Health · editorial rating

Andrew Huberman

Huberman is a credentialed scientist giving away a lot of solid material for free. The score drops where supplement and cold protocols get presented with more confidence than the studies support, and where sponsors sell the products.

Editorial opinion: SG Score 74 out of 100. Verdict: MIXED. This is not a customer star rating and not a finding by a court.

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Strengths

• Tenured Stanford professor with a real research record
• Core podcast is free and covers sleep, light and exercise in depth
• Credited by other scientists for getting a mass audience interested in science

Weaknesses

• Slate's Andrea Love wrote that several of his health takes, including on flu vaccines and fluoride, are out of step with the evidence (S3).
• McGill's Jonathan Jarry argued that supplement segments lean on small, short human studies (S4).
• His cold-exposure newsletter states a prolonged dopamine effect (S6). A review finds the health evidence for cold-water immersion limited (S7).

Claims

1. holds. The podcast translates 'science and science-based tools into actionable protocols' at no cost to listeners.

   The show is free, and a Brown University neuroscientist called it 'a fabulous service for the world.' It is funded by sponsors, including supplement makers such as AG1, which some scientists criticize.

   Sources: S5 S4

2. partly. Ashwagandha 'has a profound effect on anxiety.'

   Critics note the human studies are small and rely on self-reported symptoms (S3), and that ashwagandha is poorly studied and may worsen autoimmune conditions (S4).

   Sources: S3 S4

3. partly. Cold exposure causes the prolonged release of dopamine; consider about 11 minutes per week in total.

   The dopamine claim is stated with more confidence than the evidence allows: reviews find the health evidence for cold water immersion limited.

   Sources: R47 S6

Also in Health

• Gwyneth Paltrow (Goop) (35, OVERSTATED)
• Kevin Trudeau (5, HALL OF SHAME)

Sources

1. S1 About Andrew Huberman. Huberman Lab. https://www.hubermanlab.com/about
2. S2 Huberman Lab Premium. Huberman Lab. https://www.hubermanlab.com/premium
3. S3 Scientists Like Me Knew There Was Something Amiss With Andrew Huberman's Wildly Popular Podcast (Andrea Love). Slate. https://slate.com/technology/2024/03/andrew-huberman-huberman-lab-health-advice-podcast-debunk.html
4. S4 Andrew Huberman Has a Bad Case of Supplement Brain (Jonathan Jarry). McGill University Office for Science and Society. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/andrew-huberman-has-bad-case-supplement-brain
5. S5 How Andrew Huberman Got America to Care About Science. Time. https://time.com/6290594/andrew-hubman-lab-podcast-interview/
6. S6 The Science and Use of Cold Exposure for Health and Performance. Huberman Lab. https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter/the-science-and-use-of-cold-exposure-for-health-and-performance
7. S7 Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water: A continuing subject of debate. International Journal of Circumpolar Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2022.2111789

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