In this episode, Matt Kaeberlein analyzes three recent studies generating buzz in the longevity community. Two involve rapamycin and one focuses on taurine. He offers a grounded, often contrarian view on what the science actually tells us (and what it doesn’t).

Matt begins with a critical look at a small Phase 1 study investigating daily low-dose rapamycin (1mg/day) for Alzheimer’s disease. Despite social media labeling it a “VERY IMPORTANT STUDY,” Matt disagrees. He explains that the study was underpowered (only 10 participants), lacked a placebo group, and used a dosing strategy unlikely to produce measurable effects in the brain or the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). He highlights that the negative findings were entirely predictable based on pharmacokinetics—and that stronger evidence may come from an ongoing trial (ERAP) using 7mg once-weekly dosing, a regimen with more real-world traction.

Shifting to more encouraging territory, Matt dives into a preprint study examining weekly low-dose rapamycin (6mg/week) in people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). In a decentralized, uncontrolled trial, 75% of completers reported major improvements in fatigue, post-exertional malaise, and overall quality of life. These subjective improvements were mirrored by changes in molecular markers tied to autophagy, suggesting that rapamycin may improve energy and immune regulation in a subset of CFS patients—particularly those with post-viral onset. While acknowledging the lack of a placebo group and variations in rapamycin formulations, Matt argues the strong effect sizes and consistent results across multiple metrics make the findings highly compelling.

The final study, published in Science, questions whether taurine levels truly decline with age—a key assumption from a prior paper Matt co-authored. While the new study was methodologically rigorous, Matt feels it sidesteps the more important question: does taurine supplementation actually work to improve lifespan or healthspan in mammals? He criticizes the omission of intervention data and describes the study as “a big nothing burger” when it comes to influencing real-world use of taurine for aging.

Throughout the episode, Matt encourages listeners to look past headlines and social media hype, especially when studies lack robust design or make claims unsupported by their own data. He reiterates the importance of proper dosing, context, and clear-eyed skepticism in evaluating longevity interventions. While he finds little to get excited about in the Alzheimer’s and taurine papers, he sees the rapamycin-CFS study as a meaningful step toward therapeutic use of rapamycin in real-world chronic disease, offering both hope and a clear path forward for additional trials.