May 15, 2025

Welcome to Ben Greenfield's Weekly Roundup!

In this weekly post, I share with you my most interesting discoveries of the week, including the latest news on the fronts of fitness, nutrition, health, wellness, biohacking, and anti-aging research. I also recap my upcoming events and special announcements so you can keep up with opportunities to learn, giveaways, discounts, and more!

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New Discoveries

🚫 Here's What Happens to Your Brain When You Quit Your Phone Cold Turkey for 72 Hours 📱🧠

Say you decide to go phoneless for three days. No texts. No scrolling. No dopamine hits from those sweet notifications. Just you and your “primitive” self. What happens next?

According to a Computers in Human Behavior study using fMRI brain scans, the results are wild. Your brain basically throws a neurochemical tantrum. We’re talking about real, measurable shifts in activity in areas like the nucleus accumbens and anterior cingulate cortex—two hotspots that also light up when you experience drug withdrawal and food cravings.

Here’s the gist of what the study found:

📱 After 72 hours of no smartphone, participants’ brains showed increased activation in reward and craving-related regions, especially those tied to dopamine and serotonin pathways.

🧠 The longer the “phone fast” lasted, the more the brain “craved” the visual cues of a smartphone. Even just seeing a picture of a phone triggered participants' neural salivation.

🧲 Regions of the brain responsible for attention, salience, and motor inhibition (like the parietal cortex) also lit up, kind of like your brain saying, “WHERE IS MY PHONE?”

😬 Despite all this neural activity, participants didn’t report feeling more anxious or craving their phones… yet their brains told a different story.

What’s fascinating about these findings is that these patterns mimic what you’d see in other addictive behaviors, including gaming, smoking, or sugar binges. The researchers even found correlations with the same neurotransmitter systems involved in alcohol and heroin withdrawal, like dopamine D1 and 5-HT1b receptors. So yes, the struggle involved in ditching your phone can be very real and intense.

To sum it up, going without your smartphone for three days doesn’t just “feel hard”—it has significant biological effects, including rewiring your brain’s reward circuitry. Your noggin gets twitchy, your dopamine pathways get antsy, and the parts of your brain that usually help with inhibition and focus light up like Times Square.

If you're trying to wean off your device dependency, don’t expect your brain to be chill about it. It’ll protest—and most likely, loudly. But just like a tough workout, there’s growth on the other side.

Want to test your own digital detox resilience? Try keeping your phone completely out of sight for 72 hours and see how your body, mood, and mind respond. Bonus points if you track your heart rate variability (HRV), sleep patterns, and cognition during the process, which will give you real-time feedback about how well you're responding to phone withdrawal.

✔️ A higher HRV typically means your nervous system is more balanced and resilient. If your HRV improves after ditching your phone, it’s a sign your body is moving out of a fight-or-flight state and into a more parasympathetic, rest-and-repair mode.

✔️ Constant screen time, especially late at night, wrecks melatonin production and suppresses deep sleep. Cut the phone, and you're more likely to experience longer deep sleep cycles, fewer wakeups, and more REM sleep, translating into improved mental clarity and energy the next day.

✔️Without the constant ping-ping-ping of notifications hijacking your attention, your focus should sharpen. You might notice better memory recall, deeper problem-solving, and an uptick in creative thinking. (Try journaling or testing your reaction time daily during the detox.)

Why put yourself through this process if you can even manage to pull it off?

Because you’re not just reclaiming your time but rewiring your brain, recalibrating your nervous system, and giving your biology a reset. It's like a metabolic fast, but for your mind. And just like a good cold plunge or a tough interval session, the discomfort is where the transformation happens.

Not only that, but another recent study that just came out a few days ago shows what happens when you turn your phone into a “dumb phone.” Research participants installed an application on their phone that blocked all forms of internet access while still allowing texts and calls to be sent and received. After 2 to 4 weeks, they experienced boosted mental health, well-being, and attention. Not surprising!

Curious how constant phone use (and exposure to wifi and EMFs) might be rewiring your brain, and what you can do to break free from the digital leash? Check out these resources: 

• Is It Possible To Make Our Screens “Healthier”? The New Blue-Light, Flicker-Free Technology That May Change the Face Of Computing Forever, With Daylight Computer’s Anjan Katta.
• Why You Should Try Sleeping On The Floor, The “Furniture-Free” Home, Building A Better Butt, Smartphone Solutions & More With Katy Bowman.
• The Invisible Force Within Your Home That Could Be Wreaking Havoc On Your Health (And What You Can Do About It TODAY).
• The Hidden Health Killer Nobody Is Talking About (& 6 Ways To Protect Yourself From It).
• Is 5G Really That Dangerous, Plant-Based Diet Difficulties, Reversing Biological Age & Much More!
• Not All EMFs Are Bad: How To Use EMFs & “Digital Nootropics” To Shape Your Electromagnetic Environment for Peak Health, Performance, Sleep, Energy & More!
• Hunting Down EMF In Your Office, Bedroom, Gym & Beyond: Is Your Home’s “Dirty Electricity” Wrecking Your Sleep, Your Recovery, Your Health & More? The Official Ben Greenfield & Brian Hoyer Low-EMF Home How-To.
• The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs: How to Fix Our Stupid Use of Technology (& The Real Research On WiFi Health, Cell Phones, Dirty Electricity & More!).

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📢 This Week in Health & Performance: What the Latest Research Says 🚀

🚶‍♀️Fat Loss & Cardio: A recent study confirms that moderate-intensity cardio is plenty effective for fat loss in overweight and obese women, meaning there's not necessarily any need to go all-out to see results (study here).

🔴 Red Light for Vision: Just three minutes a day of red light therapy at 670 nm can help improve color vision and protect your eyes' mitochondria as you age. A low-intensity LED flashlight like this one may do the trick (full study).

🧬 Creatine vs. Cancer? In a cross-sectional study of nearly 26,000 people, those with higher creatine intake had lower odds of cancer, especially adults over 50 (read more).

🌿 Liver Support with Milk Thistle: Silymarin, the active compound in milk thistle, produced an impressive drop in liver enzymes in a recent study, pointing to strong liver-protective benefits, including among people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis (full study here).

📌 Key Takeaway: Small daily habits—like adding creatine, walking more, using red light, or sipping on silymarin—can stack up to serious long-term benefits.

🔗 Want to dive deeper? Click the links above to explore the research, and click here to follow me on X for all the latest health and performance news hot off the press! 🚀

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Product Of The Week

::: Drink Smarter, Better Days After Drinking With 15% off ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink 🥃 :::

If you’ve ever enjoyed a glass (or two) of wine, mezcal, or a beautifully crafted negroni, only to wake up the next day feeling like you got hit by a truck, you’re not alone. 

Instead of just “toughing it out,” I’ve found a smarter way to enjoy the evening without wrecking the next day.

ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol is a genetically engineered probiotic designed to break down acetaldehyde, the nasty byproduct of alcohol that’s largely responsible for making you feel like garbage the morning after. This isn’t your average probiotic, but a science-backed, peer-reviewed solution for something we all dread: a rough next day.

I use ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol regularly when I know I’ll be raising a glass. Just slam one of these little shots before your first drink, and boom—you’re giving your body the tools it needs to handle alcohol like a biohacker, not a frat boy.

What’s the difference in how you’ll feel after a night out with ZBiotics on your side? It’s noticeable. If you’re like me, you’ll wake up more clear-headed and ready to crush your morning workout, sauna session, hike with the kids, or whatever’s on deck that day.

So next time you plan to imbibe, don’t leave your recovery to chance. Pre-load with ZBiotics and turn your night out into something your body can actually thank you for.

Use code BENG here to get 15% off your first ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol order.

By the way, ZBiotics is backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so if it doesn’t work for you, no harm, no foul.

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Social Media Designed for Better Health, Clean Living, and Real Community—Download the App for FREE Today!

Considering cutting back on social media or doing a digital detox—but craving expert-backed health tips, cutting-edge wellness hacks, and a community that gets it? 

