Mark Hyman’s comprehensive health company is designed to take a more preventative approach to medicine

Dr. Mark Hyman is one of the most prominent proponents of functional medicine and a co-founder of Function Health, a membership-based diagnostic health platform company.  He was inspired to found the company based on the shortcomings of traditional healthcare. In an interview with Athletech News last fall, Dr. Hyman noted, “I saw that our system prioritized outdated processes and profits, with people only visiting doctors on a reactive basis. That experience inspired me and the other founding members of Function to create a new way for people to manage their health and live their best lives.”

Function Health has grown a lot since its founding in 2021, with its beta release in April 2023 and its expansion across the country. The company is expanding its focus on athletes, most recently with a partnership with the NBPA.

“Athletes push their limits daily, yet standard checkups often miss key performance insights,” Emeline Minor, who works in Special Projects at Function, told Athletech News. “Cortisol and testosterone impact recovery, while glucose and insulin regulate sustained energy. Monitoring these markers helps athletes train smarter and avoid burnout. Key nutrients like vitamin D aid muscle repair and injury prevention, benefiting anyone engaged in physical activity.”

To see what the future of preventative and performance-based health might hold, I decided to test Function Health by going to a nearby Quest Diagnostics. I took the tests over two separate sessions to get the results of more than 100 biomarkers for a view of my health across many dimensions, from my heart, hormones, immunity, thyroid, and more. So how did Function stack up compared to other preventative health services?  

Pros

For $499 per year, members get two rounds of testing: an initial assessment and then another test three to six months later to see how their numbers are evolving. After your initial signup, you are asked to give a detailed summary of your medical history and medications. Next, you schedule your tests at Quest Diagnostics. I also appreciated the text reminders from Function in the days before the assessment on how best to prepare for the tests.

While Quest Diagnostics is not as comfortable as some other options for blood draws (for example, for InsideTracker, a professional came to my apartment), there are many locations around major cities, and there was almost no wait time.  

For those who are squeamish with blood draws, the first round of testing required nearly six vials of blood. Because of the draining nature of such a blood draw, Function splits them into two separate appointments scheduled several days apart. The service recommended not doing any physical activity later that day, but I felt good enough to continue with my normal routine just a few hours later. For the second test, there was also a urine sample.

Although I had a handful of biomarkers out of range, my biological age was still a fair amount younger than my calendar age, which helped put my results into perspective and prevented any panic while I waited for the physician’s notes, which took a little more than a week. In addition, for the biomarkers out of range, clicking on each result yielded a summary of what it meant, its causes, foods to eat, foods to limit, supplements to take, and more. I thought the website’s design was fairly easy to use and click through, although I would have appreciated a snapshot view of all the biggest next steps for me to follow to improve my metrics.

One big benefit of Function is that the company essentially subsidizes the costs of all these tests; the phlebotomist at Quest Diagnostics told me that these tests normally cost far more than what Function charges. Although the company does not accept insurance, it is FSA/HSA eligible.

Cons

A small downside to the test is certain restrictions must be taken before, which is admittedly fairly typical of all blood tests. Users are not allowed to work out for 24 hours, take supplements for 72 hours, or eat certain foods, like fish (in case it spikes certain biomarker levels in your bloodstream) for a few days before. While a minor inconvenience, it’s worth calling out the small changes needed prior to the exam.

One other downside is the timing disparity between getting the results back and the clinician’s notes back, which can be up to 2 weeks. The clinician’s notes add more context to your results, and if any results are urgent, Function will call you immediately. With the results come recommendations about the best foods to eat, potential lifestyle changes, and any recommended follow-up tests. For those anxious to receive their results, the timing difference may cause some short-term panic, perhaps brought about by googling or WebMD searches.

I asked physicians unassociated with the brands about my results, and they noted that some of the biomarkers used were newer, without as much clinical research backing them. For example, measures like HDL Large, LDL Medium, and LDL Small were all part of the heart health measurements but represent newer ways to understand cholesterol. According to Dr. Hyman, this is the “most critical test” for understanding cholesterol health. However, some of these other physicians recommended focusing more on the more standard cholesterol numbers due to their proven nature. I wish there had been a clearer way to view which biomarkers were more clinically

Overall, Function is likely best for those who have existing medical conditions or deficiencies and want to track their progress, driving towards improvements on these health goals.

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The field of longevity, essentially the science of living better, for longer, shows no signs of slowing down. 

Driven by Americans’ growing distrust of the traditional healthcare system and the rise of wellness-focused podcasts and social media content, an entire industry has formed, with longevity-focused companies reeling in millions in funding to chase what once seemed like an impossible goal: delay – or even reverse – the aging process.

Three leaders of the burgeoning longevity movement – Dr. Mark Hyman, a physician and co-founder of Function Health, Dr. Frank Lipman, a functional medicine doctor who runs the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City, and Naveen Jain, the founder and CEO of personalized health testing company Viome, sat down during ATN’s DISRUPT video series to give their thoughts on this emerging field. 

