Does Skipping Breakfast Sharpen Your Mind? Scientists Put It to the Test

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• Does fasting really improve focus?

• Never waste money on supplements again

• Avocados and your heart

• Recipe of the week

• The iron connection

Health
Does Fasting Really Boost Focus? 

Many people swear that skipping breakfast sharpens their mind and that fasting helps them think clearly, stay focused, and get more done. But when researchers put that theory to the test, the results told a different story.

Fasting doesn’t make you mentally sharper, but it doesn’t dull your brain either.

In a recent randomized controlled trial, 122 adults followed a 16:8 intermittent fasting plan (16 hours of fasting followed by 8 hours of eating) for 10 days. They skipped breakfast, ate between noon and 8 p.m., and completed twice-daily memory and attention tests while also rating their mood and focus. 

Cognitive performance remained completely stable: participants felt less focused before breaking their fast, but showed no drop in memory, attention, or reaction time.

That disconnect between feeling foggy and performing fine is important. The researchers suggest the body quickly adapts to fasting, maintaining stable energy and glucose for the brain after just a few days. In other words, hunger tricks you into thinking you’re less sharp, even when your brain is firing just as efficiently.

This goes against what many people anecdotally claim while fasting: an increased sense of focus. But multiple studies find that, for most people, processing feels less sharp.

A companion meta-analysis of 71 studies backs this up: short-term fasting (less than 16 hours) doesn’t meaningfully affect thinking speed, memory, or decision-making. And slight slowdowns occur in fasts longer than 12 hours or when participants were shown food-related images, suggesting that distraction, not dysfunction, is usually to blame.

If you’re fasting because you think it unlocks a “mental edge,” this research suggests it’s unlikely to supercharge your focus. 

However, if you get other benefits from fasting or if it works for your lifestyle or schedule, there’s no need to worry; your brain’s still running at full speed. What feels like fog is just your body adjusting, not losing its edge.

Together With SuppCo
The $50 Billion Supplement Problem (And What You Can Do About It)

We read a lot of stats, but every now and then, we see numbers that even catch us off guard. 

Every year, Americans spend approximately $50 billion on supplements, hoping to protect their heart, prevent cancer, or boost longevity. But according to comprehensive research, those pills and powders aren’t delivering the promises on their labels.

One of the most extensive analyses of supplements found that most supplements do not work as promised. But there is a way to make sure you’re not left with ineffective products.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reviewed 84 studies involving nearly 740,000 adults and found no solid evidence that most vitamins or minerals prevent heart disease or cancer, or extend life. 

But the bigger issue is quality control: supplements are regulated as food, not drugs, which means companies don’t have to prove their products are safe or effective before selling them. 

Labels can legally say “supports immune health” without showing a single clinical result. Independent testing often finds contamination, underdosed ingredients, or products that don’t contain what they claim to contain.

Researchers point out that real foods contain thousands of compounds (fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients) that work together in ways no capsule can replicate. Supplements isolate nutrients to help you where you might be falling short.

Experts from Harvard and Johns Hopkins say the real goal isn’t to avoid all supplements, it’s to choose smarter. Some nutrients (like folic acid for pregnancy, or vitamin D for deficiency) can be lifesaving. Others — like fish oil, creatine, or protein powder — can be helpful when quality is verified.

So how can you protect yourself? 

1. Look for third-party certification from NSF Certified for Sport, USP, or Informed Sport — proof that there are no contaminants in your products.

2. Avoid miracle claims. If a pill promises to “detox,” “melt fat,” or “boost testosterone,” it’s marketing, not medicine.

3. Stick to brands with published clinical research or transparent testing data.

If this sounds like a lot of work, SuppCo is the easiest solution we’ve found to navigate the supplement industry. It’s a free app that lets you compare supplements based on the quality standards you care about.

You can evaluate any supplement on the market and filter based on certifications, price points, and ingredient risk. We reached out to them because it’s the first resource we’ve found that does the detective work for you. 

SuppCo grades over 30,000 supplements based on 29 quality attributes, then gives them a TrustScore so you know what’s worth taking and what to skip.

