Compare experts › Mark Hyman vs Brad Stanfield

Mark Hyman vs Brad Stanfield

Mark Hyman (physician, functional medicine) and Brad Stanfield (general practitioner (gp)) side by side: how they train, eat, supplement and sleep, how strong the evidence is, and how to build a plan from either or both.

Build a plan from both See the protocols

Words explained (11)

Zone 2: Steady cardio at a pace where you can still talk in full sentences, but not sing.
Intervals: Short hard efforts with easy recovery in between, such as 30 seconds fast, 90 seconds slow.
4 × 4: Four rounds of 4 minutes hard with 3 minutes easy in between. Also called Norwegian intervals.
Mobility: Moving your joints freely through their full range.
Creatine: A well-studied supplement that supports strength and muscle.
Omega-3 (EPA, DHA): Healthy fats found mostly in oily fish such as salmon, herring and sardines.
Polyphenols: Natural plant compounds in foods such as berries, tea, coffee, cocoa and olive oil.
Fibre: The part of plant foods you don't digest. It feeds healthy gut bacteria and keeps you full.
ApoB: A blood test that counts the particles carrying cholesterol. Linked to heart disease risk.
Rapamycin, metformin: Prescription drugs that some experts take hoping to slow ageing. Not proven for that, and never part of your plan.
NAD: A molecule cells use for energy. Supplements are sold to raise it, but evidence in people is limited.

At a glance

Measure	Mark Hyman	Brad Stanfield
Background	Physician, functional medicine	General practitioner (GP)
Training split	30% strength · 25% aerobic · 30% intervals · 15% mobility	40% strength · 30% aerobic · 25% intervals · 5% mobility
Signature habit	Pegan diet	4 × 4 intervals twice a week
Protein	30–50 g shake after training	~1.2 g/kg ideal weight
Training style	Food as medicine	Guideline-first
Overall evidence	Mixed	Strong
Following	Instagram 3.8M · YouTube 1.5M	YouTube 364K

Training splits are our estimates from each expert’s published routine. Following checked October 2026.

The key differences

Stanfield puts more of the week into strength: about 40% against 30%.
Hyman puts more of the week into mobility and stability: about 15% against 5%.
In plans in their style, Hyman's hard sessions are 1-minute intervals; Stanfield's are 4-minute intervals (Norwegian 4 × 4).
We rate the evidence behind Stanfield's protocol higher: strong, against mixed for Hyman.
Supplements that go into a plan: Hyman, protein shake with creatine after training, omega-3 fish oil; Stanfield, creatine monohydrate, omega-3, psyllium husk. Prescription items and personal stacks stay out of every plan.
Only Hyman has a mobility or movement routine of their own.

Protocols side by side

Each line is rated for the evidence behind it. “Doctor only” items never go into a plan.

Training

Mark Hyman

Strength training 3–4 times a week, about 30 minutes, mainly resistance bands and moderate weightsStrong evidence
Aerobic or interval training 4–6 days a week, about 30 minutes (cycling, tennis, hiking, swimming)Strong evidence
Yoga a couple of times a week plus a little stretching most daysSome evidence
Avoids very heavy lifting as he ages to limit injury riskPersonal habit
Hypoxia (low-oxygen) training with a machine or maskPersonal habit

Brad Stanfield

Cardio: 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week. His template: two interval sessions and three brisk 30-minute walks.Strong evidence
Intervals: 4 rounds of 4 minutes hard and 3 minutes easy, after a 10-minute warm-up, twice a week and never on consecutive days.Strong evidence
Strength at least twice a week (4–5 if you can): 2–3 sets of 10–15 reps per exercise, stopping 1–2 reps short of failure, about 2 minutes' rest, with pushing, pulling and compound lifts.Strong evidence
Add power training as you age: heavier weights moved quickly.Some evidence
Zone 2 only if you have time beyond your vigorous minutes; he argues the evidence favours harder cardio for fitness.Note

Eating

Mark Hyman

Pegan diet: about 75% of the plate from plants, mostly non-starchy vegetablesStrong evidence
Cut sugar, refined flour and ultra-processed foodsStrong evidence
1–2 cups of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage etc.) a daySome evidence
Healthy fats from olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and small oily fishStrong evidence
Avoid gluten and most dairy, even without intolerancePersonal habit
Daily overnight fast of 12–16 hoursSome evidence

