At 51 years of age, Joe Rogan is in better physical shape than many 30 year olds. And it’s not just his physique that’s impressive, he’s also managing to stay mentally sharp too.

Whether he’s injecting testosterone, devouring elk meat or hulking down vegetable smoothies, Joe is always on the look out for performance enhancing substances.

In this post we’ll look at the actual supplements Joe has discussed taking, with sources.

Joe Rogan’s Daily Vitamin & Minerals:

• Multivitamin – Pure Encapsulations Athlete Pure Pack
• Omega-3 Fish Oil – Carlson’s Omega-3 1600mg Fish Oil
• Vitamin D – Thorne Research – D3 1,000iu
• Glucosamine and Chondroitin – 365’s Glucosamine Chondroitin & MSM

Nootropics

• Neuro1, TruBrain & AlphaBrain
• Coffee

Hormone Replacement Therapy

• Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)

Daily Vitamins & Minerals

You can see from this old YouTube clip that Joe has always taken a lot of supplements. However, as far as we can tell from his podcasts, he keeps things a bit simpler these days.

Multivitamin – Pure Encapsulations Athletic Pure Pack

Due to Joe’s UFC and stand up comedy commitments, Joe has to travel a lot around the USA. This explains his choice of multivitamin supplement, which is offered in handy little packets, containing a range of different vitamins, minerals and fish oil. This is a time saver, because you don’t have to open up x number of different vitamin tubs to allocate your daily ration.

As the name suggests; Athletic Pure Pack – is formulated around those involved in sports. On top of the regular vitamins and minerals, it contains things like creatine (for strength), Co-enzyme Q10 (joints) and L-Glutamine (supplying muscles with their most used amino acid).

Each sachet contains a number of pills, specifically:

• Vitamins & Minerals – 3x capsules
• EPA/DHA Omega-3s – 1x capsule
• Creatine (Kre-Alkalyn) – 2x capsules
• Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) – 1x capsule
• Coenzyme Q₁₀ – 1x capsule
• L-Glutamine – 1x capsule

Joe talks about taking Athletic Pure Pack in his #802 podcast episode with Tom Papa.

The same company who make Athletic Pure Pack also make a multivitamin called Pure Encapsulations – O.N.E. It is used by Joe’s regular guest Dr Rhonda Patrick. For more discussion on O.N.E see this post on Dr Rhonda Patrick’s supplements.

Omega-3 Fish Oil

Joe values omega-3 fish oils highly, and ensures he’s taking them regularly. In the same Tom Papa podcast above, you can skip to 1:02:40 where they talk about the importance of fish oils, and how it’s more effective than getting your omega-3s from flax-seed or hemp oil.

Based on Joe’s Instagram post, his YouTube tour of his vitamin cupboard, and the latest Dr Rhonda Patrick podcast, Joe currently takes Carlson’s Super Omega-3 fish oil in liquid form. He currently takes 3 tablespoons daily (he mentions the dosage in his latest podcast with Rhonda Patrick).

If you find capsules more convenient (as I do), it also comes in two capsulated versions; one with beef gelatine capsules, and another with fish derived capsules (suitable for pescetarians). A 2 capsule serving contains 1,200mg omega-3s, including 600mg EPA & 400mg DHA.

Vitamin D3

In this section of Joe’s podcast with Tom Papa he discusses how important vitamin D3 is to our health.

In the YouTube clip of his supplement cupboard, he’s taking Solgar’s D3 5,000iu, but that was from way back in 2011.

Since then, Joe’s had Dr Rhonda Patrick on the podcast, who suggests the average person needs around 4,000iu of D3 per day in order to maintain an ideal blood concentration of 40 – 60ng/ml. She points out that not only is too little D3 bad for us, too much is also bad! See her video on Vitamin D3 for all the juicy details.

Joe’s multivitamin already contains 500iu of D3, so you’d want approximately 4 of these Thorne D-1000 capsules in addition.

Glucosamine & Chondroitin

Since Joe was young, he trained as a taekwondo fighter, competing nationally. Even after he finished fighting competitively, he still trains hard. This leads to a lot of wear and tear on the joints, and thus Joe uses glucosamine & chondroitin.

