Gatekeeper

The Brief

Welcome back, Wellworthy readers.

Dry January isn’t about drinking less. It’s a chance for your body to reset.

Most conversations focus on surface wins — clearer skin, better sleep, more energy. But the real benefits run deeper, starting in the gut. 

Your gut is the body’s gatekeeper. When alcohol weakens that barrier, the effects impact immunity, inflammation, and recovery across the entire system.

This issue breaks down what’s actually happening beneath the surface, and how a short break can unlock benefits that last well beyond January.

Here's what's inside:

• Why hangovers feel like the flu

• Tips from ZBiotics CEO Zack Abbott on supporting your gut

• Plus: Zero-proof Lemon Drop martinis, an action plan for your blood work, and a new longevity study on coffee consumption

Here we go!

— Jake, Joana & Ash

The Breakdown

Alcohol’s impact goes way beyond a rough morning. It quietly disrupts the systems responsible for recovery and resilience.

The first stop is the gut. Alcohol loosens the seal of the gut wall, allowing bacteria to enter the bloodstream. At the same time, it produces acetaldehyde — a toxic byproduct that interferes with normal cellular function.

ZBiotics CEO Zack Abbott, PhD, compares it to "tossing a wrench into a finely tuned machine."

"The biological 'jam' triggers damage and inflammatory responses throughout the body," explains Abbott.

The flu-like misery you feel the next day — aches, brain fog, and fatigue — is actually the physical toll of a massive cleanup job.

Why it matters

The body is built to recover, but only if it’s given the chance.

Frequent drinking, even in moderate amounts, limits the downtime the gut needs to reseal and restore balance. Abbott explains that stress compounds, placing added strain on the liver, brain, and immune system.

What you can do 

• Mind the volume: More alcohol creates a heavier inflammatory load for the body to clear.

• Fortify the barrier: Fiber-rich foods and fermented foods support barrier repair.

• Prioritize breaks: Since the gut needs downtime to reseal, taking days off is just as important as pacing yourself.

• Give it the right tools: Standard probiotics try to target everything at once. Engineered probiotics are built for a specific job: breaking down that toxic byproduct before it causes the "jam”.

The takeaway

A reset isn’t about restriction. It’s about restoration.

Even a short pause pays dividends, shifting the body out of defense mode and into repair. That’s the real benefit of stepping back: building momentum that carries forward long after January ends.

This CEO tested his supplements (and didn’t like what he found)

^{Presented by Life Time.}

When Life Time Founder Bahram Akradi sent his multivitamin for third-party testing, the results were subpar. Instead of settling for products that didn’t match quality standards, he chose to fix the problem at the source.

LTH is the outcome — rigorously tested formulas created by registered dietitians and industry experts and made with nutrient forms your body can absorb.

Whether it’s Armor (Vitamin D3+K2) or Nourish (Daily Multi + Greens), each product is verified through NSF testing, so what’s on the label is what’s in the bottle.

Just Dropped

New products and drops spotted → 

Supplements & nutrition

MUD\WTR, the brand famous for "breaking up with coffee," is finally brewing it. This Coffee Starter Kit sits at a low 45mg caffeine, stacks L-theanine and functional mushrooms, and is engineered to skip the typical crash. Get the kit.

O Positiv expanded its MENO line to tackle the unsexy stuff: heart pressure, dry eyes, and brain fog. No vague blends, either, just clinical dosages of CoQ10 and Lutein targeting the specific symptoms of estrogen decline. View the line.

Dry & Dirty introduced functional martinis for those who miss the olive brine but not the headache. The adaptogen-infused lineup covers the classics — Espresso, Lemon Drop, and Dirty — minus the buzz. See the flavors.

If the original David bar is for pure optimization, the new Bronze line is for pleasure. Featuring a whipped marshmallow core and caramel ganache, the Cookie Dough flavor eats like a candy bar but reads like a diet plan: 20g protein, 150 calories, 0g sugar. Shop the drop. 

Preventative care & recovery

Noom is betting on microdosing GLP-1s with its new Proactive Health program. It pairs a 25% standard dose with quarterly blood panels tracking 17 biomarkers, focusing on prevention rather than rapid weight loss. Check eligibility.

Hundred Health introduced a new annual membership that aggregates records from 300+ medical systems and your wearables — plus two 80-biomarker lab panels annually — into structured "100-day action plans." It’s now less about hoarding data, and more about knowing what to do with it. View the membership. 

Mitome bridged the gap between research labs and your bathroom counter with at-home mitochondrial testing. The non-invasive cheek swab measures your "MitoScore" to track how fast your cells are aging. Get tested.

Saolful arrived as the anti-performance platform, admitting that sometimes you just don’t care to self-care. By swapping high-intensity training of typical wellness apps for somatic shaking and breathwork, it’s designed specifically for hangovers and emotional comedowns. Start here.

Fitness & wellness tech

Nike is stepping into travel with a hard-shell luggage collection arriving Spring 2026. The killer feature? A washable, odor-resistant liner designed specifically to separate your clean clothes from your sweaty gear. See the preview.

Orion upgrades your existing bed with an AI cover that learns your sleep stages. It monitors heart rate to micro-adjust temperature in real-time. It also solves the partner compromise—allowing for two distinct temperature settings at the same time. Check it out.

On Our Radar 

What's moving in wellness this week → 

Weight loss drugs ditch the needle. Novo Nordisk launched the first FDA-approved oral GLP-1 in the U.S. At around $150 a month (vs. the usual $1,000+ for injections), it effectively removes the two biggest hurdles for most people: the wild cost and the shot itself. We’re barely a week into 2026, and the floodgates for mass adoption just swung wide open.

The end of Dr. Google. OpenAI just launched ChatGPT Health, a dedicated hub that syncs directly with your medical records and wearables. By enabling ongoing, personalized support, it signals a pivot from generic search to personalized answers — and marks a significant push into health care.

Trader Joe’s wants in on gut soda. The grocery chain just launched its own prebiotic sodas that closely mirror OLIPOP — low sugar, added fiber, classic flavors. When a private-label brand moves this fast, it’s a sign functional drinks are making the weekly grocery list.

A double shot of longevity. A new Norwegian study links your morning cup to longer telomeres — the protective caps on DNA that shorten as we age. Drinking 3–4 cups a day was associated with a biological age roughly five years younger than non-drinkers. Coffee research isn’t new, but it’s still finding ways to make your daily habit earn its keep.