Daisy Wolf

1. Key Themes

Boring, Consistent Routines Beat Biohacker Theater

Justin Mares frames the health-influencer economy as one with a perverse incentive: the more extreme the protocol, the more attention it earns, so the loudest voices are optimizing for attention rather than outcomes. His own approach is deliberately dull and concentrated in a few high-leverage areas.

Mares: "every health influencer is incentivized to say like, the craziest shit, because that's what gets a lot of attention." [00:01:31] He adds: "I like, don't do almost any of that. So, like my routines are pretty boring or consistent, but I think that there's a couple areas that I've gone deep that I really care about." [00:02:08]

Food Quality Is the Variable Everyone Ignores

Rather than debating whether bread, sugar, or chicken is "good" or "bad," Mares argues the debate is mis-framed. The quality and sourcing of the product matters more than the category, and this is where he has put most of his own energy.

Mares: "the lens that the average person does not have and think about the food system is the quality lens... Freshly-milled, well-sourced, like all this sort of like bread like that is a totally different product than buying Wonder Bread from the center of the grocery store, yet we call them both bread and say like categorically you should avoid bread." [00:09:59] On his household: "we have like very, very high sourcing standards in terms of the foods that we buy, and that is where I've put most of my energy." [00:05:27]

Don't Over-Optimize a Single Metric (The Anti-Glucose-Dogma Experiment)

Mares is running a Ray Peat-inspired experiment, with bone broth and then fruit and honey until noon, that runs directly against the prevailing "flatten your glucose curve" orthodoxy. His meta-point is about the cost of optimizing for one number.

Mares: "I am like, increasingly of the opinion that we just lose a lot when you sort of try and like over-optimize on one specific metric, but I think that like over-optimizing and say the human body should never have glucose spikes, seems just like incorrect to me." [00:03:29] He caveats that this applies if "you are not working to lose weight, or you're not dealing with metabolic dysfunction." [00:03:52]

The Seed Oil / PUFA Thesis, Including the Chicken Corollary

Mares builds a supply-chain argument against polyunsaturated fatty acids: seed oils are extracted via an intensive chemical process, consumption has gone from near zero to nearly 20% of calories, and monogastric animals like chickens turn their corn-and-soy feed into PUFA-heavy meat.

Mares: "in, I think it was 1970, soybean oil made up almost 0% of the average American's caloric intake... Today, the average American gets 20% or almost 20% of their total caloric intake in the form of soybean oil, and we have this record chronic disease crisis." [00:09:02] On chicken: "in the US, most chickens are fed corn and soy almost exclusively, and so you have these chickens basically that have the muscle and fat profile of something resembling a seed oil." [00:06:30] He also flags the process: "it takes something like the equivalent, I think, of 98 ears... of corn to get five tablespoons of corn seed oil." [00:08:06]

Protein Diversity: The Missing Collagen/Gelatin/Glycine Layer

Beyond total grams, Mares argues the modern diet lacks the full spectrum of amino acids ancestral diets provided. He calls collagen, gelatin, and glycine near-universal deficiencies and one of the highest-ROI additions.

Mares: "everyone is eating the same types of protein... almost always getting your protein from cuts of muscle meat... they would sort of get a full-spectrum amino acids... a lot more collagen, a lot more gelatin, a lot more glycine... That is almost entirely missing in the average person's diet today." [00:12:19] And: "increasing your gelatin and collagen intake is going to be one of the highest ROI health interventions that almost anyone can make, because almost everyone is like clinically deficient in these sorts of proteins." [00:13:23]

Data-Driven Personalization: Labs, LLMs, and Retest Loops

Mares's supplement and prevention philosophy is a closed loop: measure, intervene for a fixed window, retest. He explicitly suggests using an LLM as the analysis layer, with scans used selectively based on risk.

Mares: "get your labs done, put them in ChatGPT or something, and be like, 'Hey, based on this, what supplement intervention should I consider running for the next 90 days, 180 days?' and then retest." [00:16:53] He runs labs "every like 6 months for the last couple years" [00:17:52] and scans roughly every 18 months, a coronary calcium test plus an Ezra scan. [00:18:30]

Environmental Toxin Reduction as the Second Pillar

Mares names two highest-leverage interventions, nutrient density and minimizing toxin exposure, and gives a cheap, concrete home checklist: water, air, cleaning products, cookware.

