Longevity · Prevention · Data · Hamburg

Cut through the noise.
Live better, longer.

I'm Niko — Head of Growth at YEARS, a Berlin healthspan clinic decoding aging. I host Return on Health and document Project Peakspan — an open N=1 on what actually moves biomarkers.

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#2
Longevity voice · DE
2
Master's · Nova SBE · Geneva
0
Affiliate links
DE · EN
Writing · speaking
Niko Hems, longevity expert and Head of Growth at YEARS, Hamburg
Hamburg · Berlin
▲ N=1
Leading voice · longevity
As seen in · speaking at
t3n Longevity.Technology StartupValley LinkedIn Life Summit
The ground truth

Boring beats biohack.

Most of the longevity gain comes from a handful of pillars. Supplements, peptides, and €400 patches fight over what's left.

Read the essay →
01
Sleep · 7–8 hours, consistent.

The only intervention every meta-analysis agrees on. A single bad night tanks your health. Free. Non-negotiable.

02
Zone 2 + HIIT · at least two times per week.

Zone 2 builds mitochondrial density. HIIT drives VO₂max. Both predict health better than most blood markers. Do one, get half the benefit.

03
Strength · twice a week, hard.

Strength and muscle mass predict all-cause mortality better than most blood markers. Lift heavy things. Then go home.

04
Nutrition · whole foods, fiber, protein at every meal.

Ultra-processed calories drive almost every metabolic disease we track. Fix the inputs and most downstream labs correct themselves. 1.6 g/kg protein, healthy fats, fruits & veggies, enough fiber.

05
Relationships · the one most men fail.

Loneliness rivals smoking as a mortality risk. The supplement stack won't save you from a lonely Sunday.

+ annual diagnostics, sun, and the occasional frontier intervention where evidence permits.

PEAKSPAN
The protocol · the open ledger

Project Peakspan.

An open N=1 experiment. Every diagnostic run at YEARS, every intervention dated, every result posted — good or null.

Blueprint shares a protocol. Slowager shares a journey. Peakspan shares the raw ledger — biomarkers, interventions, and honest answers about what actually moved. Updated quarterly. Free.

Open the dashboard → Methodology
LIVE · 2026 Q2 SNAPSHOT
UPDATED 2d AGO
APOB
84
mg/dL
10% REDUCED YoY · GOAL <75
VO₂ MAX
42.0
ml/kg/min
25% IMPROVED · GOAL >50
HS-CRP
<0.2
mg/L
OPTIMAL
LP(A)
251
nmol/L
GENETIC · HIGH RISK · INTERVENTION
87 BIOMARKERS · 14 INTERVENTIONS LOGGED
Full dataset open · CC-BY
Writing

Essays on what actually works.

All essays →
Wearables
5 MIN
Why most health dashboards make you worse.

More data does not equal better judgment. Dashboards turn long-term signals into short-term stressors. A framework for what to track — and what to ignore.

Essay · #014 · Apr 13, 2026
Preventive Medicine
4 MIN
The hidden cost of "feeling fine."

Chronic disease doesn't start with symptoms — it starts with drift. Why subclinical dysfunction erodes reserve quietly, and what to watch for before numbers turn abnormal.

Essay · #013 · Mar 30, 2026
Longevity
4 MIN
What I'd cut first to simplify longevity.

If you had time for only three things, what actually moves the needle? Ruthless prioritization around sleep, nutrition plus movement, and recovery.

Essay · #012 · Mar 16, 2026
ON AIR
THE PODCAST
Return on
Health.
7 episodes
Est. 2024
Return on Health · the podcast

Long-form conversations with the people actually moving the industry.

Geriatrician: Most Aging Is Preventable (But We Start Too Late)
EP 7 · 56m · APR 19
NEW
Karolinska MD PhD: The Hidden Phase Before Disease
EP 6 · 1h 01m · APR 04
LISTEN ↗
Medical Doctor: Primary Care Is Broken!
EP 5 · 52m · MAR 21
LISTEN ↗
Stanford MD: The Longevity Industry Is Lying To You
EP 4 · 56m · MAR 07
LISTEN ↗
returnonhealth.de ↗ Spotify YouTube Apple Podcasts
About Niko

Inside the industry.
Outside the hustle.

I'm Niko Hems — Head of Growth at YEARS, a Berlin healthspan clinic decoding aging with advanced diagnostics and data-driven programs. Favikon's #2 Aging & Longevity Voice in Germany.

I write and speak at the intersection of health, technology, and longevity — cutting through exaggerated claims and pushing for a health system that actually prevents. Data over hype. Prevention over prescription.

Full story →
Niko Hems
HOUSE LINE
The only conflict of interest I have is wanting you to live longer.
Partner clinic

Diagnostics by YEARS

Every biomarker in Project Peakspan is measured at YEARS, a diagnostics-first clinic in Berlin. The data is the product.

Book diagnostics → See what they test
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