Keeping It Real with Jillian Michaels

Episode: The Anti-Aging Stack That Burns Fat, Builds Muscle, Boosts Libido & Regrows Hair — Ben Greenfield

Release Date: December 3, 2025
Guest: Ben Greenfield (biohacker, author, human performance expert)

Episode Overview

On this incisive episode, Jillian Michaels sits down with health and longevity pioneer Ben Greenfield to unpack the most advanced (and sometimes controversial) approaches to anti-aging, hormone optimization, body composition, libido, cognitive health, and hair regrowth. Their candid discussion balances state-of-the-art interventions — like peptides, gene therapy, and plasma exchange — with the rock-solid basics of nutrition, exercise, sleep, and relationships. The conversation is especially relevant for men’s health, but key topics and takeaways apply to everyone focused on living longer, stronger, and sharper lives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The State of Men's Health: Challenges and Myths

[03:38–07:30]

• Biggest men’s health concerns: Testosterone, prostate health, cardiovascular disease.
• Myth-busting: “Testosterone doesn’t remarkably increase libido, not directly…there’s a small impact, but it’s less than what guys think.” (Ben, 04:22)
• Hidden symptoms of low T: Can include poor sleep, weight/fat gain, low energy, brain fog, not just lack of muscle or libido.
• “Pill mills” vs. foundational health: Explosion of online clinics prescribing testosterone after only brief consults, often skipping lifestyle and dietary basics (“People want to jump to the big guns”).

2. Before Biohacking, Master the Basics

[07:30–14:45]

• Foundational nutrients (“building blocks”):
  • Magnesium, zinc, boron, vitamin D, creatine, fish oil.
• Environmental disruptors:
  • Toxins and xenoestrogens (especially from plastics) undermine hormonal health.
  • “Body fat can store toxins…it can increase propensity for an obesogenic state.” (Ben, 09:29)
• Lifestyle:
  • Heavy, compound lifting (esp. legs), sun exposure, reducing stress, strong relationships, sleep.
  • Acute, controlled stress (hormesis) improves testosterone receptor sensitivity.
  • “Get the building blocks in place first…test again in 6–8 weeks.” (Ben, 13:08)

3. Modern Masculinity and Societal Shifts

[14:45–20:05]

• Rite of passage is missing:
  • Young men lack challenges that foster resilience and manhood.
• Modern environment:
  • Lack of manual/outdoor labor and abundance of instant gratification (porn, video games) contributes to hormone decline and “ancestral mismatch.”
  • “I would almost rather young men being a bit dangerous than sitting in their basement using VR porn, never going out.” (Ben, 16:52)
• Education and curriculum: There’s a need for new ways to mentor boys into men.

4. Strategies and Cautions for Testosterone Replacement

[20:05–26:55]

• Replacement approaches:
  • Pellets: Fixed, non-adjustable.
  • Injections: Big hormonal surges, not natural.
  • Orals: Short-lived, performance-oriented.
  • Creams: More natural diurnal pattern, but must avoid transferring to others.
• Protecting fertility:
  • Enclomiphene, Clomid, hCG can help maintain endogenous testosterone and sperm quality for men not done having kids.
• Find the right doctor:
  • “Ideally a functional medicine doctor…who uses quantification to make decisions…” (Ben, 25:53)
  • Online providers rarely go beyond “testosterone fixes everything.”

5. The Reality and Promise of Peptides

[26:55–41:03]

• What are peptides?
  • Short chains of amino acids; includes insulin and GLP-1 drugs.
• Therapeutic potential:
  • Sex drive (PT-141, oxytocin nasal spray), fat loss (GLP-1 agonists), muscle recovery, healing (BPC-157, TB-500), immunity (Thymosin Alpha 1).
• Risks and the ‘gray market’:
  • Online sources abound, but contamination, inaccurate dosing, and heavy metals/bacteria are real issues.
  • “You have to accept…you’re kind of doing what a lot of bodybuilders do…and it’s not without risk because of lack of long-term human clinical trials.” (Ben, 36:05)
• How to stay safer:
  • Look for Certificates of Analysis (COA), stick to U.S./German sources, CGMP or FDA-registered facilities, avoid Chinese-made.
• Frustration over regulation:
  • FDA crackdown means even quality compounding pharmacies can’t make most peptides anymore—forcing people to risk less trustworthy alternatives.

