Study Finds Being Hunted by Peter Thiel Yields 'Significant' Cardiovascular Benefits
Nearly 98% of subjects died from gunshot wounds rather than a cardiac event, researchers note
By Claire Beaulieu
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
A peer-reviewed study published Tuesday by the New Newmanton Institute for Applied Wellness Sciences has found that being hunted for sport by billionaire Peter Thiel produces measurable cardiovascular improvements in subjects, including elevated heart rate, increased oxygen uptake, and what researchers described as "exceptional short-burst aerobic output." The study followed 312 participants over an 18-month period. Of those, 306 died from gunshot wounds before the study concluded. The remaining six are described in the paper as "outliers."
STUDY DETAILS
The study, titled Flight Response as Cardiopulmonary Intervention: Outcomes in a Live-Pursuit Context, was conducted by Dr. Renata Solberg of the Institute's Department of Extreme Exertion Research and funded in part by the Thiel Foundation for Human Optimization. Dr. Solberg characterized the findings as "cautiously encouraging" and noted that none of the 306 deceased subjects died of a cardiovascular event.
"From a cardiac standpoint, they were performing extremely well," she said. "That is the takeaway."
Thiel, who has maintained a seasonal residence in the Gnu Harbor highlands since 2021 and holds a renewable sport-hunting permit issued under the commonwealth's Legacy Landowner Wellness Initiative, did not respond to a request for comment. His spokesperson issued a written statement describing the study as "validation of a model that the mainstream wellness community has been too timid to explore."
HEALTH DEPARTMENT CONCERNS
The commonwealth Department of Public Health noted in an internal memo obtained by TNNN that the 98.1% bullet-wound fatality rate "complicates the cardiovascular narrative somewhat." The Department has not opened a review. A spokesperson said the agency was "monitoring the literature."
Dr. Solberg said a follow-up study is already in the planning stages, focused on whether sustained pursuit over broken terrain produces superior outcomes to flatland pursuit. Recruitment is ongoing. Participation is described in the enrollment materials as voluntary, with an asterisk directing readers to page 11.