Brad Stanfield

Protein about 1.2 g per kg of ideal body weight a day (check with your doctor if you have kidney disease).Some evidence
Favour plant protein over red meat and dairy.Some evidence
Salt (sodium) under 1,500 mg a day, water as the main drink, few sugary drinks including juice.Strong evidence
Two to three cups of coffee at most, early in the day.Personal habit

Supplements

Mark Hyman

Protein shake after training: 30–50 g whey (goat) plus 5 g creatineStrong evidence
Vitamin D, fish oil, a multivitamin and magnesium at nightSome evidence
NMN (about 900 mg a day), urolithin A, quercetin, curcumin and similar 'longevity' compoundsPersonal habit
His own branded gut supplement (prebiotics, probiotics, polyphenols)Personal habit

Brad Stanfield

Creatine monohydrate 5 g a day.Strong evidence
Omega-3 (EPA and DHA) up to about 1 g a day; higher doses are linked to a higher risk of atrial fibrillation.Some evidence
Psyllium husk fibre, building up to about 5 g a day.Some evidence
A low-dose multivitamin and mineral.Some evidence
Trimethylglycine (TMG), hyaluronic acid, GlyNAC from 45, and a low-dose melatonin formula: on his personal list, with early evidence.Personal habit

Sleep & recovery

Mark Hyman

7–8 hours of sleep with a regular bedtime around 10 pmStrong evidence
Dark, quiet bedroom with eye mask and earplugsSome evidence
Blue-light-blocking glasses in the eveningPersonal habit
Steam or sauna and cold plunge most daysPersonal habit
Red light therapy at homePersonal habit

Brad Stanfield

7–9 hours, a regular schedule and about 30 minutes of morning daylight.Some evidence
Bedroom at about 18–20 °C and dark; no hard exercise in the 2 hours before bed; alcohol stops 4–6 hours before bed, ideally altogether.Personal habit

Stress & mind

Mark Hyman

Meditation once or twice a day plus breathworkSome evidence
As much time in nature as possibleSome evidence
Regular time with friends and familySome evidence
Regular massagePersonal habit

Brad Stanfield

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.

Weak spots to know

Mark Hyman

Functional medicine as a field lacks randomised trial evidence; surgeon and blogger David Gorski (Science-Based Medicine, 2014; Respectful Insolence, 2019) argues its useful parts (diet, exercise, sleep) are not unique and its unique parts (broad testing, supplements, 'detox') are not proven.
A 2021 Red Pen Reviews analysis of Eat Fat, Get Thin scored its scientific accuracy 1.2 out of 4, finding the claim that saturated fat does not cause heart disease conflicts with most controlled studies.
Commercial ties are large: he co-founded and is chief medical officer of Function Health (direct-to-consumer lab testing) and sells supplements through his own online shop; nutrition scientist Adrian Chavez (Katie Couric Media, 2026) noted one of his supplement stacks supplies 7,000 IU of vitamin D a day, above the usual 4,000 IU upper limit.

Brad Stanfield

He sells supplements through his own company, MicroVitamin, alongside his supplement reviews. His site says he discloses this.
Several items on his personal list (TMG, hyaluronic acid, GlyNAC, a melatonin formula) rest on small or early studies.
His cholesterol targets are stricter than general guidelines for people without heart disease, and his own page gives slightly different ApoB figures in different places.

Build a plan from Hyman, Stanfield or both

Your free plan shows a week of gym sessions, cardio, a day of eating, supplements and mobility, fitted to your age, time and health.

Plan in Hyman's style Plan in Stanfield's style Mix both

Questions

What is the main difference between Mark Hyman and Brad Stanfield?

Their training split differs most in strength: Hyman about 30%, Stanfield about 40% (our estimate from their published routines). Hyman's signature habit is Pegan diet; Stanfield's is 4 × 4 intervals twice a week.

How much protein do Hyman and Stanfield recommend?

Hyman: 30–50 g shake after training. Stanfield: ~1.2 g/kg ideal weight.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

We rate the evidence behind Stanfield's protocol higher: strong, against mixed for Hyman.

Do Hyman and Stanfield disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: stanfield puts more of the week into strength: about 40% against 30%.

Can I combine Hyman and Stanfield?

Yes. In Build my mix you choose one expert per area, for example one for strength and another for eating. Your free plan shows the result straight away.

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Full sources are on each profile: Mark Hyman · Brad Stanfield. Reviewed October 2026.