Nick Norwitz MD PhD

2,000 Hours of Heart Health Research in 21 Minutes

If you enjoyed this video and want access to all the references, deeper nuance, and additional context behind everything we discussed, consider joining StayCurious Metabolism, an overall top best-selling science newsletter: https://staycuriousmetabolism.com The companion article for this video is here: https://staycuriousmetabolism.substack.com/p/the-heart-supplements-i-recommend?r=40ekz2 Find out why Stay Curious Metabolism became one of the fastest-growing science publications on Substack and reached the top two globally in just one year. Referenced Videos Heart Rate Variability: https://youtu.be/bdxYexIpYjo Berberine: https://youtu.be/KMVsg9EnbcE Vitamin C: https://youtu.be/0p0cld4RmDo Chapters 0:00 – 2,000 Hours of Heart Health in 20 Minutes 1:50 – Our Mystery Box of Heart Health Tools 2:15 – The Scoop, Nattokinase 5:12 – The Ice Pack, TUDCA 9:24 – The Charger, Heart Rate Variability 13:24 – The Straw, Berberine 16:00 – The Ducted Tape, Vitamin C Description I spent seven years living with cholesterol levels higher than most doctors ever see in their entire careers. By conventional thinking, I should have been accumulating plaque at an alarming rate. But when I underwent advanced cardiovascular imaging, the result was shocking: zero plaque. No soft plaque. No calcified plaque. Nothing. After that story went viral, I received the same questions over and over again: How do you protect your heart? What supplements do you take? What's the secret? In this video, I break down five of the highest-yield tools I use to think about cardiovascular health, drawing on thousands of hours of research spanning metabolism, lipidology, vascular biology, and longevity science. We'll cover Nattokinase, TUDCA, heart rate variability, omega-3s, berberine, vitamin C, statins, blood sugar control, inflammation, LDL cholesterol, ApoB, Lp(a), and more. The goal isn't hype, it's understanding the biology well enough to make smarter decisions about protecting your heart over the long term. Brand Criteria and Suggestions After the letter went live, I received several questions about which brands I would consider for Nattokinase, TUDCA, and berberine. Rather than specific endorsements, here are the main criteria I use when evaluating these products. More details can be found at the newsletter. Below is condensed version given the word limit for YouTube captions. Nattokinase Look for: • Potency listed in Fibrinolytic Units (FU), typically 2,000–4,000 FU per capsule • NSK-SD®, the most extensively studied nattokinase ingredient (a positive signal, but not required) • Third-party testing, a Certificate of Analysis (COA), and/or cGMP-compliant manufacturing Brands that stand out include: • Doctor's Best • Life Extension • Jarrow Formulas • A budget-friendly option is NOW Foods. TUDCA Look for: • A transparent label showing 250–500 mg TUDCA per capsule • Avoidance of proprietary “bile support” blends • Third-party testing, COA, and/or cGMP manufacturing • A reputable manufacturer Companies often discussed include: • Double Wood • Nootropics Depot Berberine The criteria are similar to TUDCA. Look for: • Clearly labeled berberine HCl, typically 500 mg per capsule • No proprietary blends • Third-party testing, COA, and/or cGMP manufacturing Manufacturers that stand out include: • Thorne • Life Extension • Nootropics Depot • Jarrow Formulas Some newer berberine formulations (e.g., phytosome or liposomal forms) may improve absorption, although most of the human evidence still comes from traditional berberine HCl. #HeartHealth #CardiovascularHealth #HeartDisease #HeartAttack #Cholesterol #LDL #ApoB #LpA #Nattokinase #TUDCA #Berberine #VitaminC #Omega3 #FishOil #HRV #HeartRateVariability #Zone2 #Zone2Cardio #Longevity #HealthyAging #MetabolicHealth #InsulinResistance #BloodSugar #Statins #GLP #Plaque #Atherosclerosis #Prevention #PreventiveMedicine #Biohacking #Nutrition #Supplements #Science #MedicalScience #HealthScience #Neuroscience #Cardiology #Lipidology #Inflammation #OxidativeStress #BloodPressure #EnduranceTraining #Exercise #Wellness #HealthOptimization #HealthyLiving #LongevityScience #StayCurious #NickNorwitz