Mares: "the two highest-leverage... interventions that people can make on their health today is basically like maximizing nutrient density... and then minimizing toxin exposure." [00:20:59] On water: "if you look at tap water databases across New York, San Francisco, Austin, like any major city, it's astounding how bad like the chemicals are." [00:21:19]

Healthcare's Spending Misallocation and the HSA/FSA Wedge

The Truemed thesis is about incentives: nearly all spend goes to managing disease, almost none to prevention, and HSA/FSA is the one place an individual controls the dollars and is incentivized to prevent.

Mares: "90% of healthcare spend goes towards treating or managing chronic conditions. Yet, less than 3% goes towards anything resembling prevention." [00:22:53] And: "the one area of the entire healthcare system where an individual has choice and they are actually incentivized to spend their... own money, basically, on things that can treat, reverse, or prevent disease, is HSA and FSA accounts." [00:23:54]

Medicine Is Shifting Toward Patient-Led, Data-Armed Health Management

Mares predicts a structural change in how care is delivered as consumers gain access to information the traditional system never provided.

Mares: "the way medicine is done today is going to change a huge amount in the coming decade or so. And I think that a big piece of that is going to be people are taking health into their own hands, and they're going to do so armed with a bunch of information about their labs and other stuff that traditional doctors didn't get, didn't have." [00:19:55]

2. Contrarian Perspectives

Glucose Spikes Aren't the Enemy

In the middle of a cultural moment obsessed with continuous glucose monitors and "protein first" meal sequencing, Mares is deliberately running a high-sugar morning protocol (bone broth, then fruit and honey). Daisy Wolf notes it is "the opposite of what we've been told recently." [00:03:20] Mares doubles down: "over-optimizing and say the human body should never have glucose spikes, seems just like incorrect to me. If you look at how any tribe, basically, has existed, people have a desire for sugar, for carbohydrates." [00:03:29] His own keto history gives him credibility: he started a keto company, found keto effective "for a while," then "it like kind of impacted my sleep." [00:03:52]

Chicken, the "Healthy" Protein, May Be a PUFA Delivery Vehicle

Most health-conscious Americans treat chicken as the default lean protein. Mares avoids it entirely, arguing that because chickens are monogastric and fed corn and soy, their tissue mirrors a seed-oil profile. "chickens basically, I think, used to be much healthier... eating chicken every single day, changing that is probably a very easy way to lower your PUFA intake." [00:06:30]

Seed Oils May Be Among the Chief Drivers of the Chronic Disease Epidemic

Mares goes beyond "highly processed, probably meh" to a strong causal claim: "in a best-case scenario, you could say these are highly-processed things that maybe okay to not, that's not where I land... In the worst case, I think you could make a very compelling argument that seed oils are among the chief reasons for the massive and rampant chronic disease crisis that we see today." [00:09:21] He cites animal studies where swapping sunflower oil for coconut oil drove up "metabolic diseases, basically, go up, inflammation, fatty liver disease." [00:09:02]

Your PCP Is Probably Not the Right Person to Manage Cardiovascular Risk Markers

Mares argues the standard primary care model is structurally under-equipped: "the average PCP spends it's something like 40 minutes with a patient per year." [00:19:33] On lipid markers: if he asked about ApoB or LPA, "many of them would be like, 'I don't really know what those markers are... but like probably you should go on a statin.' Which I just like clinically don't think is the right intervention for someone that is... younger, healthier, and like has a pretty low risk profile." [00:19:33]

An Enzyme Supplement May Rival Statins for Plaque

Mares calls nattokinase one of "the highest bang-for-your-buck kind of supplements," claiming the effective dose "research has shown works like slightly better than statins for preventing and breaking down arterial plaque." [00:16:13] He stresses that dosage and efficacy depend on the brand, naming Toku. This is a bold claim that warrants independent scrutiny before acting on it.

