The Vault Five

Women were left out of decades of medical research, but medicine did not wait. It moved forward with medication doses, exercise protocols, and nutrition guidance largely built around the male body.

The policies have changed. The consequences have not.

I am not a physician or a researcher. I am an entrepreneur who has spent more than 30 years recognizing important shifts before they became mainstream. I saw it with protein, now I see another long overdue shift taking shape. Women’s health is finally being studied as its own field, with its own biology, questions, and possibilities.

The Vault Five

Here are five areas I am following, and where I believe the science stands today.

1. Perimenopause and muscle loss
We are learning more about how hormonal changes may accelerate the loss of muscle during midlife. The research is developing, but the direction is important. It is worth speaking with your physician about strength training and protein during this stage of life.

2. Continuous glucose monitoring for women without diabetes
Consumer interest is moving faster than the clinical consensus. The information can be useful for some women, but we are still learning how much of the data is truly actionable. I see this as promising, not yet established.

3. Dr. Vonda Wright’s work on movement as medicine
Dr. Wright has helped make the connection between strength, mobility, and independence much clearer, particularly for women. This is one area where the evidence and the practical message are strongly aligned.

4. A more thoughtful conversation about hormone therapy
After years of broad fear following the Women’s Health Initiative (a 1991 research program funded by the NIH), physicians are taking a more individualized look at hormone therapy, including timing, age, symptoms, and personal risk. This is an important conversation to have with your own physician, not a decision to make from a headline or a newsletter.

5. Sleep and the female hormonal cycle
This research is fascinating, but still early. I am watching closely, asking questions, and waiting for stronger evidence before drawing conclusions.

Women are not small men. We should not still need to say that in 2026, but we do.