ATN breaks down some key insights from their conversation, including the rise of longevity science, the future of GLP-1s, and the potential of personalized healthcare.

Understanding the Longevity Boom

What’s behind the longevity boom? For starters, the science of health optimization has come a long way in just the last few years, according to Dr. Hyman. 

“There’s been a tremendous boom in the science,” Dr. Hyman said. “Up until a few years ago … it’d been a neglected area. The (National Institutes of Health) has spent almost nothing studying aging itself because it was thought to be this irrevocable process that you could do nothing about. But then a bunch of billionaires who don’t want to die started pouring millions and billions of dollars into longevity research, and so now there’s a whole field of longevity science.”

According to Dr. Hyman, the field of longevity science is about understanding the “underlying mechanisms for how we grow old” and then finding ways people can slow or even reverse the biological aging process through a combination of lifestyle changes, medication and supplementation. 

“For the first time in history, we actually are understanding that the things that happen to us – that typically happen to us as we get older – such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s – these are not inevitable consequences of aging,. Neither is frailty or disability or dysfunction; these are optional,” he explained. 

As the science of longevity has risen, so too has the general public’s interest in health optimization, at least among a certain portion of the population. 

Jain, who founded Viome in 2016, believes the COVID-19 pandemic kickstarted things, creating an urgency that prompted people to become more aware of their health.

“I really think COVID made us realize that you don’t want to be sick and go to the hospital,” Jain said, noting that many people who got severely ill or died from COVID had “comorbidities” that exacerbated the virus. 

“During COVID, we realized that we can become the CEO of our own health,” he added. “We realize that health is not something that happens to us, it’s actually something we can control.”

GLP-1s, Other Drugs Show Promise for Anti-Aging

While Dr. Hyman and Dr. Lipman were both quick to note that healthy lifestyle choices including proper sleep, diet and exercise are the foundational pillars of longevity, they believe drugs can make a difference, provided they’re the right ones and are dosed properly. 

Dr. Lipman believes GLP-1 agonists have a future beyond helping people manage diabetes or lose weight: in low doses, they can be powerful longevity drugs.

“I see (GLP-1s) as a wonderful anti-aging medication at a low dose,” he said, noting the proper dosage is significantly lower than what’s typically prescribed for weight loss and that GLP-1s must be accompanied by proper diet and exercise. 

Peptides (including GLP-1s like Ozempic) in general are highly promising, Dr. Lipman believes, citing clinical results. 

“I’m a huge fan of peptides,” he said. “I’ve seen it help myself and many, many of my patients.”

Dr. Hyman believes rapamycin shows promise as an anti-aging drug. 

“(Rapamycin) has a lot of really good data in animal models and human models as well,” he said. “Taken intermittently and at low doses, (it) can actually extend life and improve the quality of life and healthspan.”

The Function Health co-founder is more skeptical of metformin, another drug that’s become popular in longevity circles for its potential anti-aging effects. He cited the lack of a large, randomized control trial on the drug’s effects and some concerning findings from interventional trials.

“When you look at the interventional trials, for example, on metformin, it has a lot of benefits, but it doesn’t work better than lifestyle,” Dr. Hyman explained. “And it inhibits something called mitochondrial complex I, which inhibits your ability to build muscle and improve your mitochondrial function, which is critical for aging.”

Is Personalization the Key to Living Longer?

According to Jain, who was inspired to create Viome after his father passed away from pancreatic cancer, personalization is the key to longevity. 

Viome offers at-home health tests that measure people’s oral microbiome, gut microbiome and cell activity. The platform then offers personalized food, supplement and lifestyle recommendations based on the results. Viome also offers CancerDetect, a test that’s designed to detect biomarkers associated with early-stage oral and throat cancer, although that service is not yet FDA-approved. 

“That’s fundamentally, I think, a foolish idea, that we’re going to find one single silver bullet that’s going to help humanity live healthier and longer,” Jain said. “I believe … there’s going to be 8 billion silver bullets. That means everything is going to be personalized to what’s happening inside your body.”

For Dr. Hyman, who co-founded Function Health in 2021, the future of healthcare won’t just happen inside doctors’ offices, it will happen at home, in gyms and elsewhere. Function offers blood tests that measure 100-plus biomarkers, including hormones, thyroid, heart, metabolic, autoimmunity and toxins, providing users with personalized health recommendations from doctors based on the results. 

Last year, Function partnered with Equinox to make its platform available to Equinox members as part of a new longevity membership that includes blood test data and integrated personal training services. While that program will run Equinox members around $40,000 per year (a regular Function Health membership is cheaper, costing $499 per year), Dr. Hyman hopes it marks the beginning stages of making longevity science accessible to a larger swath of the population.

