Huberman Lab: 60/288 returned four-engine answers (20.8%; 95% interval 16.5–25.9%). Three or more leading intervals overlap; no sole leader is established.
RESEARCH
The Podcast Citation Effect: Wellness
AI answers analyzed across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity
of answers named Huberman Lab, the most-named (60 of 288)
tracked sources named at least once (of 17)
of Google searches showed an AI Overview (59 of 68)
Version 2. This version replaces the first version of this study, first published June 18, 2026. It uses measured counts, so the two versions are not comparable. Version 2 asks 24 questions three times each on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity (288 answers) and adds Google AI Overviews. Every rate comes with its count and a 95% interval.
What the data shows
Huberman Lab
32/288 (11.1%)
54/285 (18.9%)
59/68 (86.8%)
12/59 (20.3%)
42/285 (14.7%)
0/12 (0.0%)
Appearance rate across 288 four-engine answers. The bar is the 95% confidence interval; overlapping bars cannot be told apart at this sample size.
Which sources AI engines name
| # | Name | Named in | Appearance rate | 95% interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huberman Lab | 60/288 | 20.8% | 16.5–25.9% |
| 2 | The Peter Attia Drive | 45/288 | 15.6% | 11.9–20.3% |
| 3 | FoundMyFitness | 44/288 | 15.3% | 11.6–19.9% |
| 4 | Mind Pump | 21/288 | 7.3% | 4.8–10.9% |
| 5 | Women's Health | 21/288 | 7.3% | 4.8–10.9% |
| 6 | Healthline | 17/288 | 5.9% | 3.7–9.2% |
| 7 | The Doctor's Farmacy | 15/288 | 5.2% | 3.2–8.4% |
| 8 | Men's Health | 14/288 | 4.9% | 2.9–8.0% |
| 9 | Examine | 12/288 | 4.2% | 2.4–7.1% |
| 10 | On Purpose | 11/288 | 3.8% | 2.1–6.7% |
| 11 | The Model Health Show | 9/288 | 3.1% | 1.7–5.8% |
| 12 | The Tim Ferriss Show | 7/288 | 2.4% | 1.2–4.9% |
| 13 | The Diary of a CEO | 4/288 | 1.4% | 0.5–3.5% |
| 14 | The Genius Life | 3/288 | 1.0% | 0.4–3.0% |
| 15 | The Joe Rogan Experience | 3/288 | 1.0% | 0.4–3.0% |
The full list
Own-domain citation is the share of 285 grounded answers that cited the tracked name's own domains (subdomains included). Citation share is of all 2,427 citations.
| # | Brand | Named in | Appearance rate | 95% interval | First mention | Own-domain citation | Citation share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huberman Lab | 60/288 | 20.8% | 16.5–25.9% | 1.6 | 4.2% (12/285) | 0.5% |
| 2 | The Peter Attia Drive | 45/288 | 15.6% | 11.9–20.3% | 1.3 | 3.2% (9/285) | 0.4% |
| 3 | FoundMyFitness | 44/288 | 15.3% | 11.6–19.9% | 2.5 | 2.1% (6/285) | 0.2% |
| 4 | Mind Pump | 21/288 | 7.3% | 4.8–10.9% | 2.3 | 0.7% (2/285) | 0.1% |
| 5 | Women's Health | 21/288 | 7.3% | 4.8–10.9% | 1.7 | 1.1% (3/285) | 0.2% |
| 6 | Healthline | 17/288 | 5.9% | 3.7–9.2% | 1.2 | 18.9% (54/285) | 3.1% |
| 7 | The Doctor's Farmacy | 15/288 | 5.2% | 3.2–8.4% | 3.9 | 0.7% (2/285) | 0.1% |
| 8 | Men's Health | 14/288 | 4.9% | 2.9–8% | 1.1 | 0.7% (2/285) | 0.1% |
| 9 | Examine | 12/288 | 4.2% | 2.4–7.1% | 1 | 2.8% (8/285) | 0.5% |
| 10 | On Purpose | 11/288 | 3.8% | 2.1–6.7% | 1.6 | 0% (0/285) | 0% |
| 11 | The Model Health Show | 9/288 | 3.1% | 1.7–5.8% | 3.9 | 1.1% (3/285) | 0.1% |
| 12 | The Tim Ferriss Show | 7/288 | 2.4% | 1.2–4.9% | 4.3 | 0% (0/285) | 0% |
| 13 | The Diary of a CEO | 4/288 | 1.4% | 0.5–3.5% | 4 | 0% (0/285) | 0% |
| 14 | The Genius Life | 3/288 | 1% | 0.4–3% | 4 | 0% (0/285) | 0% |
| 15 | The Joe Rogan Experience | 3/288 | 1% | 0.4–3% | 3 | 0% (0/285) | 0% |
| 16 | The Rich Roll Podcast | 3/288 | 1% | 0.4–3% | 4.7 | 0% (0/285) | 0% |
| 17 | The Goop Podcast | 0/288 | 0% | 0–1.3% | – | 0% (0/285) | 0% |
Separately ranked: Wellness brands
Appearance counts in 288 returned four-engine answers. Separate from the main ranking.
