Tirzepatide) are "Dual Agonists". Retatrutide adds a third, game-changing component:

  1. GLP-1: Crushes appetite (the "I'm full" signal).

  2. GIP: Improves insulin sensitivity and fat storage dynamics.

  3. Glucagon (The New Player): This is the game-changer.

The "Furnace" Mechanism (GCGR)

This is why Retatrutide is distinct from everything else on the market. By stimulating the Glucagon Receptor (GCGR), it may increase energy expenditure (in addition to reducing intake) – a mechanism supported by preclinical work and consistent with observed metabolic biomarker shifts in human studies.

  • Old Tech: Reduces Calories In.

  • Retatrutide: Reduces Calories In + Increases Calories Out.

It effectively turns up your body's internal thermostat, increasing your resting metabolic rate even while you sit on the couch watching holiday movies.

The Holiday Bonus: Liver De-Fatting

The holidays are notoriously brutal on the liver (sugar + alcohol). Phase 2 data showed that Retatrutide reduced liver fat by an astonishing ~86% after 48 weeks. It essentially wrings the fat out of the liver, restoring metabolic flexibility in a way that simple appetite suppression cannot.

Read the study: Triple hormone receptor agonist retatrutide for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a randomized phase 2a trial

The 2025 Status Check

As of December 11, 2025, Lilly reported positive topline Phase 3 results from TRIUMPH-4 (obesity/overweight + knee osteoarthritis, no diabetes), with ~28.7% mean weight loss at 68 weeks at the 12 mg dose (vs ~2.1% placebo).

Read the press release: Lilly's triple agonist, retatrutide, delivered weight loss of up to an average of 71.2 lbs along with substantial relief from osteoarthritis pain in first successful Phase 3 trial

That puts retatrutide among the highest-efficacy obesity pharmacotherapies reported to date – with full peer-reviewed publication needed to confirm details across the broader TRIUMPH program.

For the biohackers who want to see the raw data supporting the “Metabolic Furnace” claims, you can track the official Phase 3 trial design and outcome measures here: The TRIUMPH-1 Study Protocol. The late-2025 data readouts from this program are what have confirmed Retatrutide as the new apex predator of weight loss compounds.

The Takeaway

We are transitioning from the era of "willpower in a pen" to "metabolic repair in a pen". While you likely can't get a prescription for this before next Thursday, understanding the Glucagon pathway gives you a clue for behavioral mimicry: Cold Plunges and High-Protein intake are the two best natural ways to stimulate a fraction of this glucagon release.

⚠️ Important Medical & Safety Disclaimer

The content of this newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Specific Cautions for This Week’s Protocols:

  • Glucose & Insulin Dynamics: The "10-minute walk" and "1-gram cinnamon" protocols are powerful tools for lowering blood glucose. If you are currently taking medication for diabetes (especially insulin or sulfonylureas), adding these protocols could cause your blood sugar to drop too low (hypoglycemia). You must monitor your glucose closely and consult your prescribing physician before changing your routine.

  • Supplement Safety: The recommendation for Ceylon Cinnamon is specific. High doses of generic Cassia Cinnamon contain coumarin, which can be hepatotoxic (damaging to the liver). Do not exceed recommended doses, and avoid if you have pre-existing liver conditions.

  • Investigational Compounds: Retatrutide is discussed here in the context of clinical trial data (Phase 3). As of this writing, it is an investigational drug (not approved for routine clinical use). It is not a supplement. Never attempt to source or use research chemicals without medical supervision.

Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this newsletter.

-IN THE PRESS-

What we're reading

Natural hormone unlocks a hidden fat-burning switch

New research reveals gut hormone FGF19 tells your brain to flip a hidden fat-burning switch, boosting thermogenesis and easing inflammation in obesity.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251205054739.htm

Blood Sugar Patterns Strongly Linked to Sleep Quality

Blood sugar swings and low-protein, high-fat diets may be quietly wrecking your sleep – while smarter carb-fat choices could improve it.
https://neurosciencenews.com/blood-sugar-sleep-30045/

Scientists Discover How To Turn Gut Microbiome Into a Longevity Factory

Turn your gut microbes into a “longevity factory”: a non-absorbed antibiotic nudges bacteria to pump out lifespan-boosting metabolites.
https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-how-to-turn-gut-microbiome-into-a-longevity-factory/

Quality of carbohydrates in diet may play key role in prevention of dementia

Swap sugary, high-GI carbs for fruits, legumes and whole grains to cut Alzheimer’s risk and protect long-term brain health.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-quality-carbohydrates-diet-play-key.html

One Critical Factor Predicts Longevity Better Than Diet or Exercise, Study Says

Skimping on sleep? New research suggests getting under 7 hours may slash lifespan more than a poor diet or skipping workouts.
https://www.sciencealert.com/one-critical-factor-predicts-longevity-better-than-diet-or-exercise-study-says

What Happens When You Take Creatine and Caffeine Together?

Can you safely mix creatine with your morning coffee? Explore performance perks, potential downsides, and who should avoid this combo.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-happens-when-you-take-creatine-and-caffeine-together-11826346

-SCIENTIFIC STUDIES-

New Findings

Chocolate’s “Youth Molecule”? Theobromine Links to a Younger Epigenetic Age

Chocolate lovers, take note: theobromine – the cocoa alkaloid that gives dark chocolate its mellow "lift" – may track with a younger biological age.

In two European cohorts, researchers used serum metabolomics and blood epigenetic clocks and found higher circulating theobromine linked to lower epigenetic age acceleration (GrimAge) and longer methylation-estimated telomere length (DNAmTL).

The signal appeared in 509 TwinsUK participants and replicated in 1'160 KORA participants, even after accounting for other cocoa and coffee metabolites, suggesting specificity.

For a holiday upgrade, swap one candy bar for a small square of high-cocoa dark chocolate. It's observational, not proof of causation, but it’s a tasty hypothesis.

Sleep First, Steps Follow: Wearables Show Bedtime Drives Tomorrow’s Movement

What if the easiest way to rack up steps this holiday season is … to sleep first?

A new Communications Medicine paper mined ~28 million person-days from 70'963 users wearing a smartwatch and sleeping on an under-mattress sensor across 244 regions.

Only 12.9% routinely achieved both 7–9 hours of sleep and 8'000+ steps, and nearly 17% combined short sleep with a sedentary <5'000-step day.

The kicker: sleep quality and duration predicted next-day movement more than movement predicted next-night sleep. Tonight, protect bedtime, cut screens, and you may gain energy for tomorrow’s strolls.

Your next training plan: add sleep, then steps daily.

Remember!

💡 The feast isn’t the enemy. Bad timing is.

If you do one thing this week: take a 10-minute walk immediately after the big meal. Timing beats a longer, delayed walk for blunting the glucose peak. Simple, free, and brutally effective.

Treat Christmas like a lab, not a relapse: carbs last, then move now, and protect bedtime so tomorrow’s steps happen on autopilot.

Until next time,
Live longer. Upgrade wisely.
Rolf & the HEALTH HACK team

PS: If someone sent you this, you can subscribe here: https://newsletter.health-hack.com

Keep Reading