“What we’re talking about is a revolution in consumer-driven healthcare where people are now wanting their own data, wanting to know what’s going on, are not happy with the healthcare system and (are) looking for other places to engage to optimize their health,” Dr. Hyman said. “That’s what …. our partnership with Equinox is doing. That’s what (Jain) is doing with Viome. That’s what (Dr. Lipman) has been working on for his whole life.”

The post Is Aging a Choice? Doctors, Experts See Bright Future for Longevity Science appeared first on Athletech News.

Weight loss medication has upended the diet industry and shows no signs of slowing down, with medication shortages only compounding the demand for GLP-1 drugs, which can help patients lose 15% or more of their body weight.

Regardless of the various opinions on medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, the blockbuster drugs can have far-ranging impacts beyond slimming down Americans — Goldman Sachs estimates that they could raise U.S. GDP levels and, at last count, analysts forecast that weight loss medications will likely generate as much as $100 billion in revenue by 2030.

With so much financial promise and a prediction that 9% of the U.S. population will eventually become a GLP-1 user in just six years, nearly every industry is looking to integrate weight loss medication or support its users in one aspect or another. Even food and beverage giant Nestlé is releasing a frozen food line for people on GLP-1 drugs.

As weight loss drugs continue to have a sizable impact at every turn, here is how telehealth companies and brick-and-mortar fitness giants are responding to the Ozempic era.

Diet Industry Heavyweights Embrace Weight Loss Drugs

WeightWatchers was undoubtedly ahead of the game, acquiring telehealth provider Sequence last year to become one of the first to offer weight loss drugs to consumers — a far departure from its original goal as a diet and weight loss OG.

“WeightWatchers is at a pivotal point where we can build new capabilities that expand our market, reinforced by our foundational strengths,” former WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani remarked regarding the Sequence deal. “Our goal is to provide sustainable, science-backed solutions to all weight health pathways, whether medications are part of an individual’s journey or not.”

The Vitamin Shoppe, a titan in the brick-and-mortar supplement space, is also getting into the GLP-1 game, launching a telehealth service connecting eligible consumers with licensed healthcare providers to offer nutritional supplements and anti-obesity drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, as well as compounded versions of semaglutide and tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound.

The Vitamin Shoppe CEO Lee Wright says the company’s Whole Health Rx service is a “meaningful evolution” in its mission to support the needs of its customers – a similar signal to that of WeightWatchers. While it will initially focus on weight management, Whole Health Rx plans to expand into other verticals. 

“As a pioneer in the wellness space since 1977, The Vitamin Shoppe is uniquely positioned to offer a truly holistic approach to weight loss that unites proven pharmaceutical interventions with our unmatched expertise in nutrition support and whole-body health,” Wright added.

New Telehealth Players Emerge

Hims & Hers Health may not have rushed into the GLP-1 space, but it’s done so mindfully — and at a discounted rate. The telehealth platform, witnessing the ongoing shortages of name-brand anti-obesity drugs, will now provide compounded GLP-1s for eligible consumers. The company has partnered with a U.S. drug manufacturer to provide generic medications with the same active ingredients as the Ozempic and Wegovy, shipping them from affiliated pharmacies at a more cost-conscious price point. In time, the health and wellness platform says it will make branded options available after a consistent supply is established.

“The core of our business is to offer a truly personalized experience that customers can trust and rely on,” Hims & Hers CEO and co-founder Andrew Dudum said. “We’ve leveraged our size and scale to secure access to one of the highest-quality supplies of compounded GLP-1 injections available today. We’re passing that access and value along to our customers, who deserve the highest standard of clinical safety and efficacy to meet their goals, and we’re doing it in a safe, affordable way that others can’t deliver.”

Telehealth company Ro, which counts obesity expert Dr. Rachel Goldman as an advisor, is also transforming the way consumers access GLP-1s.

“GLP-1s are allowing individuals who have the disease of obesity to be on a level playing field,” Dr. Goldman said. “They have this extra tool that is helping them get to a place where they’re more in that category of individuals who, if they’re mindful about what they’re eating and exercising a little more, they will likely lose weight. It’s literally giving people hope who felt like they lost hope. Some people saw an option like bariatric surgery as a last resort but GLP-1s are now giving people an additional option. We are also seeing that people after bariatric surgery have weight (gain) recurrence because obesity is a chronic disease.” 

Fitness Brands Cater to GLP-1 Users

Weight loss drugs have also inspired fitness operators to capitalize on consumers looking to lose.

Last year, luxury athletic country club operator Life Time entered the weight loss medication arena with Miora, a medical wellness and longevity clinic featuring GLP-1s as well as infrared saunas, red light therapy, peptides, hormone replacement therapy, IV therapy and cryotherapy chambers.

While Miora is poised to roll out nationally, the clinic is already seeing high demand, 

and Life Time is bolstering Miora’s staff of doctors and physician assistants to handle the traffic.