| # | Name | Named answers | Rate | 95% interval | Named first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oura | 44/288 | 15.3% | 11.6–19.9% | 39 |
| 2 | Thorne | 40/288 | 13.9% | 10.4–18.4% | 34 |
| 3 | Headspace | 34/288 | 11.8% | 8.6–16.0% | 19 |
| 4 | Whoop | 32/288 | 11.1% | 8.0–15.3% | 8 |
| 5 | Calm | 25/288 | 8.7% | 5.9–12.5% | 14 |
| 6 | Function Health | 23/288 | 8.0% | 5.4–11.7% | 19 |
| 7 | InsideTracker | 21/288 | 7.3% | 4.8–10.9% | 14 |
| 8 | Momentous | 19/288 | 6.6% | 4.3–10.1% | 4 |
| 9 | AG1 | 12/288 | 4.2% | 2.4–7.1% | 12 |
| 10 | Eight Sleep | 3/288 | 1.0% | 0.4–3.0% | 2 |
Question group: Podcasts and sources
132 returned four-engine answers to this group's 11 questions. No pooled group leader is asserted.
| # | Name | Named answers | Rate | 95% interval | Named first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huberman Lab | 60/132 | 45.5% | 37.2–54.0% | 30 |
| 2 | The Peter Attia Drive | 45/132 | 34.1% | 26.6–42.5% | 32 |
| 3 | FoundMyFitness | 44/132 | 33.3% | 25.9–41.7% | 5 |
| 4 | Mind Pump | 21/132 | 15.9% | 10.6–23.1% | 8 |
| 5 | Women's Health | 16/132 | 12.1% | 7.6–18.8% | 3 |
| 6 | The Doctor's Farmacy | 15/132 | 11.4% | 7.0–17.9% | 0 |
| 7 | Examine | 12/132 | 9.1% | 5.3–15.2% | 12 |
| 8 | Men's Health | 12/132 | 9.1% | 5.3–15.2% | 12 |
| 9 | On Purpose | 11/132 | 8.3% | 4.7–14.3% | 4 |
| 10 | The Model Health Show | 9/132 | 6.8% | 3.6–12.5% | 0 |
| 11 | Healthline | 7/132 | 5.3% | 2.6–10.5% | 4 |
| 12 | The Tim Ferriss Show | 7/132 | 5.3% | 2.6–10.5% | 0 |
| 13 | The Diary of a CEO | 4/132 | 3.0% | 1.2–7.5% | 0 |
| 14 | The Genius Life | 3/132 | 2.3% | 0.8–6.5% | 0 |
| 15 | The Joe Rogan Experience | 3/132 | 2.3% | 0.8–6.5% | 0 |
| 16 | The Rich Roll Podcast | 3/132 | 2.3% | 0.8–6.5% | 0 |
| 17 | The Goop Podcast | 0/132 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.8% | 0 |
Question group: Product questions
156 returned four-engine answers to this group's 13 questions. No pooled group leader is asserted.