3. Companies Identified

Truemed

Founded and run by Justin Mares; a platform that lets individuals spend tax-free HSA/FSA dollars on lifestyle-oriented medical interventions (gym memberships, Eight Sleep, Peloton, supplements, food, sleep aids) with a doctor's note. Mentioned as Mares's own company and the structural bet on prevention spend. Mares: "if you go through a company like Truemed, the IRS has explicitly said that things like exercise, things like food interventions, things like sleep interventions, or supplements, can all count for tax-free HSA, FSA spending if accompanied by a doctor's note." [00:23:54] The goal: "make it slightly more affordable and slightly lower friction for someone like you or me to invest in preventing obesity, preventing or treating heart disease." [00:23:54] Mares notes that "about 90% of healthcare spend goes toward managing chronic conditions" vs. under 3% to prevention. [00:22:53] (Note: a16z's Daisy Wolf is interviewing him, and the disclosures state a16z may hold investments in discussed companies.)

Eight Sleep

Sleep-tech product (temperature-regulating mattress covers). Mentioned as an example of a qualifying HSA/FSA purchase via Truemed. Mares: "you can invest in a gym membership or an Eight Sleep or a Peloton or something like that using tax-free HSA, FSA funds." [00:01:03]

Peloton

Connected fitness company. Mentioned alongside Eight Sleep as a qualifying purchase category. [00:01:03]

Function Health / Superpower

Consumer blood-testing and biomarker platforms. Mentioned as the way to "understand your blood work, basically, and look at what are the things that you're trying to, you know, treat, reverse, prevent." Mares: "if you get Function or Superpower, like you can understand your blood work." [00:13:26]

Ezra

Full-body MRI scan company that screens for precancerous growths and tumors. Mares: "I did like an Ezra scan... that's just like looking for precancerous growths and things like this, which I think is smart, especially if you have risk factors or like a family history." [00:18:30]

Maui Nui

Venison / wild-game company whose dried organ blend (liver, kidney, spleen) Mares takes daily. Mares: "I take Maui Nui, the deer company that I talked about earlier. They have a organ blend... Some people call it like nature's multivitamin. It's incredibly nutrient-dense. Tastes horrible." [00:14:28] The same brand's ancestral-blend ground meat with organ meats is a staple of his lunches.

Thorne

Supplement brand. Mares takes a Thorne eye-health product he describes as "helps with like macular degeneration... to improve your eyesight" due to heavy screen time. [00:15:09]

Toku

Nattokinase supplement brand. Mares chose it because it has "the effective dose that research has shown works like slightly better than statins for preventing and breaking down arterial plaque." [00:16:13]

Alec's Ice Cream

A2 regenerative ice cream brand, Mares's go-to indulgence: "I have recently been totally into this... they have this like regenerative ice cream that is insanely good... incredibly well-sourced, incredibly high-quality, but definitely an indulgence." [00:10:44]

Branch Basics

Non-toxic cleaning products. Mares: "using clean materials for like good cleaning materials. We buy from Branch Basics is a really easy way to do it." [00:22:02]

Thorne-adjacent and Other Supplement Categories: TUDCA

A digestive-support compound Mares mentions as an experimentation candidate: "If you want to improve your digestion, like there's TUDCA and like other sorts of things that you could kind of experiment with taking." [00:16:32]

ChatGPT

Mentioned as the analysis layer for blood work interpretation and supplement planning: "put them in ChatGPT or something, and be like, 'Hey, based on this, what supplement intervention should I consider running for the next 90 days, 180 days?'" [00:16:53]

Keto company (founded by Mares, unnamed)

Mares references having "started a keto company several years ago," indicating prior serial entrepreneurship in health. [00:03:52] Daisy Wolf also notes "every company you've built is empowering people to live healthier lives." [00:22:34]

4. People Identified

Justin Mares

Co-founder and CEO of Truemed; serial health entrepreneur who previously started a keto company. Mentioned as the guest. His credibility comes from living the protocols he describes, with labs every six months for roughly five years, and from building a company on a structural insight about HSA/FSA incentives. Mares: "I have gotten labs done every like 6 months for the last couple years, last 5 years, I would say." [00:17:52]

Bryan Johnson

Founder of the "Blueprint" longevity protocol and a prominent biohacker. Mares praises his willingness to push boundaries while noting the incentive structure behind such extremes. Mares: "people like Bryan Johnson, who, bless him, I think doing amazing things... I'm glad people are doing it. I like, don't do almost any of that." [00:01:31]

