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Hi,
I was in LA this past weekend for the marathon, and KA-EX was everywhere. Athletes were drinking it post race, I saw it at all the top gym locations.
Cortisol is having a moment. You've probably seen the TikToks about "cortisol face" or "cortisol belly." Google searches for cortisol are up 110% in the last year. There's a reason: wearables like WHOOP and Oura made HRV a daily metric everyone tracks. Once athletes could SEE their recovery scores tanking, they started asking why. The answer kept coming back to cortisol.
Endurance athletes are especially vulnerable. Research shows training intensity is directly correlated with cumulative cortisol levels, meaning your long, slow, and steady workouts are jacking up your cortisol. Marathon and ultra runners are the highest-cortisol athletes out there.
But here's the thing: KA-EX isn't new. It's been the most popular sports supplement in Switzerland for years. It's everywhere over there.
Back in late November, I got some photos of Feed boxes showing up at the hotels of some of the best World Cup ski racers training in Colorado as the season started. I checked out these orders, and many of the top female skiers from Switzerland and Austria were all buying the same thing: KA-EX.
KA-EX is used by Paris Saint-Germain, the Swiss national soccer team (who conducted a clinical trial confirming the cortisol reduction), and Olympic champions. Three independent clinical trials total.
It’s available as a ready-to-drink or as powder and I bet most of you haven't even heard of it. It's meant to reduce post-workout cortisol (the stress hormone).
I know my cortisol is high. It's part of how I'm wired. So anything I can take that's as simple as a drink to help reduce it is something I'm interested in.
The main active ingredient is phosphatidylcholine combined with tryptophan and a cocktail of other amino acids. Clinical data shows it reduces cortisol levels back to normal 36% faster. By taking it daily (even on rest days), you have this continuous process of reducing cortisol.
Here's what makes KA-EX different from other cortisol supplements: it targets POST-workout cortisol specifically. It doesn't blunt your training stimulus (like ashwagandha can if you take it pre-workout). You WANT that exercise cortisol spike for adaptations. KA-EX accelerates the return to baseline after training.
How I use it:
It's a bit lemon/tart, but refreshing as a hydration. It comes in ready-to-drink bottles (which I personally really like) or powder format (just as effective, less space, and more portable).
If you prefer pill form, SwissRX Night Time has similar active ingredients and is designed for evening cortisol reduction.
I drink one right post-workout to rehydrate and start my cortisol reduction. Research shows cortisol stays elevated for 48 hours after intense training. That's the window KA-EX targets. I don't know if the timing matters, but post-workout is what works best for me.
My personal hack: I'm taking KA-EX post-workout, then taking Dream Shot with the sleep peptide PeptiSleep before bed to further reduce cortisol spikes at night.
I've been following this protocol for the past two weeks, and my HRV (I'm embarrassed to say) is usually in the high teens. With this protocol of KA-EX and Dream Shot, I've hit the high 20s and now even the mid 30s on HRV. Better than I've ever seen it.
Shop KA-EX Ready to Drink
Shop KA-EX Powder
Shop SwissRX Night Time
Shop Dream Shot
- Matt
Founder
The Feed.
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