Life Time founder and CEO Bahram Akradi has been outspoken on weight loss medication, noting that the athletic country club brand has the ideal customer base within its clubs – those who seriously invested in their health – and stated that the popular drugs will remain a “megatrend.”

“It’s going to stay, and it’s not a negative for exercise because you absolutely need to combine the proper weight training and nutrition with these drugs,” Akradi said. “The exercise business is going to get a win out of it. Life Time is uniquely positioned because, in every market, we have facilities where we can launch Miora Clinics for longevity, for addressing weight loss, peptides, all of that,” he said. “We look at this as nothing but an upside.”

Equinox, now heavily invested in metabolic health and longevity with Function Health, hasn’t abandoned the weight loss medication space or Equinox members who opt to take the in-demand drugs. The luxury fitness and wellness brand is committed to helping its members with a personal training program designed for clients on medication like Ozempic and Wegovy or those interested in using GLP-1s.

The brand added a GLP-1 protocol to its internal education program at the Equinox Fitness Training Institute to ensure coaches learn how to create workout plans that address possible muscle loss — a side effect that can occur for those taking weight loss medication.

Digital healthcare company Noom partnered with digital health and fitness platform FitOn to launch “Muscle Defense,” a program designed to combat muscle mass loss with on-demand fitness programming geared towards weight loss medication users.

“We designed Noom GLP-1 Companion with Muscle Defense to be the adjunct diet and exercise program that addresses key dangers associated with taking GLP-1s such as loss of muscle mass,” Noom CEO Geoff Cook explained. “We believe prescribing the drug without such a program carries dangers, given the amount of muscle mass people often lose while taking a GLP-1 and the fact that most people will stop taking the GLP-1 and regain the weight absent of behavior change, which can potentially lead to future conditions like sarcopenic obesity.”

“It’s critical we not leave people worse off than before they started the medication. Healthy habits have never mattered more,” Cook added.

This article originally ran in the The Business of Prevention, Recovery & Longevity Report 2024. Download the report now to read more insights into how fitness and wellness brands are making strides in key markets.

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A new wellness event is coming to South Florida, and it’s got the makings of something big. 

Sean Hoess, co-founder of the popular yoga-based festival Wanderlust, is launching Eudēmonia, a health and well-being summit featuring some of the biggest names in longevity, medicine and fitness all together under one roof. 

To be held in West Palm Beach from November 1-3, Eudēmonia will feature over 200 sessions across three days, with science-based talks on health and longevity from speakers including Andrew Huberman, PhD, Mark Hyman, MD, and Gabrielle Lyon, DO.

Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels and YouTube star Adriene Mishler will lead in-person workouts, while popular figures like Dan Harris and Bryan Johnson will present sessions on meditation and longevity, respectively. SoulCycle is set to stage several workout classes. 

In all, Eudēmonia will offer over 200 sessions across three days, with 100 wellness brands activating on-site including Function Health, AG1, Seed and Parsley Health. Among many experiences, attendees can receive on-site biometric testing from Basecamp and Function Health, and then consult experts for help decoding their results. 

“My goal is to build the South by Southwest of well-being in the heart of West Palm Beach,” Hoess tells Athletech News of his vision for Eudēmonia. 

A Different Type of Wellness Event

Eudēmonia, a Greek word that can be roughly translated as “life well lived,” gives a good overview of Hoess’ idea for the summit, which is designed around five elements: movement, nourishment, mental optimization, restoration and connection.

According to Hoess, who co-founded Wanderlust in 2009 and helped grow it into one of the world’s biggest experiential wellness brands, there’s big demand for an event that combines all the different aspects of health and wellness, from the science of longevity to meditation to working out, into one weekend.

“What I’ve noticed with events, and actually businesses in general, is that there’s sort of a Zeitgeist moment when it’s right for (them) to happen,” he says, pointing to the rise of wellness podcasters like Huberman and Peter Attia, along with Americans’ increased interest in preventive health following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I started to notice the interconnection between various things – the people talking about their metabolic health were the same people who were working out or who were interested in certain diets. All of this stuff started to interrelate,” Hoess adds. “I think there’s an opportunity to do something a little more high-minded that’s not just on a particular area of health or a certain fitness modality, but that actually brings it all together under the viewpoint of functional medicine or holistic health.”

Tickets for Eudēmonia have only been on sale for a few months,  but organizers are expecting over 3,000 people at next month’s event, which will be held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center and adjoining Hilton West Palm Beach hotel.

The majority of attendees will be between 40 and 60 years old, but Eudēmonia is also seeing interest from medical students and pre-med students, groups it’s recruiting through scholarship programs and other initiatives. 

Leading With Science

Eudēmonia will feature plenty of fun – Mishler, a Youtuber with over 12 million followers on her “Yoga With Adriene” channel, will perform an in-person version of her popular online workouts while guests can engage in cold plunges, sound baths and a silent disco dance. 