| # | Name | Named answers | Rate | 95% interval | Named first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healthline | 10/156 | 6.4% | 3.5–11.4% | 10 |
| 2 | Women's Health | 5/156 | 3.2% | 1.4–7.3% | 5 |
| 3 | Men's Health | 2/156 | 1.3% | 0.4–4.6% | 0 |
| 4 | Examine | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 5 | FoundMyFitness | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 6 | Huberman Lab | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 7 | Mind Pump | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 8 | On Purpose | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 9 | The Diary of a CEO | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 10 | The Doctor's Farmacy | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 11 | The Genius Life | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 12 | The Goop Podcast | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 13 | The Joe Rogan Experience | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 14 | The Model Health Show | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 15 | The Peter Attia Drive | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 16 | The Rich Roll Podcast | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
| 17 | The Tim Ferriss Show | 0/156 | 0.0% | 0.0–2.4% | 0 |
The top eight, side by side
| # | Name | Appearance rate | Answers and interval | Other measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huberman Lab | 20.8% | 60/288 answers · 95% CI 16.5–25.9% | first-mention position: 1.6; owned-domain citation (12/285): 4.2%; citation share: 0.5% |
| 2 | The Peter Attia Drive | 15.6% | 45/288 answers · 95% CI 11.9–20.3% | first-mention position: 1.3; owned-domain citation (9/285): 3.2%; citation share: 0.4% |
| 3 | FoundMyFitness | 15.3% | 44/288 answers · 95% CI 11.6–19.9% | first-mention position: 2.5; owned-domain citation (6/285): 2.1%; citation share: 0.2% |
| 4 | Mind Pump | 7.3% | 21/288 answers · 95% CI 4.8–10.9% | first-mention position: 2.3; owned-domain citation (2/285): 0.7%; citation share: 0.1% |
| 5 | Women's Health | 7.3% | 21/288 answers · 95% CI 4.8–10.9% | first-mention position: 1.7; owned-domain citation (3/285): 1.1%; citation share: 0.2% |
| 6 | Healthline | 5.9% | 17/288 answers · 95% CI 3.7–9.2% | first-mention position: 1.2; owned-domain citation (54/285): 18.9%; citation share: 3.1% |
| 7 | The Doctor's Farmacy | 5.2% | 15/288 answers · 95% CI 3.2–8.4% | first-mention position: 3.9; owned-domain citation (2/285): 0.7%; citation share: 0.1% |
| 8 | Men's Health | 4.9% | 14/288 answers · 95% CI 2.9–8% | first-mention position: 1.1; owned-domain citation (2/285): 0.7%; citation share: 0.1% |
The four engines named the leading names at similar rates.
ChatGPT
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Same questions, different answers
Claude
72 asked · 72 returned · 69 grounded
Gemini
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Perplexity
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Google AI Overviews were captured through 68 U.S. desktop searches and scored only where an overview appeared, so five-engine figures use 288 + 59 = 347 answers.
The fifth engine
Trigger rate: 59 of 68 searches
Google AI Overviews appeared on 59 of 68 searches (86.8%, CI 76.7–92.9%). The other 9 searches showed no overview. Within the 59 overviews, Huberman Lab was named in 12 (20.3%), Mind Pump was named in 7 (11.9%), The Peter Attia Drive was named in 6 (10.2%), On Purpose was named in 5 (8.5%). youtube.com was the most-cited source, with 35 citations and an appearance in 25 of 59 overviews.
| Five-engine rank | Name | Five-engine rate | Four-engine rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huberman Lab | 20.7% | 1 |
| 2 | The Peter Attia Drive | 14.7% | 2 |
| 3 | FoundMyFitness | 13.5% | 3 |
| 4 | Mind Pump | 8.1% | 4 |
| 5 | Women's Health | 6.9% | 5 |
| 6 | The Doctor's Farmacy | 5.2% | 7 |
| 7 | Healthline | 4.9% | 6 |
| 8 | Men's Health | 4.9% | 8 |
| 9 | On Purpose | 4.6% | 10 |
| 10 | Examine | 3.7% | 9 |
Who each question surfaces first
Six questions from the set. Each tile uses that question's own four-engine answers as the denominator.
| Question | Leader | Next | AI Overview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q01 · 12 answers | The Peter Attia Drive 100.0% | Huberman Lab 100.0%; FoundMyFitness 100.0% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q02 · 12 answers | Huberman Lab 100.0% | The Peter Attia Drive 75.0%; FoundMyFitness 58.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q03 · 12 answers | Healthline 33.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches | |
| Q06 · 12 answers | Women's Health 16.7% | Men's Health 16.7%; Healthline 8.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q07 · 12 answers | Healthline 33.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches | |
| Q08 · 12 answers | Healthline 8.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
The four engines produced 2,427 citations in total. podcasts.apple.com was cited most often, with 143 citations (5.9%) across 42 answers. Next came en.wikipedia.org (75), healthline.com (61), podcast.feedspot.com (52), millionpodcasts.com (45), forbes.com (41).
