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- SS-31 Deep Dive
Happy Tuesday!
I just published my brand-new 2025 deep dive on SS-31 on Spotify.
In today’s email, I’m distilling the science and the practical takeaways.
If you’re healthy and optimizing, or working through chronic issues, SS-31 remains one of my staple tools because it targets the one thing every cell needs.
Efficient, low-ROS ATP production.
Below, I’ll recap how it works, what the data actually show, what benefits you can realistically expect, and my current 2025 dosing and cycling protocol.
Why SS-31?
When something earns a permanent spot in my rotation, it’s because it checks three boxes:
Coherent mechanism that maps to outcomes
Human data that show either signal or durability
Clean safety profile over months to years
SS-31 continues to hit all three.
Mechanistically, it’s a mitochondria-targeted, cardiolipin-binding tetrapeptide that stabilizes cristae architecture and electron transport “supercomplexes.”
Functionally, this means more ATP with fewer leaks (lower reactive oxygen species), a better membrane potential, and tighter coupling.
In stressed tissue (such as aging, ischemia, or inherited mitochondrial defects), it matters.
Clinically, we’ve seen encouraging signals in kidney reperfusion, rare cardiolipin disorders, and visual function in dry AMD.
How SS-31 Works
Think of cardiolipin as the rebar inside your mitochondrial power plant.
(Sorry, had to throw in the construction analogy, I grew up working on jobsites for my dad.)
When cardiolipin (a special fat in cells) gets damaged, the tiny folds in the cell that make energy (called cristae) become less tight.
This causes the tiny parts that help generate energy to become mixed up, and a special protein called cytochrome c floats away, which can signal the cell to die.
It also produces harmful substances called ROS that can harm the cell.
SS-31 localizes to the inner mitochondrial membrane and interacts with cardiolipin.
That binding stabilizes cristae, helps keep the respiratory complexes assembled, and reduces electron leak, which cuts down ROS at the source.
Clinical Data
Here’s a summary of what SS-31 does in a controlled research setting:
Renal revascularization (kidney blood flow protection): During a procedure to open kidney arteries, SS-31 helped prevent low oxygen levels in the kidney after surgery. In the placebo group, kidney oxygen levels dropped by 47% after 24 hours, but with SS-31, there was only about a 6% decrease, meaning the kidneys stayed healthier. After 3 months, people treated with SS-31 had 30% more blood flow in their kidneys and their kidney function improved by 11%, while those with placebo saw a decline.
Barth syndrome (a rare heart disorder): In a long-term study, they walked about 20–30% farther in six minutes, their heart pumping improved, and they showed better balance and strength.
Dry Age-related Macular Degeneration (early stage eye disease): Early results showed that people treated with SS-31 saw noticeable improvements in their ability to see in low light and night vision, even though the disease itself didn’t slow down. The tests showed better vision, but the growth of eye damage wasn't stopped yet.
Aging in mice: Old mice treated with SS-31 had better energy production in their cells, ran longer distances, and had stronger, less tired muscles.
Benefits
If you’re healthy and optimizing, the most common feedback is cleaner, steadier energy throughout the day, faster recovery from intense sessions, and sharper cognitive stamina during extended work blocks.
Endurance athletes often describe a subtle but repeatable bump in time-to-fatigue and next-day legs that feel “ready” instead of heavy.
Vision-wise, folks in midlife sometimes report better low-light tolerance (night driving, dim restaurants) after several weeks.
If you’re dealing with chronic issues, the expectation shifts to organ resilience and functional endurance.
Early in a cycle, many notice reduced delayed-onset soreness, fewer “wired-tired” evenings, and better sleep depth due to improved cellular redox.
Most benefits accrue gradually over 3–8 weeks and plateau nicely.
My 2025 Dosing Protocol
Start with a 10 mg SS-31 vial (you can snag from BioLongevity Labs and use code HUNTERW for a discount).
Add 2.0 mL bacteriostatic water.
This yields a concentration of 5 mg/mL.
On a standard 1 mL insulin syringe marked to 100 units, 1 unit = 0.01 mL = 50 mcg of SS-31 at this concentration.
Healthy optimization dose: 1–2 mg per day, subcutaneous, once daily.
1 mg = 1000 mcg ÷ 50 mcg/unit = 20 units (0.20 mL)
2 mg = 2000 mcg ÷ 50 mcg/unit = 40 units (0.40 mL)
Therapeutic/sick dose: 5–10 mg per day, subcutaneous, once daily.
Cycle: Run 8–12 weeks on, then 8–12 weeks off, 2–3x per year.
That cadence lets you bank benefits, reassess baselines, and keep costs/needle burden reasonable.
SS-31 plays well with sleep hygiene, electrolytes, magnesium glycinate/taurate, and Zone 2 cardio + resistance training (mito biogenesis and function love that combo).
If you’re using GLP-1s, thyroid optimization, or SGLT2s, SS-31 tends to smooth energy and reduce the “flat” days.
The most common side effect I see is mild injection-site irritation. Other than that, SS-31 is one of the most symptom-free peptides I have come across.
Good Candidates
From my audience and in the literature, three buckets stand out.
Energy-limited, but motivated: people who sleep, lift, and eat clean yet feel capped. SS-31 often unlocks another gear by cleaning up electron flow.
Ischemia/reperfusion risk: kidneys, heart, retina issues. The peptide’s most substantial benefits are evident when tissues are dealing with a chronic oxidative load (e.g., improved renal blood flow and filtration, enhanced low-light function).
Cardiolipin-centric dysfunction: rare, but when present (e.g., Barth), SS-31 can be a difference-maker over months to years for people with mitochondrial dysfunction.
What To Expect
Imagine your day without the invisible friction of dirty energy.
Workouts that end with capacity left, nightly wind-downs where your brain powers off on command, and mornings where “warming up” takes minutes instead of hours.
Picture high-demand organs handling stress without the usual payback.
Steadier blood pressure, clearer night vision, deeper endurance on long days, and tissues that bounce back right away.
It won’t replace discipline, and it won’t outrun a chaotic lifestyle.
However, if you’re already doing the big things well, this is one of the rare tools that amplifies everything you are doing in your optimization practice.
For those rebuilding after an illness, it’s a way to buy time while addressing the underlying causes.
For the healthy, it’s insurance that your mitochondria stay tight, quiet, and strong even as demands rise.
Either way, your mitochondria will thank you!
Best,
Hunter Williams
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