But Hoess is quick to point out that Eudēmonia is, above all else, a place for serious, science-based discussions on health and wellness. He envisions the weekend as an open forum where leading scientists, doctors and entrepreneurs can discuss key issues before an educated and receptive audience. 

Sessions include “Creating Good Energy: Reverse Chronic Disease by Mastering Metabolic Function,” “AI & The Future Of Personalized Medicine,” and “Immunometabolism: GroundBreaking New Research for Brain Health,” which should give some sense of the content on offer for the weekend. 

“We take the lecture part seriously; we do want people to walk away having absolutely learned something,” Hoess says. “At the same time, we want people to be able to unwind, have fun and dance, go to a sauna or check out a new machine.”

South Florida as a Wellness Capital?

Wanderlust became one of the world’s biggest wellness festivals, staging multiple events annually in countries around the globe. For the foreseeable future at least, Hoess will take a more measured approach with his new venture. 

Eudēmonia won’t be expanding to new territories anytime soon. Instead, organizers will focus on making it a can’t-miss health and well-being event, held once per year in South Florida. 

If all goes well next month, Eudēmonia will return to West Palm Beach in 2025, but on an even bigger scale. 

“I want to see an in-person experience where people have their minds blown,” Hoess says. “It’s got to be a transformational experience, where people (leave) and they’re buzzing, and they’re going back to their communities talking about it.”

For more information on Eudēmonia and to register, click here.

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Money can’t buy happiness, but it can purchase a luxurious escape for CEOs, politicians, celebrities and athletes to deal with addiction, trauma-related mental disorders and daily stressors.

Highlands Recovery, a brand new luxury rehabilitation facility in Australia, has opened its doors to welcome high-net-worth individuals looking for help and the utmost privacy – at a time when wellness and recovery services of all kinds are on the rise. The luxury rehabilitation facility’s residential program costs up to $25,000 per week.

“As incredible as this may seem, this is an under-serviced area of the market,” Highlands Recovery’s clinical director, Resh Joseph, said. “Some of (the) needs of high-net-worth individuals are quite different from other areas of society, and some of those needs can be a real challenge for an organization to meet. What we have done at Highlands Recovery is to create an organization that is supple and expansive enough to wrap around the unique set of needs that such individuals have.”

The effects of ‘CEO burnout’, in particular, have come into focus during a time when workplace wellness has begun to dominate employer conversations. Deloitte’s second Well-Being at Work Survey last year found that 75% of those in a C-suite position are seriously contemplating quitting their role in favor of a job that would better support their well-being.

Highlands Recovery’s philosophy is based on the biopsychosocial model of health and wellness, Joseph said, one that defines good health and well-being as an intersection of biological health, psychological health and social and environmental health. One area of specialization at Highlands Recovery is trauma and stressor-related disorders, as well as substance use and other addictive behavior disorders and general mood and anxiety disorders. 

The luxury rehabilitation center is nestled in a quiet region of Australia, two hours by vehicle from the closest major city, offering a degree of discretion while a professional IT specialist ensures that all digital data is safely guarded and inaccessible. 

Aside from its focus on confidentiality, Highlands Recovery visitors can unwind on its five-acre property with a lake, take in its landscaped gardens, enjoy the heated outdoor pool with an attached hot and cold spa, participate in horse riding or equine therapy, personal training sessions or a twice-weekly massage.  

The top-tier wellness amenities complement what Joseph says is at the heart of the Australian recovery center. 

“The crown jewel at Highlands Recovery is the fully manualized clinical program that has been created from scratch specifically for clients,” he explained. “This clinical program is built on the best research data available and is our standout feature.”

A full standalone aftercare program is available for clients after a stay at Highlands Recovery, which is run by therapists who have been trained in the program’s method and use the Highlands Recovery clinical manual to ensure consistency.

High-Tech Rehab

In the future, Highlands Recovery plans to implement technology to advance its health and wellness efforts for its clients, including creating an in-house app.

“This app will allow our current clients and our alumni clients to access our services anywhere in the world 24 hours a day and also be part of the Highlands Recovery worldwide community via our digital platform,” Joseph said.

Another long-term goal of Highland Recovery is to use wearable technology to track sleep metrics, stress analytics, and movement and exercise to support long-term stability.

“The intention here is to create a set of metrics that can indicate or warn the clinical team of an impending relapse before it happens,” Joseph said. “This represents the next evolution in the possibilities of relapse prevention.”

The Future of Luxury Wellness

Integrating technology and advanced testing is shaping up to become the next phase in prevention and wellness — for a price. 

Luxury lifestyle and fitness brand Equinox recently launched a $40,000 annual Optimize by Equinox membership, which includes Function biomarker testing and a dedicated team of health and wellness experts covering fitness, nutrition, sleep and massage. 

