Welcome to the arena. This is Galen, Chief Physician of the Gladiators. I’m here to equip you for greatness. Because the sharpest warriors are always up-to-date on the latest advancements in health and longevity. Nobody’s dying anytime soon on my watch.
Today’s Roundup:
1. Increased walking speed improves lifespan
A study followed 4,067 older British civil servants from the Whitehall II cohort for 12 years.
Faster walking speed was linked to 23% lower risk of death for each step up in speed
A faster step rate was linked to 17% lower risk
released: Fri, 10/23/2026
source: Peer-reviewed observational cohort study
2. Eli Lilly’s “Reta” beats Ozempic
The new GLP-1 drugs aren’t playing to play; they’re playing to win.
In a phase 3 trial of 1,298 adults with T2 Diabetes, the following was seen at 80 weeks (1.5 years):
Lowering A1C: 👑Reta by 2.2% vs. Ozempic by 1.8%
Weight loss: 👑Reta by 19.5-20.9% vs. Ozempic by 9.4%
Quitting the drug due to side effects: Reta by 4.8-7.9% vs. 👑Ozempic by 2.7%
Reta is more effective at weight loss and lowering A1C than Ozempic, but may be too intense, given its higher dropout rate.
released: Wed, 10/28/2026
source: Lilly press release
3. Ultra-processed food + kids’ brain reward responses
Healthy-weight 9-year-olds who consumed ultra-processed foods (UPFs) showed stronger reactions to food pictures in the dorsal striatum, a reward area in the brain.
Eating ultra-processed foods as a child may be predictive of higher body fat% and BMI with age. This strong reward response in the brain may be, in part, to blame.
The brain’s stronger reward response appeared to account for
31% of the link between UPFs and BMI gain
44% of the link between UPFs and body-fat gain
*Note: sample size (n=46) was small
released: Fri, 10/23/2026
source: Peer-reviewed observational cohort study
4. 17 blood proteins linked to aging + risk of death
Researchers measured 4,265 blood proteins in 1,025 older adults and followed them for 8 years. 17 proteins were tied to risk of death, and 11 of them held up in a 2nd group of 1,124 people (separate cohort).
Higher levels linked to LOWER risk of death (protective):
EGFR, ANTXR2, NOTUM, CTRP3 (C1QT3), HYAL1, GDF-11/8, GHR, Angiostatin, IDS
Higher levels linked to HIGHER risk of death:
SVEP1, GDF15 (MIC-1), HE4 (WFDC2), IGFBP-2, NT-proBNP, Thrombospondin-2 (TSP2), Osteopontin
These blood proteins could one day become a blood test for biological age and death risk.
released: Fri, 10/09/2026
source: Peer-reviewed journal paper on an NIH-funded observational study
5. Coaching/meal delivery may help keep weight off after stopping GLP-1
In a pilot randomized trial, 39 adults who had lost >10% of their weight on a GLP-1 came off the drug and were assigned to one of 3 groups: Noom app (health coach), dietitian-designed meal delivery for 4 months, or null (control group).
Monthly weight gain after coming off a GLP-1: 👑0.4-0.6% with meal program/coaching vs. 2.9% without
Participants who had the health coach/meal program did a better job retaining weight loss after coming off a GLP-1.
Note: sample size (n) is very small here
released: Wed, 10/28/2026
source: Medscape article on recent peer-reviewed journal paper
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