He first mentioned it in a 2009 post on MMA underground:

Then in his 2011 supplement cupboard video, he shows that he’s using 365s Glucosamine Chondroitin & MSM.

Nootropics

In a January 2019 podcast episode (JRE #1234 ), Joe discussed the 3 nootopic supplements he likes & takes; Neuro1, TruBrain & AlphaBrain.

“There’s a bunch of different nootropics I use. I use 3 different companies, 1 that’s one of mine (AlphaBrain), and then 2 that are other companies; Neuro1 and another one called TruBrain”

Neuro1

Joe has mentioned Neuro1 numerous times over the years (for example see Joe’s below tweet from 2013). It’s a nootropic created by former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski, who after 16 years, and many hits in the NFL, was suffering from memory problems. In 2007 he brought together doctors, scientists and nutritionists to create a solution to fix his cognitive decline. This resulted in the product Neuro1.

More about Romanowski and the creation of Neuro1 here, and the product’s website link here.

Note: Whilst Neuro1 lists ingredients, it doesn’t list quantities (not good). Their website says “one serving of Neuro1 is equivalent to about 1 cup of strong coffee”, so around 100mg to 120mg of caffeine per serving.

TruBrain

Joe interviewed the neuroscientist behind TruBrain, Dr Andrew Hill, on JRE #629. Similar to Neuro1 above, it shares active ingredients caffeine and piracetam, but then adds oxiracetam to the stack. They come in these “on the go” pouches, that work out to be a couple of dollars per dose.

AlphaBrain

AlphaBrain is made by Onnit, a company that Joe has openly said he owns a stake in. He also notes that all the supplement’s ingredients could be bought separately for less, it would just require more time and effort. There are two versions; pill form (Alpha brain) and sachet form (AlphaBrain Instant).

Unlike Neuro1 and TrueBrain, AlphaBrain doesn’t include caffeine. It’s active ingredients include:

• Alpha GPC
• Bacopa
• Huperzine A
• Vinpocetine
• L-theanine

Alpha GPC, a type of choline, is also favoured by Dr Rhonda Patrick, a regular guest on Joe’s podcast. She takes around 800mg (substantially more than 2 capsules of Alpha Brain contains) before intense writing or public speaking events. See more on Rhonda’s use of it here.

Interestingly, Onnit did sponsor a 63 person study (source) showing that Alpha Brain improved “delayed memory recall” vs a placebo. Specifically that’s where participants are told/shown something, then a break occurs, then they’re later asked questions that requires them to recall the information they were earlier provided. Now, given that Onnit sponsored the study, we should use appropriate scepticism in interpreting their positive results; but thought it interesting to mention nonetheless

Coffee

Ok, so, coffee – what’s the big deal? It’s one of the most common drinks in the Western world, and probably not worthy of a special spot in this list. True.

But at the same time, coffee is one of the strongest (unregulated) cognitive enhancers available to man – and Joe’s a big fan.

Whilst it may be difficult to find reliable evidence on the effectiveness of some of Alpha Brain’s ingredients, there are hundreds of studies on caffeine and its effects.

UFC star Chael Sonnen has talked in the past about how he’s able to supplement caffeine before a fight, and it gives him a boost.

A favourite brew of Joe’s is one called Caveman Coffee Nitro Cold Brew. It’s a single estate coffee, “infused’ with nitrogen, containing 250mg caffeine per can (!) It’s fairly pricey, even when bought in bulk (12 pack); at $4 per can. But whether you’re drinking that, or cheaper coffee, you’re still getting a good dose of caffeine.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)

Whilst some people start slowing down in their 50s, Joe hasn’t. Whether he’s hosting his podcast, practicing stand-up comedy or commentating at UFC events, the man doesn’t stop.

Part of this can be put down to “success”, a healthy lifestyle and good genetics. But it would be a mistake to ignore the elephant in the room; Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).

Joe says he started testosterone replacement therapy at age 37/38, originally using creams, which weren’t very effective. Then at 39 (now 51) progressing to weekly injections, under the close supervision of his doctor. Raising his testosterone to the levels he would have had in his late 20s. Joe on TRT:

“Testosterone replacement therapy, there’s a real science to it.

The idea is you don’t take too much, you take what you would have in your body if you were a younger man.