In Century City, California, another wellness-centered approach to healthcare is in the works for Century Plaza courtesy of lifestyle hospitality company sbe, with a brand reveal planned for fall. While the name of the longevity concept is under wraps for now, the space will be operated by longevity leader Fountain Life, which employs AI-powered diagnostic tools to detect disease and offers longevity and performance therapeutics. The center plans to open later this year. 

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Function Health is having a stellar year. Not only has the health tech startup partnered with luxury lifestyle and fitness brand Equinox to deliver biomarker lab testing, but the longevity-centered health platform has secured $53 million in a Series A funding round that attracted a slew of celebrities and wellness experts.

The funding will be used to scale Function’s technology and increase testing access, the company said.

Andreessen Horowitz (also known as a16z) Bio + Health led the round, with support from the a16z Cultural Leadership Fund. Backers also include Matt Damon, Kevin Hart, Zac Efron, Pedro Pascal, podcaster Jay Shetty, athletes Joel Embiid (Embiid Ventures), Blake Griffin, Jimmy Rollins and Colin Kaepernick, Levels co-founder and author Dr. Casey Means, former Oura CEO Harpreet Singh Rai and Equinox chairman Harvey Spevak.

Going Beyond the Doctor’s Office

“Function is the first with a mission of empowering you to live 100 healthy years,” Function co-founder and CEO Jonathan Swerdlin said. “We’re introducing a revolutionary approach to lifelong health, starting with the most comprehensive lab testing to help you understand what’s actually happening inside your body and what to do to stay ahead of disease and feel your best.” 

The health platform, co-founded by Dr. Mark Hyman, offers 100-plus lab tests across all areas including heart, thyroid, hormones, brain, cancers and fertility (five times more than the average physical, according to Function) and provides detailed and actionable insights from doctors for $499 per year, or $42 per month.

Results are stored so members can spot health trends over time and easily share the results with doctors. Members can re-test anytime at a low cost and can purchase non-routine tests (Lyme, STDs, allergies) at any point. They also have access to the latest developments in testing, such as multi-cancer early detection.

“The possibilities are boundless,” Swerdlin added. “This is about health, not healthcare, happening outside traditional systems, yet supported by the world’s top doctors and experts.”

While Function doesn’t accept insurance plans, it is FSA/HSA eligible. 

Biomarker Testing Becomes Mainstream

Biomarker testing may have once been reserved for pro athletes and biohackers, but amid the growing longevity movement, it’s poised to have mass appeal to the many consumers who have become health-conscious and prefer a more personalized approach to preventative healthcare.

This month, nutrition app Lifesum acquired Lykon, a biomarker-based personalized nutrition company, which will allow Lifesum’s 65 million users to soon use at-home biomarker testing to gain insights into their nutrition needs and metabolic health. 

Even gyms and fitness facilities are integrating biomarker testing with training — and it’s not just Equinox. 

Fitness SF, a chain of Bay Area health clubs, has teamed with InsideTracker to offer personalized biomarker tracking and health recommendations for internal employees and club members. 

Austin Simply Fit, a chain of personal training studios in Austin, Texas, has partnered with wellness and health management platform Keyspan to similarly provide biomarker data to its members, informing functional coaching into fitness regimens.

“This is the new normal, making every aspect of health measurable and understandable,”  Austin Simply Fit CEO Krista Bergeron said.

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CrossFit has launched a membership-based medical society designed to educate healthcare professionals on the effectiveness of the CrossFit fitness regimen and create opportunities for affiliates to become “health homes” for members.

The new entity, CrossFit Medical Society (CFMS), is guided by Dr. Tom McCoy, who is board-certified in family medicine and obesity medicine, and Jennifer Pishko, who holds a master’s degree in nutrition education and serves as McCoy Medical’s co-founder and director of operations and education.

According to the CFMS website, direct-to-consumer lab panels, diagnostic testing and screenings are in the works.

“My ultimate vision is to push the boundaries of healthcare and build a model for Healthcare 3.0 by turning the CrossFit affiliate into a true health home,” Dr. McCoy said. “By putting lifestyle intervention at the forefront of patient care and providing affiliates and members with resources and education around utilizing CrossFit to address chronic diseases, the CrossFit Medical Society will promote improved health outcomes for everyone.” 

Dr. McCoy has established two clinics within CrossFit affiliates and focuses on a lifestyle-driven approach to wellness with CrossFit as a “foundational pillar.”

Healthcare professionals with a CrossFit certification are eligible to be listed in one of two directories: the CFMS Directory for MDs and DOs ($300/year) or an HCP Directory for licensed/certified healthcare professionals such as massage therapists, dietitians and mental health therapists ($249/year for those with a CrossFit certification). The directories serve as an informal referral system, so CrossFit affiliates and providers can refer clients to one another. 

Providers who don’t have an active CrossFit credential can still join for $199/month  to receive newsletters, education, Grand Rounds, CME access and discounts on CrossFit courses. A student outreach program offer scholarships for physicians in training to obtain their CrossFit certification and support on-campus activities, with a student membership tier available for $49/year. CrossFit affiliate owners and members can also join for free with a valid CrossFit ID.