Ray Peat

Biologist and metabolic-health thinker whose pro-sugar, pro-fruit, pro-gelatin philosophy underpins Mares's current morning experiment. Mares: "I'm actually currently trying something, have you heard of Ray Peat, by chance?" [00:02:30]

a16z partner who conducts the interview and pushes on specifics (chicken, seed oils, protein targets, preventative care). Her framing: "for people who are really interested in health... their annual physical is often like quite underwhelming." [00:19:15]

Mares's Wife (unnamed)

Co-owner of the household's sourcing standards and shared ice cream habit. Mares: "my wife and I have like very, very high sourcing standards in terms of the foods that we buy." [00:05:27]

5. Operating Insights

Pair Physical Movement with Work Mechanics

Mares has engineered movement into the workday rather than scheduling it separately: a treadmill desk, walking calls, and walking after meals. This lets him bank steps without carving out dedicated time. Mares: "I got a treadmill desk, which I strongly recommend... a great way to get anywhere extra between 4 and 5,000 steps a day. I kind of try and walk after every calorie that I consume." [00:04:32] He extends it to company culture: "all internal calls at Truemed, I basically take on the phone, like walking around the office, or my house." [00:04:52]

Anchor the Day with a Fixed Morning Light Ritual

Rather than relying on motivation, Mares has a non-negotiable first-hour routine that compounds into better sleep and energy. Mares: "I try and spend like the first 30 to 60 minutes of every single day outside. Often I'll go for a walk like first thing, and either listen to a podcast, or call somebody that I just have to... call and chat with." [00:02:08] The walk also serves as a slot for a necessary phone call, so it is not dead time.

Run Health Like an Engineering Loop: Hypothesis, Fixed Window, Retest

Mares's supplement approach is a repeatable cycle rather than a permanent stack. Mares: "get your labs done, put them in ChatGPT or something... what supplement intervention should I consider running for the next 90 days, 180 days? and then retest. And so, I've kind of done that loop a while, and now just take supplements mostly for maintenance." [00:16:53] The operating lesson is to treat any intervention as time-boxed and falsifiable, then graduate to a maintenance dose.

Collapse Decision Fatigue with a Simple Eating Template

Mares has reduced daily food decisions to a repeatable template: bone broth in the morning, ancestral-blend ground beef with carrots and a vegetable at lunch, higher-protein/lower-carb dinner, plus tacos for easy assembly. Mares: "I have a fair number of tacos and stuff like that, too, just cuz it's easy to put together." [00:05:27] He puts his effort into upstream sourcing rather than daily menu optimization.

Tune Protocols to the Individual: Test, Don't Copy

Mares repeatedly stresses that protein, supplements, and diet should vary by person (sex, pregnancy, activity, genetics). Mares: "a man's needs are different from a protein standpoint than a woman's needs. A pregnant woman's needs for protein are different..." [00:11:19] For operators, the takeaway is that general advice, including his, is a hypothesis to test against your own data.

6. Overlooked Insights

The MTHFR Detail Hints at a Large, Underserved Genetic-Personalization Market

Mares mentions in passing that "there's something called the MTHFR mutation. It's a mutation that 30% to 40% of people have. That means that you have a harder time like methylating, and sort of breaking down and clearing compounds from the body." [00:14:09] He reports that taking a methylated B-vitamin complex "seems to help a lot in terms of not feeling like brain fog, or, you know, allergies." A variant carried by up to 40% of the population, managed with a cheap supplement, suggests significant room for genotype-informed supplementation products and diagnostics, a place where consumer LLM-based lab interpretation could be productized.

The $3 Million Lifetime Cost vs. Zero Prevention Spend Is the Real Wedge Argument

Buried in the Truemed pitch is a stark incentive mismatch: "someone who is at risk of Type 2 diabetes or obese... can get sicker, and sicker, and sicker, and basically no one in the existing healthcare system is incentivized, and will or will spend a single dollar helping prevent that person from getting Type 2 diabetes. And yet, the minute that they get Type 2 diabetes, the system activates, and they'll spend an average of $3 million managing that person's Type 2 diabetes for the duration of their lifetime." [00:23:14] This reframes prevention not as a consumer wellness category but as a pricing and payer-misalignment problem, implying that any entity that can capture even a small share of avoided lifetime cost has an enormous economic margin to work with. It also explains why individual-controlled, tax-advantaged dollars (HSA/FSA) are the only functional entry point today.