6. Avoiding the “Magic Bullet” Trap — Return to Fundamentals

[41:03–45:58]

• Jillian’s caution: “I worry that too much of this gets people not to focus on the big rocks.”
• Ben’s philosophy:
  • “I live with one foot in modern science, one foot in ancestral wisdom…use biohacks to mimic what our ancestors had (photic, thermal, and movement stressors).”
• Biohacking as simulation:
  • Use red light, cold, heat, grounding, etc., to “simulate discomfort” from natural environment, but don’t neglect the basics of health.

7. Elite/Experimental Interventions: Plasma Exchange & Gene Therapy

[45:58–55:51]

• Plasma filtration:
  • Ben has undergone blood filtration in Tijuana, young donor plasma exchange in Texas, and gene therapy in Cabo.
  • Reason: “A lot of what I’m doing is just going from good to great. I don’t have a lot of problems, so I’m doing this out of curiosity to write about it.” (Ben, 52:17)
• Risks of being perpetually ‘anabolic’:
  • Growth-promoting tactics (testosterone, peptides, young plasma, gene therapy) can theoretically raise cancer risk (too much growth).
  • “You have to balance both worlds…brief periods of fasting or catabolism are also good.”

8. Cognitive Health — Are There “Stacks” That Work?

[61:52–69:34]

• Multimodal approach is best:
  • Dale Bredesen’s protocol includes HBOT, red-light, ketones, fish oil, creatine, anti-inflammatory diets.
  • Jillian uses nicotine for potential neuroprotection (but risks with vasoconstriction and impurities in gum/pouch forms; patch may be safer).
  • Russian nootropics like Cerebrolysin have long track record but are off-label in the U.S.
• Cognition is a workout:
  • Brain “exercise” (games, learning, music) is as valuable as supplements/tech.
  • “The hard part is doing the actual work that makes smoke come out your ears.” (Ben, 68:09)

9. Specific Protocols & Hacks

Hair Regrowth [71:07–76:21]:

• Routine:
  • Collagen, amino acids, copper peptide (GHK-Cu — topical or inject), caffeine serums, and most importantly derma rolling or microneedling the scalp to increase blood flow, followed by red light helmet therapy.
  • “Serum, dermaroll, red light helmet…That’s my system.” (Ben, 75:10)
• For severe loss:
  • Only sure method is hair transplant (“follicular transfer”).

Libido [76:22–81:49]:

• Stress dominates: Modern chronic stress tanks sex drive for all ages (“Nature doesn’t want you to make babies when you’re surrounded by tigers.”)
• Biohacks for blood flow:
  • PT-141 and oxytocin peptide (nasal), Melanotan (beware for those with many freckles), vasodilation diet (arugula, beets, watermelon, olive oil), reduce use of mouthwash (impairs nitrate conversion).
  • Ultra-low-dose Cialis/Viagra (5–10mg) improves vascular health and can help both men and women.

“Longevity Oil Change” (Advanced Detox) [82:58–88:18]:

• Ozone plasmapheresis: Used for mold/Lyme, affordable.
• Therapeutic plasma exchange: Routine “detox” at some functional clinics.
• Young plasma infusion: Higher-end, riskier, possibly stronger anti-aging effects.
• Social connection is the best medicine:
  • “Biggest longevity hack is community and relationships…It doesn’t come to you, you have to create it.” (Ben, 88:52)

10. The Role of Faith and Purpose

[89:15–96:23]

• Intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity:
  • Participation in religious community counteracts isolation and adds meaning.
  • “Purpose and the intrinsic religiosity that’s associated with purpose feeds into that meaning…Once you fill the eternal hole in the soul with something that’s actually eternal…all of those other things become more satisfying.” (Ben, 95:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Testosterone is still considered the fountain of youth, the libido juice. Even though testosterone doesn’t remarkably increase libido, not directly.” (Ben, 04:22)
• “Body fat can store toxins…it can increase propensity for an obesogenic state based on environmental exposures.” (Ben, 09:29)
• “Brief bouts of so-called hormetic stress…results in long-term stress resilience and a rise in receptor availability for testosterone.” (Ben, 12:06)
• “We don’t have a ceremonial, systematized rite of passage for men, so many go into their 40s still feeling like they have something to prove.” (Ben, 15:30)
• “The reason I’m listing all these things is, get the building blocks in place first…then go test your testosterone again.” (Ben, 13:08)
• “There’s hundreds of peptides…insulin is the most familiar…Not all are dangerous and forbidden.” (Ben, 28:25)
• “You have to accept…lack of long-term human clinical trials.” (Ben, 36:05)
• “I live with one foot in modern science, one foot in ancestral wisdom.” (Ben, 41:50)
• “Cognition: The hard part is doing the actual work…it’s smoke coming out your ears.” (Ben, 68:09)
• “The biggest longevity hack is community and relationships…you have to fabricate it.” (Ben, 88:52)
• “Once you fill the eternal hole in the soul with something eternal…all the other things become more satisfying.” (Ben, 95:25)

Timestamps for Major Topics

| Timestamp | Topic | |------------|------------------------------------------------| | 03:38 | Most common men’s health problems | | 07:30 | Testosterone basics—no shortcuts | | 09:29 | Plastics, environmental toxins, estrogen | | 12:09 | Strategic stress (exercise, cold, sauna) | | 13:08 | Testing testosterone after lifestyle changes | | 14:45 | Endurance sports and missing rites of passage | | 20:05 | TRT methods & maintaining fertility | | 26:55 | Peptides: promise and peril | | 31:17 | GLP-1s, microdosing, new “weight loss” peptides | | 41:03 | Are we too obsessed with “hacks”? | | 45:58 | Plasma exchange, gene therapy, big biohacking | | 55:51 | Autophagy: fasting vs. growth/anabolism | | 61:52 | Cognitive decline & stacking protocols | | 69:36 | Nicotine: risks and alternatives | | 71:07 | Hair regrowth—protocols that work | | 76:22 | Sex drive: causes and real solutions | | 82:58 | Advanced “detox” (plasma, ozone, young blood) | | 88:52 | Community: the true longevity secret | | 89:15 | Faith and purpose in health/longevity |

Actionable Takeaways

• Master the basics first: Diet, micronutrient status, sleep, stress, sunlight, heavy lifting.
• Get your testosterone evaluated thoughtfully; don’t just jump on short consults with “pill mills.” Seek comprehensive, quantification-focused care.
• If considering peptides: Only source from reputable labs (with COA) or compounding pharmacies (if possible). Proceed cautiously—there’s little long-term data.
• Hair loss: Aggressively address blood flow (dermarolling), consider GHK-Cu, caffeine serums, and red light helmet therapy.
• Libido: Look into PT-141/oxytocin nasal, vasodilation diet, avoid excessive mouthwash, micro-dose PDE5 inhibitors for vascular health.
• Community and relationships are fundamental: The most robust evidence for longevity isn’t found in a lab—it’s in meaningful, real-life connection.
• “Biohacks” simulate ancestral living: Cold plunges, red light, and PEMF mats can be useful — but can’t replace living, playing, and working outdoors.
• Faith, meaning, and purpose measurably support well-being and longevity.

Episode Tone & Style

Jillian’s approach is direct, open-minded, and grounded in practical experience, while Ben brings both scientific rigor and an adventurous, sometimes rebel spirit. The conversation is candid, jargon-busting, at times irreverent, and steers listeners away from magic-bullet thinking toward a balanced, “real” path to optimization.

For more from Ben Greenfield:
Website: BenGreenfieldLife.com
Podcast: The Balanced Life Podcast

Summary prepared for listeners who want the truth—with context, nuance, and a dash of humility.