Dr. Hyman & Dr. Lyon Talk Mitopure on The Dr. Hyman Show
Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon explain why muscle is the organ of longevity, and how Mitopure® supports mitochondrial health.
What to know
Skeletal muscle may be a primary driver of longevity, metabolic health, and immune resilience as we age.
Many chronic diseases stem from poor muscle health, not just excess body fat.
Muscle functions as a metabolic buffer, potentially protecting against insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration.
Mitochondrial health is central to muscle performance, and exercise acts as “mitochondrial medicine.”
Mitopure® (Urolithin A) supports mitophagy and muscle function, with clinical evidence showing improvements in muscle health.
Building and maintaining muscle isn’t just about strength or vanity; it’s a cornerstone of healthy aging. In a recent conversation on The Doctor’s Farmacy podcast, Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon shine a spotlight on skeletal muscle as “the organ of longevity.” Their conversion offers a deep dive into the behaviors needed to maintain muscle health with age, including a focused discussion on the benefits of Mitopure® (Urolithin A).
Dr. Mark Hyman is a bestselling author and internationally recognized leader in functional medicine. As the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Function Health and founder and Director of The UltraWellness Center, his work has focused on addressing the root cause of chronic disease.
Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is a board-certified family physician and fellowship-trained expert in geriatrics and nutritional sciences. She is widely known for reframing muscle as a central organ of health, particularly in aging and metabolic disease. Through her clinical work, research, and education, Dr. Lyon has become a leading voice on sarcopenia, protein intake, and strength training for longevity.
Muscle Is the Key to Longevity (Not Fat Loss) | Dr Gabrielle Lyon
Why is Muscle Important For Overall Health
Dr. Hyman opened the discussion by noting how traditional medicine has overlooked muscle.
Dr. Hyman: “It’s amazing to me how ignored this is in medicine… We have this epidemic of not only obesity but sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). Maybe it’s not that we’re over-fat, maybe we’re under-muscled.”
For decades, healthcare has focused on weight as a primary health metric, while muscle mass and quality are rarely discussed.
Dr. Lyon: “It is, it's the largest organ system in the body and arguably the most important organ system…”
Dr. Hyman: “Building muscle is one of the best ways to lose body fat, but also to lower inflammation, improve your cognitive function, improve your immunity, help your sexual function, pretty much everything.”
Both Dr. Lyon and Dr. Hyman emphasize that muscle is not passive tissue. It acts as an endocrine organ, communicating with the brain, immune system, and metabolism. When muscle is strong and metabolically healthy, its benefits may ripple throughout the entire body.
Both physicians explore all the various ways muscles can support our health. From hormone signaling to blood flow and energy production, muscle quality is deeply intertwined with how well the body functions as a whole.
Muscle as Metabolic Medicine
Dr. Lyon discusses how skeletal muscle is the body’s largest site of glucose disposal. When a muscle becomes inactive, excess sugar spills into the bloodstream.
Dr. Lyon: “Many of these diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, even Alzheimer’s, are caused by metabolic pathology…and dysfunctional muscle is at the root.”
Dr. Lyon: “These indications of metabolic syndrome, elevated levels of blood glucose, elevated levels of triglyceride, elevated levels of insulin, they’re not a reflection of metabolic syndrome; they’re a reflection of muscle health.”
In other words, high blood sugar and blood fats tell us that the muscle is not doing its job well as a metabolic buffer. On the flip side, exercise can literally be thought of as medicine, especially for our cellular energy factories, the mitochondria.
Dr. Hyman and Dr. Lyon discuss this interesting link between mitochondria and muscle health.
Dr. Lyon: “You and I talk about exercise as mitochondrial medicine. All of this is medicine for your mitochondria.”
Does Urolithin A Help Mitochondrial and Muscle Health?
While exercise is one of the most powerful tools we have to stimulate mitochondrial renewal, it isn’t the only lever. A key highlight during this conversation was the role of Urolithin A, a compound available as the supplement Mitopure, in enhancing mitochondrial and muscle health.
To illustrate the impact of this approach, Dr. Hyman shared a personal story of recovery.
Dr. Hyman: After a setback last year, Hyman reports, “I just doubled down on everything I knew to do, which was strength training, testosterone therapy... I had like fifty grams [of protien] for breakfast in a whey protein shake. I would put in creatine. I would put in Mitopure... and I was just deliberate in the gym every day...”
In other words, Dr. Hyman combined consistent resistance training, ample protein, and mitochondrial support from Mitopure to help strengthen his muscles and vitality. Dr. Hyman explained that Urolithin A is a unique postbiotic that most of us don’t produce enough of naturally.[1]
Dr. Hyman: “One of the things I’ve started using is something called Urolithin A... essentially, it’s a molecule that’s what we call a postbiotic. It’s made by your microbiome converting certain plant chemicals… into this molecule. The problem is that most of us have trouble making this.”
Can Urolithin A Improve Healthspan?
Dr. Lyon: “Its primary role is in mitophagy, and that is the removal and degradation of old mitochondria.”
Both Dr. Lyon and Dr. Hyman pointed to clinical research showing that Urolithin A supplementation leads to measurable gains in muscle strength.
Dr. Hyman: “This molecule is found to have some really extraordinary properties around muscle quality, strength, longevity, muscle function, immune health,[2] and mitochondrial function.”
Dr. Hyman: “The thing that blows my mind about the research on this is that even without [a change in] exercise, it seems to improve your fitness and strength.”
Dr. Lyon: “I don't recommend actually other forms of Urolithin A because I think it should really be tested.” Dr. Lyon shares how the third-party testing behind Mitopure makes it her trusted brand of Urolithin A.
Dr. Hyman: “Yeah, they spent like $100 million researching this stuff.”
Dr. Lyon and Dr. Hyman agree that not all Urolithin A on the market is created equal. They discuss the human clinical research on Mitopure for muscle performance, mitochondrial function, and immune health. This depth of validation is critical in a space where many compounds lack rigorous testing.
Dr. Hyman: “Of all the longevity wellness supplements, it’s quite unique.”
Closing Remarks
At Timeline, our mission is to translate cutting-edge longevity science into solutions that truly work. Seeing leading physicians like Dr. Gabrielle Lyon and Dr. Mark Hyman highlight the benefits of Mitopure reinforces our commitment to rigorous research, clinical validation, and targeting the biology of aging at its source.
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References
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Singh, A., D'Amico, D., Andreux, P. A., Dunngalvin, G., Kern, T., Blanco-Bose, W., Auwerx, J., Aebischer, P., & Rinsch, C. (2022). Direct supplementation with Urolithin A overcomes limitations of dietary exposure and gut microbiome variability in healthy adults to achieve consistent levels across the population. European journal of clinical nutrition, 76(2), 297–308. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00950-1 (https://www.google.com/url?q=https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00950-1&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1772081997264311&usg=AOvVaw2yymB24tc0kguB_erUH5bp)
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Denk, D., Singh, A., Kasler, H. G., D'Amico, D., Rey, J., Alcober-Boquet, L., Gorol, J. M., Steup, C., Tiwari, R., Kwok, R., Argüello, R. J., Faitg, J., Sprinzl, K., Zeuzem, S., Nekljudova, V., Loibl, S., Verdin, E., Rinsch, C., & Greten, F. R. (2025). Effect of the mitophagy inducer urolithin A on age-related immune decline: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Nature aging, 5(11), 2309–2322. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-00996-x (https://www.google.com/url?q=https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-00996-x&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1772081997266898&usg=AOvVaw17OVBSCWfYtPixVu4x1hX5)
