How Protocol works
Most health advice is anecdote dressed as science. Protocol runs a rigorous, transparent pipeline from peer-reviewed research to your personalized recommendations — with every claim traceable to a source study.
From your profile to your protocol
You take the health quiz
Answer 6 targeted questions about your age, health goals, existing conditions, current supplements, and activity level. We build a precise health profile — no generic recommendations.
We query 5 medical databases
Protocol queries PubMed, JAMA, Nature Medicine, The Lancet, and Frontiers in Medicine — the top-tier sources where real clinical research lives, not health blogs or supplement marketing.
AI extracts effect sizes
Our AI reads the full text of peer-reviewed studies and extracts quantified effect sizes — actual numbers like '40% reduction in all-cause mortality' rather than vague claims.
We synthesize across publications
Single studies can mislead. We synthesize across multiple publications using meta-analytic weighting — giving you the consensus signal, not one cherry-picked result.
We model supplement interactions
Some supplements synergize (Vitamin D + K2, Creatine + resistance training). Others conflict. We map known interaction patterns so your protocol is safe and optimized.
You get a personalized protocol
Your dashboard shows ranked interventions with projected impact scores across 8 health domains, exact dosages, timing, monthly costs, and links to the source studies.
Not all evidence is equal
Every recommendation in Protocol is labeled by its evidence strength. We never conflate promising preliminary data with confirmed science.
RCTs and meta-analyses. The gold standard — multiple large, controlled trials reaching the same conclusion.
- →Omega-3 → 25% reduction in cardiovascular events (REDUCE-IT, NEJM)
- →Resistance training → 40% reduction in all-cause mortality (BJSM, 2022)
- →Mediterranean diet → 35% reduction in cognitive decline risk (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015)
Large cohort and longitudinal studies. Strong signal, but not from randomized control. Still highly actionable.
- →Magnesium → improved sleep quality (cohort, multiple sources)
- →Collagen peptides → joint pain reduction (prospective trials)
- →Melatonin → reduced sleep latency (meta-analysis, PLOS One)
Preliminary and mechanistic evidence. Promising, but not yet confirmed at scale. Labeled clearly so you know.
- →NAD+ precursors → preliminary longevity signals
- →Time-restricted eating → metabolic markers
- →Cold exposure → inflammation pathways
The research that powers Protocol
A sample of the landmark studies we draw from. Every recommendation links directly to its source.
REDUCE-IT Trial
PMID 30415628 ↗Bhatt DL et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 2019
4g/day EPA reduced major cardiovascular events by 25% in high-risk patients.
Step count & mortality
PMID 35486085 ↗Paluch AZ et al. · JAMA Network Open · 2022
7,000–8,000 daily steps associated with 50–70% lower mortality risk in adults 40+.
Q-SYMBIO Trial
PMID 25282031 ↗Mortensen SA et al. · Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) · 2014
CoQ10 supplementation reduced heart failure mortality by 42% over 2 years.
Sauna use & cardiovascular mortality
PMID 25705824 ↗Laukkanen JA et al. · JAMA Internal Medicine · 2015
4–7 sauna sessions/week associated with 48% reduction in CVD mortality.
Mediterranean diet & cognitive decline
PMID 25961184 ↗Valls-Pedret C et al. · JAMA Internal Medicine · 2015
Mediterranean diet slowed cognitive aging equivalent to 6.5 years of brain aging.
Social isolation & mortality
PMID 26567462 ↗Holt-Lunstad J et al. · Perspectives on Psychological Science · 2015
Social isolation increases mortality risk by 29–33%, equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes/day.
See it in action
Load a sample protocol built for a 58-year-old with longevity, cardiovascular, and cognitive goals — and see how the research translates to real recommendations.
See Demo Dashboard →Or take the quiz to get your own protocol