You can even scan all your products to see how your full routine stacks up against SuppCo’s dosage and efficacy guidelines, which were built by their head scientist using data from thousands of clinical studies. If you take supplements, this is how you make them actually work for you.

Best of all? They are not trying to sell you any particular product. They are helping you become more informed so you can save money and avoid danger. And if you want, you can even get a report card-style rating of the supplement routine you currently follow. 

SuppCo’s app is free, although PumpClub members can upgrade to their hyper-personalized Pro membership for 50% off using this link.  

If you take supplements, this is how you make them actually work for you. 

Foods Are Super 
Are Avocados Really a Heart-Healthy Superfood?

Avocados have become the poster child for “good fats,” showing up in everything from smoothies to toast. But a new analysis took a closer look at the hype.

New research suggests that eating about one avocado per day can modestly lower total and LDL cholesterol, but the benefits are not necessarily specific to avocados.

In this high-quality meta-analysis, researchers reviewed randomized controlled trials to understand the relationship between avocado intake and changes in cholesterol levels. 

Across the studies, eating avocados led to an average drop of 7 mg/dL in total cholesterol and 6 mg/dL in LDL cholesterol. The most significant improvements were seen when people ate more than 250 grams daily (about one medium avocado) and were consistent for more than 20 weeks.

However, there’s an important caveat: much of the avocado research has been funded by the avocado industry. This does not mean the studies are bad; the current analysis was independent. However, several of the trials included were not, and industry-funded studies are more likely to report positive results.

When you dig deeper into the numbers, it does appear that avocados have health benefits, but it’s more about what’s inside the avocados that makes them good for you.

The researchers believe the cholesterol-lowering effect is due to replacing saturated fats (like butter or cheese) with monounsaturated fats (found in avocados, olive oil, and nuts), which helps the body clear LDL particles more efficiently and reduce inflammation.

In other words, the positive effects likely come from replacing unhealthy fats, not from some magical quality of avocados.

If you love avocados, keep enjoying them: they’re packed with fiber, potassium, and antioxidants. But if you’re eating them mainly for cholesterol control, you can get similar heart benefits from olive oil, almonds, or pumpkin and sesame seeds.

Pump Up Your Diet 
A Nutrient-Packed Spin On Avocado Toast

Want to add avocados to your diet, but tired of the same approach? This recipe is a creamy, fiber-rich twist on classic avocado toast.

The combination of avocado and beans delivers healthy monounsaturated fats and soluble fiber, two nutrients proven to help lower LDL cholesterol. It’s also satisfying, inexpensive, and easy to customize with ingredients you already have in your kitchen. Plus, even if you don’t like beans, it’s unlikely that you’ll taste them, meaning you get all the nutritional benefits hidden in an enjoyable meal. 

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 1 ripe avocado

• ½ cup canned white beans (rinsed and drained)

• Juice of ½ lemon

• Pinch of salt and pepper

• Red pepper flakes, or a drizzle of olive oil

• 2 slices whole-grain or sourdough bread

• Optional: poached egg

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mash the avocado and white beans together with lemon juice, salt, and pepper until smooth but slightly chunky.

2. Toast your bread until golden.

3. Spread the avocado-bean mixture on each slice.

4. Top with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and a light drizzle of olive oil.

Optional: if you want a little extra protein, you can poach an egg and add to the top of the toast.

Community
The Iron Connection

A few weeks ago, we encouraged you to film a short video telling the story of your gym crew and send it to us. We have received several videos, and there’s still time for you to submit yours. 

Reply to this email and change the subject line to “Connecting Muscle,” and we will showcase some of the gym crews around the world to help inspire the million people reading this.

And, for those of you who train at home, reply to this email with the subject “My Gym” and include a picture of your home setup. 

We know that one home gym can inspire others to create their own space to get fit. So share your setup. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small corner in your bedroom or your whole garage. Show us how you make it happen in your home.

And if you want your home to be an unofficial Pump Club location, grab the Official Pump Club Gym Flag. Great for wherever you lift, or as a showpiece for your home office or bedroom (marital counseling sold separately).

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell