Compare experts › Rhonda Patrick vs Jason Fung

Rhonda Patrick vs Jason Fung

Rhonda Patrick (biomedical scientist) and Jason Fung (physician, kidney specialist) 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 (8)

VO2 max: The most oxygen your body can use in hard exercise. A good measure of fitness; higher is better.
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.
Time-restricted eating: Eating all your meals within a set window of the day, for example 8am to 6pm.
Mitochondria: The parts of your cells that turn food and oxygen into energy.

At a glance

Measure	Rhonda Patrick	Jason Fung
Background	Biomedical scientist	Physician, kidney specialist
Training split	30% strength · 40% aerobic · 30% intervals · 0% mobility	45% strength · 35% aerobic · 12% intervals · 8% mobility
Signature habit	Sauna 4–7 × a week	Fasting, less sugar
Protein	~1.6 g/kg	No fixed target
Training style	Interval-heavy	Fasting
Overall evidence	Strong	Mostly weak
Following	Instagram 1.2M · YouTube 731K	YouTube 1.5M

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

The key differences

Fung puts more of the week into strength: about 45% against 30%.
Patrick puts more of the week into intervals: about 30% against 12%.
In plans in their style, both use 4-minute intervals (Norwegian 4 × 4) for hard sessions.
We rate the evidence behind Patrick's protocol higher: strong, against mostly weak for Fung.
Supplements that go into a plan: Patrick, omega-3, vitamin d with k2; Fung, none (food first). Prescription items and personal stacks stay out of every plan.
Only Patrick 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

Rhonda Patrick

At least 10 minutes of vigorous exercise a day; she suggests this should replace the 10,000-step goalSome evidence
Norwegian 4 × 4: four 4-minute intervals, hard but not all-out (the original protocol uses about 85–95% of max heart rate), with 3-minute recoveries, 1–2 times a week; build up graduallySome evidence
Keep daily walking too: step benefits level off around 6,000–8,000 steps a day for older adultsStrong evidence
Strength training at the start of most sessions, supported by enough proteinStrong evidence
Short 'exercise snacks' (e.g. 1 minute of squats or burpees) spread through the daySome evidence

Jason Fung

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.

Eating

Rhonda Patrick

Protein about 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day to support resistance trainingStrong evidence
Whole-food meals built on vegetables, berries and a protein source (eggs, fish, poultry, red meat)Personal habit

Jason Fung

Cut added sugar and refined grains; eat whole foods with natural fats.Some evidence
Stop snacking: three meals a day, then skip one meal a day.Personal habit
Eat within a shorter window of the day (time-restricted eating).Some evidence
Fasts of 24 hours (skipping two meals in a row) two or three times a week, as used in his clinic's programme.Personal habit
Longer fasts of several days; in 2016 he said fasts of up to a month were fine.Doctor only
For type 2 diabetes: no sugary drinks, fructose or processed food, and more natural fats.Doctor only

Supplements

Rhonda Patrick

Omega-3 (EPA + DHA) about 2 g a day as a starting point; aim for an Omega-3 Index of 8% or more and retest after about 4 monthsSome evidence
Take omega-3 with a meal that contains fat; higher doses need care (bleeding risk, atrial fibrillation, medicines)Doctor only
Vitamin D with vitamin K2 in the eveningSome evidence
Creatine 10 g a day (her own dose, above the usual 3–5 g)Personal habit
Multivitamin, magnesium, nicotinamide riboside and PQQ as part of her personal stackPersonal habit

Jason Fung

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.

Sleep & recovery

Rhonda Patrick

Sauna 4–7 times a week, around 20 minutes at roughly 79 °C, based on Finnish cohort dataSome evidence
Schedule heat sessions a couple of hours before bedPersonal habit
After short sleep, vigorous exercise such as intervals or weights can help blood-sugar controlSome evidence
Cold exposure mainly in summer; she does not keep it up in winterPersonal habit

Jason Fung

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.

Brain health

Rhonda Patrick

Push hard enough to raise lactate: hard exercise raises BDNF, a growth factor linked to learning and mood (human evidence still early)Some evidence
Frequent sauna use is linked with lower dementia risk in Finnish men (observational)Some evidence
Keep omega-3 status up; she links it to brain health and ageing markersSome evidence

Jason Fung

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.

Weak spots to know

Rhonda Patrick

The sauna benefits she highlights come mainly from one observational cohort of middle-aged men in eastern Finland. It shows an association, not proof that sauna causes the benefit; women were not included, and commentators noted the reason for the link is unclear (heat, relaxation, lifestyle or social contact).
An epidemiology newsletter (The Edge of Epidemiology, 2025) argued that some of her headline numbers, such as vitamin D cutting dementia risk by about 40%, rest on observational studies and overstate what is known; genetic and trial evidence is mixed.
She often builds a case from biological mechanisms (e.g. lactate and BDNF, nutrients and serotonin). Several of these ideas are supported mostly by animal or small short-term human studies, as her own episodes acknowledge.

Jason Fung

Red Pen Reviews scored The Obesity Code at 31% for scientific accuracy, and The Diabetes Code at 33%.
His central claim that calories do not matter is contradicted by controlled studies.
Much of his support comes from case reports, small older studies and his own clinic.

Build a plan from Patrick, Fung 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 Patrick's style Plan in Fung's style Mix both

Questions

What is the main difference between Rhonda Patrick and Jason Fung?

Their training split differs most in intervals: Patrick about 30%, Fung about 12% (our estimate from their published routines). Patrick's signature habit is Sauna 4–7 × a week; Fung's is Fasting, less sugar.

How much protein do Patrick and Fung recommend?

Patrick: ~1.6 g/kg. Fung: No fixed target.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

We rate the evidence behind Patrick's protocol higher: strong, against mostly weak for Fung.

Do Patrick and Fung disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: fung puts more of the week into strength: about 45% against 30%.

Can I combine Patrick and Fung?

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: Rhonda Patrick · Jason Fung. Reviewed October 2026.