People are like well you’re not a younger many anymore well, duh, like, people just want you to wither away and die.”

In the next clip, Joe goes on to say:

“All that matters is that you have testosterone in your system. If you don’t have it in your system, you’re not going to feel as good.

It’s real simple, if you’re fine, with not feeling as good – good! If you’re not fine with it, this is 2018, hormone replacement exists for a reason – and that reason is that it makes you feel way better, it makes your body work way better.

You can avoid a host of ailments and conditions related to your body breaking down due to age with hormone replacement therapy. The key to doing it though is to do it correctly. You’re supposed to go to a doctor who is going to test your blood levels, test your nutrient levels, and adjust your diet first.

The first thing that happens, they want to find out:

• How much you’re sleeping
• How stressed out you are
• How much water you’re drinking
• Are you getting the proper amount of protein – are you eating correctly?

Then they want to get you off the

• Sugar
• Alcohol
• Cigarettes

Before you do anything.

This is a many month process that I went through. They get you off of all these different things first.

Then they start adding testosterone. It takes a bit of time to figure out what works best. And then you get to a point where you have the hormone levels of a healthy young man. You don’t want to elevate, you don’t want to be higher than that. That’s where you get problems.

There’s ways of elevating your hormones naturally, they just don’t work as well. Whether it’s deadlifts, or running hills, doing sprints, they work a little bit better than nothing. But there’s going to be a difference.”

So as you can see – Joe’s a big fan of hormone replacement therapy. It seems to be fairly undisputed in the medical community that testosterone decreases with age. One study¹ suggests “free testosterone”² (the metabolically active testosterone not bound up with SHBG or albumin) decreases by 2% per year from the age of 40. The study notes that poor health may accelerate the age-related decline in hormone levels. So the healthier we can keep our bodies, the slower the decline may be.

Traditionally, testosterone replacement therapy has been thought of as something only a small percentage of the population need, if they have chronically low levels of testosterone. Rather than seeing the age-related decline as something to be fixed. Now, gradually, it’s become more mainstream, as a method for those who can afford it to improve their quality of life as they age.

It’s not something to be taken lightly however, and you certainly don’t want to take testosterone if you don’t need it. As Joe has done, the therapy needs to be taken under the guidance and supervision of a doctor who specializes in hormone replacement therapy – with regular blood tests and check ups. They will be best positioned to discuss the complexities of the treatment, and whether or not it’s something that would be safe and beneficial to take.

Closing Words

Hopefully this post has given you a window into the products Joe takes to keep himself healthy and in shape.

I’ve included a list of sources below, so you can verify the information.

Source Notes

1. Two minute clip of Joe Rogan’s house tour, where he shared his supplement cupboard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSy1-aTB4dQ
Discusses glucosamine, chondroitin and vitamin B complex

2. Joe Rogan’s post on the MMA Underground forums (from 2009)
http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/forums/UnderGround/ATTN–Joe-Rogan—Vitamin-Packs:1564493

3. Joe discusses his morning supplements in a 2013 Instagram post
https://www.instagram.com/p/WASBIRJyIh/
– Pure Encapsulations Athlete Pure Pack
– Carlsons Super Omega-3 Fish Oil
– Onnit Spirulina & Chlorella
– Vitamin C & Lysine

4. Joe Rogan Experience episode #802 with Tom Papa (May 2016):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnvxVwhecJI&t=68m50s
Covering his multivitamin, vitamin D3 and omega-3s.
– 1:08:50 discusion on Pure Encapsulations Athletic Pure Pack
– 1:01:55 discussion on vitamin D3, vitamin B12, vitamin B3 & omega-3s

5. A randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, parallel group, efficacy study of alpha BRAIN administered orally
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1550-2783-12-S1-P54

6. Joe’s Instagram post about Caveman Coffee’s Cold Brew Nitro
https://www.instagram.com/p/4NGWoSpyH4/

1. Age Trends in the Level of Serum Testosterone and Other Hormones in Middle-Aged Men: Longitudinal Results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study – Feldman et al (2002) – https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/87/2/589/2846777
2. Free testosterone: clinical utility and important analytical aspects of measurement – Shea et al. – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24783351