Keep reading…

For the last two years, my best friend Caleb Applegate and I have been working behind the scenes to create LIFE Network—the world’s first expert-led social network designed to transform your health and wellness (it’s completely FREE to join). 

And now, you can download the LIFE Network app here!

We made LIFE Network for people like you—health seekers, biohackers, and wellness-minded individuals—to gather in community and motivate each other to live healthy, happy lives. 

With your free membership, you’ll receive access to:

• Personalized content tailored to your health goals

• A supportive, wellness-focused community

• Tools to create, post, and share health content

• Open, unfiltered “public square” discussions

• Expert-vetted product recommendations

• Daily tips and community-driven challenges

Now you can even tap into Ask Ben—LIFE Network’s powerful built-in AI tool that simulates a call or text session with yours truly.

Whether you're seeking supplement advice, training tips, or want access to my podcast archives, articles, or product picks, Ask Ben is like having my brain in your pocket. You can try it for free with a standard LIFE Network account—or unlock the full, unlimited experience by upgrading to LIFE Premium.

Try it now by creating your account here!

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🥁 The Fully Updated Boundless Is Here! Get Ready to *Optimize* Your Body, Mind, and Spirit! 📚💪

Over the last year, I've been working tirelessly on something that I'm thrilled to finally share: the brand-new, updated version of my best-seller, Boundless, which is finally available!

Like a cookbook for the human blueprint, the revised and updated edition of Boundless gives you a zero-guesswork guide to becoming a complete expert in what makes your brain tick, your body work, your spirit happy, and your life fulfilled.

You can flip to *any* chapter and discover the most up-to-date, research-proven, trench-tested techniques to build muscle, burn fat, balance hormones, live longer, sleep better, have mind-blowing sex, and much, much more!

A few of the key topics that the latest version of Boundless explores are:

• Strategies to optimize mitochondrial density and biogenesis for peak energy and metabolic health.
• New methods to stimulate the vagus nerve for stress reduction, sleep quality, and higher heart rate variability using light, sound, and electrical interventions.
• Updated techniques for restoring circadian balance, combating jet lag, and maximizing sleep, naps, and meditation.
• Insights on the effects of electromagnetic frequencies on the brain and body, with tips on modifying devices for better shielding.
• The latest on addressing chronic infections, detoxifying from mold, and enhancing gut function with cutting-edge testing and treatments.
• New supplements, biohacks, and protocols based on recent longevity science, including age-reversal insights.
• Fresh routines and injury recovery tools, plus minimalist moves to burn fat throughout the day without gym reliance.

If you're ready to go beyond the quick fixes and reclaim control over your vitality, this is your chance. Packed with insights on everything from breathwork to cold therapy and the latest anti-aging techniques, Boundless will help you build a balanced, sustainable approach to lifelong health. I can't wait for you to experience everything this guide has to offer!

If you're ready to uncover a treasure trove of the latest science-backed strategies for improving every aspect of your mind, body, and spirit, click here to grab your copy of the newly launched Boundless.

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Podcasts I Recorded This Week:

Could This Controversial, Newly Discovered “Dolphin Drug” Be A *Missing Key* To Longevity? The C15:0 Story, With Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson

 

Peluva (code BEN), SuperTeeth (code BENGREENFIELD), BIOptimizers MassZymes (code BEN10), Jaspr (code BEN), MOSH

 

 

600+ Questionable Ingredients In Your “Healthy” Packaged Products? Is Beef Tallow Actually Safe (Surprising Answer!) & How To Save Money On Good Groceries, With Thrive Market’s Nick Green.

 

Ketone-IQ, Quantum Upgrade (code BEN15), BEAM Minerals (code BEN), Calroy

 

 

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The Latest Content I Was Featured On This Week:

“The Top 3 Daily Supplements For Maximum Fat Loss & Muscle Gain” — Angelo Keely (Note: While I'm not featured in this episode, it's worth a watch)

Men's Health Australia: Red Light Therapy Legit?