CrossFit affiliates have been able to deliver profound health outcomes for over two decades, pointed out chief brand officer Nicole Carroll.

“They’ve often done so in the face of misperceptions about CrossFit’s safety and suitability for all-comers,” Carroll said. “The formation of the CrossFit Medical Society will enable us to further develop, nurture and amplify an international network of like-minded doctors and healthcare providers who recognize the unique power of CrossFit in delivering true and lasting health.”

Fitness as Healthcare Gains Traction

Intermixing fitness and health certainly isn’t a new concept, but leading fitness brands have begun to emerge as wellness stewards, perhaps capitalizing on the fact that over 70% of Americans feel the healthcare system is failing to meet their needs.

Equinox recently unveiled its $40,000-per-year longevity program (dubbed “Optimize”) that offers biomarker tests from Function Health, a series of tests that inform the creation of a personalized program, a dedicated team of health and wellness experts, including a fitness trainer, nutrition coach, sleep coach and massage therapist and access to high-end E Clubs.

The Bay Area’s Fitness SF, a group of eight health clubs that offers InBody and blood pressure testing, is also making advanced headway in the health space with InsideTracker. In a partnership announced last month, Fitness SF will provide biomarker testing that includes DNA analysis and progress tracking and will use the results to guide its training services. 

A Joint Effort 

While fitness brands supercharge their membership platforms with healthcare touchpoints, change is also underway to direct flexible savings accounts (FSA) and health savings account (HSA) funds to cover the costs of fitness memberships.

In recent months, telehealth provider Dr. B has signed deals with F45 Training, SoulCycle, Xplor Mariana Tek and BODi to help Americans cover the costs of fitness classes and member plans with pre-tax dollars.

The Health & Fitness Association (formerly IHRSA) has also been tirelessly working to urge lawmakers to pass legislation such as the Personal Health Investment (PHIT) Act. The bill would enable Americans to use pre-tax funds on gym memberships, fitness equipment and youth sports and would amend the IRS code to treat physical activity as preventive healthcare.

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Humanaut Health, an Austin–based health optimization and longevity clinic, has secured an $8.7 million seed investment to expand its clinics to major U.S. markets and support its regenerative, hormone and lifestyle medicine services.

The startup says investments are earmarked for clinic quality, digital health services and franchise expansion strategies. A concierge medicine service will first launch in early summer, while its first membership-based clinic is expected to open in Austin later this year before expanding across Texas and nationally. 

A waitlist has been created for early access.

Humanaut Health members can expect comprehensive testing with blood labs, body scans and fitness assessments and receive an optimal health plan that covers lifestyle, hormone and regenerative care, according to the Humanaut website. Individual coaching and digital tools will also be available.

The Kabech Fund led the seed round, which included participation from Midnight Venture Partners, the company’s founders, Tushara Dilanie and other strategic individual investors.

“I am thrilled about the interest we received and the impressive group of investors the round brought together,” said Jim Donnelly, Humanaut Health co-founder and CEO. A seasoned health and wellness entrepreneur, Donnelly is the co-founder of Restore Hyper Wellness.

“The level of talent and expertise behind the funding will accelerate our ability to scale and become the first nationwide provider of health optimization,” Donnelly added.

Humaunt’s expert approach to healthspan is led by chief medical officer Amy Killen, MD, a longevity physician and expert in hormone, sexual and skin health; chief of regenerative medicine Harry Adelson, ND, a naturopathic physician and regenerative cell medicine expert; and director of functional medicine Ernie Navarro, MD.

Longevity Is White-Hot

Hyper-personalized plans based on labs and longevity-supporting therapies are at a fever pitch. It’s a booming space, as franchise brands like Restore Hyper Wellness, Serotonin Centers and Next Health gain ground. Lindora, a chain of metabolic health clinics offering GLP-1s and hormone replacement therapies among its many services, has sold nearly 40 franchise licenses since Xponential Fitness recently acquired the brand. 

Even the gyms and health clubs have become spaces for health and longevity. Miora, Life Time’s new medical wellness and longevity clinic is seeing huge demand as it preps to scale, according to Life Time founder and CEO Bahram Akradi

Equinox has teamed up with Function Health to roll out an exclusive, $3000/month membership centered on biomarker testing and subsequent training that caters to members’ unique needs.

It’s a concept that appears to be catching on — Fitness SF, a Bay Area gym operator, recently partnered with InsideTracker for a similar program that uses lab results to inform training. 

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Equinox’s entry into the longevity and healthspan space is set to roll out at the end of the month in New York City and Highland Park, Texas — a groundbreaking new membership offering from the luxury lifestyle and fitness brand that comes with a $3,000 per month price tag.

Equinox and Function Health announced their partnership last month, ushering in a new era in hyper-personalized health and integrated personal training.