Four AI engines · share of 285 grounded answers
Most-cited domains
Google AI Overviews · share of 59 overviews
Citation share by source type
Share of all citations by the type of site cited.
| Source type | Four AI engines (of 2,427 citations) | Google AI Overviews (of 162 citations) |
|---|---|---|
| Other / unclassified | 1,114 (45.9%) | 66 (40.7%) |
| Company / brand sites | 336 (13.8%) | 22 (13.6%) |
| General news / business press | 236 (9.7%) | 7 (4.3%) |
| Review / comparison publishers | 193 (8%) | 5 (3.1%) |
| Directories / rankings | 155 (6.4%) | 2 (1.2%) |
| Health publishers | 142 (5.9%) | 6 (3.7%) |
| Reference | 83 (3.4%) | 0 (0%) |
| Community / social | 78 (3.2%) | 50 (30.9%) |
| Official / government | 58 (2.4%) | 0 (0%) |
| Research / data providers | 13 (0.5%) | 0 (0%) |
| Institutions / trade bodies | 10 (0.4%) | 1 (0.6%) |
| Trade / specialist press | 9 (0.4%) | 3 (1.9%) |
How can podcasts and outlets improve their AI visibility?
These steps follow from the measured results above. They describe what the engines cited in this study and are not a guarantee of results.
| Step | What this study measured |
|---|---|
| Put your facts on your own domain. | Healthline's own domains were cited in 18.9% of grounded answers, Huberman Lab's in 4.2% and The Peter Attia Drive's in 3.2%. Healthline was named in only 5.9% of answers, yet its own domains were cited in 18.9%. |
| Keep your facts accurate on the sites engines cite. | The most-cited sites other than the tracked names' own were podcasts.apple.com (in 14.7% of grounded answers), en.wikipedia.org (14.7%), forbes.com (11.2%), millionpodcasts.com (10.2%) and sleepfoundation.org (9.8%). General news and business press supplied 9.7% of citations and review and comparison publishers 8.0%. |
| Check each engine separately. | Claude named FoundMyFitness in 22.2% of answers against 8.3% on Perplexity. Gemini named The Peter Attia Drive in 19.4% of answers against 8.3% on Perplexity. |
| Watch names outside the tracked list. | ZOE Science & Nutrition (17 answers), Mayo Clinic (14 answers) and Shape (12 answers) were named often but were not tracked. |
| Re-run the same questions every month. | Compare counts and intervals, not ranks. The 24 questions are in the appendix. |
What AI answers
Which wellness podcasts and outlets appear in these AI answers?
Huberman Lab: 60/288 returned four-engine answers (20.8%; 95% interval 16.5–25.9%). Three or more leading intervals overlap; no sole leader is established.
Which tracked name is named first most often?
The Peter Attia Drive was the first source named in 32 of 288 answers, with an average first position of 1.3.
How often do Google AI Overviews appear for these questions?
An overview appeared on 59 of 68 searches (86.8%, CI 76.7–92.9%). Within those 59 overviews, Huberman Lab was named most often, in 12 (20.3%).
Which sources do the engines cite?
Across 2,427 four-engine citations, podcasts.apple.com was cited most (143 citations, in 42 of 285 grounded answers), followed by en.wikipedia.org (75 citations).
Do the four engines agree?
Largely. No tracked name differed by more than 12 points between engines.
How this study was measured
24 questions × 3 runs each × 4 AI engines = 288 answers + 68 Google searches · 59 AI Overviews
24 questions asked three times on each of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, measured November 6 to 7, 2026. United States, English; Google retrieval uses desktop results. Models: gpt-5-mini, claude-sonnet-5-5, gemini-3.6-flash only, sonar-pro. Google AI Overviews come from DataForSEO, not inferred chat answers. Appearance counts returned text, including ungrounded answers; citation rates use grounded answers. Longer overlapping names suppress shorter ones; First mention is the earliest eligible name order. Own-domain rates include declared domains and subdomains; shared parent scopes may count for multiple names and cannot be summed as unique citations.
| Engine | Model IDs called | Asked | Returned | Grounded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | gpt-5-mini | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Claude | claude-sonnet-5-5 | 72 | 72 | 69 |
| Gemini | gemini-3.6-flash | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Perplexity | sonar-pro | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Google AI Overviews | DataForSEO Google SERP (live, advanced) | 68 | 59 shown | 59 |
Own-domain citations count a domain plus all its subdomains, with the same rule in every table.
Definitions
- Appearance rate: answers naming the tracked name ÷ answers returned, with Wilson 95% intervals.
