Superhuman Contact Lenses, Motivation Supplement Stack, Cat Scratches Cause Brain Fog, Amino Acid Shortening Lifespan, and more...

Dave Asprey

Apr 10, 2026

Episode description

This week's stories:

*Bartonella Hides in Cat Scratches — and It Might Be Why You Feel Like Garbage

A stealth bacterial infection transmitted by everyday cat scratches and flea dirt has been quietly linked to chronic fatigue, brain fog, and neurological symptoms for decades. Dave breaks down how Bartonella slips past standard testing, why it's almost never on a conventional doctor's radar, and the specific PCR protocol you need to actually find it.

Sources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

*High Tyrosine Levels May Be Cutting Years Off Men's Lives

A Mendelian randomization study of 270,000 UK Biobank participants found that elevated tyrosine is causally linked to nearly a full year of lost lifespan in men — with zero effect in women. The culprit appears to be an inflammatory oxidation pathway that men metabolize very differently. Dave examines what this means for every guy stacking L-tyrosine nootropics or eating high-protein keto.

Sources:

*Blue Light Blocking Contact Lenses Are a Legitimate Vision Upgrade

ALTIUS Vision's tinted contact lenses aren't just blue light filters — they cut chromatic aberration by 53% and improve motion tracking and contrast sensitivity in ways that software filters simply can't replicate. Dave covers the mechanism, who benefits most (screen workers, TBI recovery, gamers), and how to find a provider.

Sources:

*Taurine Plus B Vitamins Actually Moves the Needle on Motivation

A randomized crossover trial found that a daily stack of tauri

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Enhance brainpower with tinted contact lenses

Tinted contact lenses can make you sharper by filtering light at the source, reducing the brain's processing power wasted on correcting noisy visual input from screens.

#cognition

#device

Identify Bartonella infection to combat brain fog from cats

A bacterial infection from cats called Bartonella can cause chronic brain fog and mood instability, and often requires a specific PCR test for diagnosis, not a standard antibody test.

#bacteria

#diagnosis

Limit high-protein diets to protect men's lifespan

High circulating tyrosine, found in pre-workouts and high-protein diets, is associated with nearly a full year of lost lifespan in men due to an inflammatory pathway upregulated by testosterone.

#lifespan

#protein

Maintain plasma tyrosine to phenylalanine ratio under 10:1 for health

To avoid the potential negative effects of tyrosine, your plasma tyrosine to phenylalanine ratio should be under 10:1, a number you can check with a blood test.

#blood-test

Address nutrient depletion to overcome motivation issues

Feeling unmotivated or stuck can be a sign of depleted nutrients, not a character flaw, and may be fixed with a specific combination of taurine and B vitamins.

#motivation

#supplement

Boost motivation with daily taurine and B vitamin blend

A daily morning dose of 2g taurine, 800mcg methylfolate, 50mg P5P (B6), and 1mg methylcobalamin (B12) was shown to increase willingness to exert effort.

#motivation

#supplement

Inhale floral scents to reset stress in 30 seconds

Deeply inhaling a floral scent for just 30 seconds can measurably lower your heart rate by 5-10 beats per minute by directly signaling your brain's limbic system.