Officially dubbed “Optimize by Equinox,” the longevity membership begins with a biomarker test from Function Health, which examines 100 biomarkers to reveal health information about major organs, metabolic and immune systems. Equinox also runs a series of tests that assess VO2 max, strength and movement range. An Equinox concierge then gathers the test results to develop a personalized program. 

“It’s the same as Formula One or an athlete, where you are given a team of top experts in all these different verticals to design a program based on all the data that we collected,” Julia Klim, vice president of strategic partnerships and business development at Equinox, told CNBC. Both tests are repeated twice a year.

Each Optimize program member is assigned a personal team of health and wellness experts, including a fitness trainer, nutrition coach, sleep coach and massage therapist. The Optimize membership includes three hour-long training sessions per week, bimonthly half-hour sessions with a nutrition coach, two half-hour sessions per month with a sleep coach and one massage therapy session a month. Members of the new longevity and healthspan program will be able to train at Equinox’s “E Clubs,” its most “elevated” clubs, according to CNBC.

The program doesn’t include a standard Equinox membership; purchasing one combined with an Optimize membership will run Equinox members around $40,000 for a full year.

The program is set to expand into other states following its debut in New York City and Texas. 

Gyms & Health Clubs Ride Longevity Wave

While Equinox’s new program is financially out of reach for many at the moment, health and fitness clubs may have an opportunity down the road to offer similar services, especially as over 70% of Americans feel the healthcare system is failing to meet their needs.

Fitness SF, a family-owned group of eight health clubs in the Bay Area, just tapped biotech startup InsideTracker for biomarker testing as part of a “reimagined membership” that includes a one-time DNA analysis (for baseline measurement purposes) and biannual blood biomarker testing to track progress. The results will guide Fitness SF’s training services.

More Than Just Fitness

In a recent appearance on Athletech News’ “Unscripted” podcast, Klim revealed that Equinox considers itself more of a lifestyle brand than a fitness one, especially considering its focus on movement, nutrition, regeneration and community. 

“We’re innovating to (get) closer to healthcare and doing more personalization,” Klim said. The company added a Health Advisory Board consisting of top medical and wellness experts, academics and industry leaders to guide its programming for 2024 and beyond. One member, Dr. Mark Hyman, is the co-founder of Function Health.

Earlier this year, Equinox introduced a personal training program for clients on GLP-1 weight-loss medications, creating an internal education program at its Equinox Fitness Training Institute. The program ensures that clients don’t lose valuable lean muscle mass—a common occurrence for those who take such medications—and helps GLP-1 users create long-lasting health habits. 

The luxury lifestyle and fitness operator reported a 27% revenue increase and record-high member engagement in 2023. A pipeline of 25-plus new locations across major markets is planned for the coming years, including new clubs in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

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Having mastered the art of melding fitness, wellness and luxury, Equinox is taking health optimization and personalization to new heights, partnering with Function Health, a longevity health-tech startup founded by Dr. Mark Hyman.

The exclusive partnership will see expert Equinox trainers develop specialized programs for members based on their unique biological profiles, with Equinox members having access to their personalized health data.

The Function Health platform beta launched last year and currently has a waitlist for its $499 yearly membership that includes over 100 whole-body lab tests so wellness seekers can understand their biomarkers, including hormones, thyroid, heart, metabolic, autoimmunity and toxins. Members also receive actionable insights from doctors based on their results.

Equinox vice president of strategic partnerships Julia Klim says the collaboration between the luxury lifestyle and fitness brand and Function Health reflects the next chapter in healthspan and longevity. 

“This partnership represents a new era in personalized, performance-driven health, integrating the highest standards in personal training with cutting-edge research and data across nutrition and regeneration,” Klim said.

It’s just another forward-thinking service that Equinox continues to provide, following a recent collaboration with Aescape, which will introduce fully-automated massage beds to select Equinox clubs in NYC this spring.

In a recent appearance on Athletech News’ “Unscripted” podcast, Klim noted Equinox’s ongoing conversations and innovations surrounding prevention and longevity as Equinox members desire self-betterment. 

“We really are a way of living brand more than we are a fitness brand,” Klim said, noting Equinox’s four pillars — movement, nutrition, regeneration and community. “We’re innovating to getting closer to healthcare and doing more personalization.”

Dr. Hyman, co-founder and chief medical officer of Function Health, said the partnership marks an “historical moment” where health breaks out of the traditional setting of a doctor’s office and extends beyond the fitness club. Hyman has also been welcomed to the Equinox Health Advisory Board as Equinox ramps up its holistic and longevity-centered services. 

“By combining Equinox’s expertise with Function Health’s 100+ lab test approach, we’re unlocking a level of health and fitness that surpasses even what top doctors and biohackers can access,” Hyman said.

In recent months, Equinox has also unveiled a specialized training program for members who are on GLP-1s, designed to combat the loss of lean muscle and promote long-lasting health habits. 

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