- First mention: average order in which the tracked name first appears (1 = first).
- Own-domain citation: grounded answers citing the tracked name's domains ÷ grounded answers.
- Citation share: citations to the tracked name's domains ÷ all citations.
Limits
- Only 17 tracked sources are ranked; results are not an exhaustive market ranking.
- Only the tracked sources were scored. The untracked podcasts and outlets named most often were ZOE Science & Nutrition (17 answers), Mayo Clinic (14 answers) and Shape (12 answers); other product names were not counted.
- 356 of 360 planned results were returned: 4 of 72 AI Overview lookups were excluded after three attempts because Google search retrieval failed or returned incomplete results. They are not counted as no-overview results.
- 68 successful Google searches: 59 overviews shown; 9 without an overview. Failures are excluded, not scored as zero.
- 3 chat answers had no search sources and are left out of the citation figures.
- No Core question names a tracked name.
- Source types use Company / brand sites only for verified official sites; other unresolved sites are Other / unclassified.
- Wilson 95% intervals are descriptive; overlapping leading intervals do not establish a sole leader. Measurements do not endorse medical, legal, financial or product claims.
- Podcasts and outlets are the main ranking; the ten wellness brands on the card are ranked in their own table. Shared domain: The Goop Podcast is path-scoped on goop.com. The index counts how often names appear and makes no medical or safety claim.
- Google Shopping and unresolved google.com/goto links are excluded from cited sources; original URLs remain in the evidence.
- Appearance rates use all returned four-engine answers; own-site citation rates use grounded answers, so the two are separate measures.
- Answers were collected through each engine's API using the model IDs listed in the methodology. The consumer ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity apps can answer differently.
Appendix: The 24 questions
Questions marked "Core question" are the original study questions, asked word for word. The others are added neutral questions.
| # | Question | Group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | What are the best health and longevity podcasts? | Podcasts and sources | Core question |
| 02 | Which podcasts give evidence-based advice on sleep and fitness? | Podcasts and sources | Core question |
| 03 | What are the most trustworthy sources for health and wellness information? | Podcasts and sources | Core question |
| 04 | What are the best supplements for longevity? | Product questions | Core question |
| 05 | Which wearable is best for tracking sleep and recovery? | Product questions | Core question |
| 06 | What are the best at-home blood testing services? | Product questions | Core question |
| 07 | What are the best greens powders? | Product questions | Core question |
| 08 | Which meditation apps are best for stress? | Product questions | Core question |
| 09 | Which podcasts interview longevity researchers? | Podcasts and sources | Added question |
| 10 | Which podcasts cover nutrition science? | Podcasts and sources | Added question |
| 11 | Which podcasts cover strength training and fitness? | Podcasts and sources | Added question |
| 12 | Which wellness podcasts are most popular in the US? | Podcasts and sources | Added question |
| 13 | Which podcasts discuss mental health and mindfulness? | Podcasts and sources | Added question |
| 14 | Which websites review supplements based on research? | Podcasts and sources | Added question |
| 15 | Which health magazines cover fitness and nutrition? | Podcasts and sources | Added question |
| 16 | Which podcasts discuss metabolic health? | Podcasts and sources | Added question |
| 17 | Which supplement brands are third-party tested? | Product questions | Added question |
| 18 | Which smart rings track sleep? | Product questions | Added question |
| 19 | Which companies offer full-body health testing memberships? | Product questions | Added question |
| 20 | What are the best products for improving sleep? | Product questions | Added question |
| 21 | Which protein powder brands are most trusted? | Product questions | Added question |
| 22 | Which fitness trackers measure heart rate variability? | Product questions | Added question |
| 23 | Which apps help with sleep and relaxation? | Product questions | Added question |
| 24 | Which electrolyte drinks are best for athletes? | Product questions | Added question |
About 5W
5W is an independent PR, creative and GEO agency founded in 2003, and we get you in the chatbox. All of our work is done in house, including media relations, site building and content. Learn more about our GEO practice or write to info@5wpr.com.
Full report
Read the PDF
Get in touch
Let's build your next chapter.
Tell us what you're working on. A senior strategist will respond within one business day.
- info@5wpr.com
- Phone
- 212.999.5585
- Offices
- Miami · HQ100 SE 2nd Street, Floor 38
Miami, FL 33131Tampa110 South 12th Street
Tampa, FL 33602New York469 7th Avenue, Floor 8
New York, NY 10018




