6 ms·

In my case, inflammation is a side effect of insulin resistance, like my fellow 83 million Americans with metabolic syndrome. If I can reverse the cause long e

In my case, inflammation is a side effect of insulin resistance, like my fellow 83 million Americans with metabolic syndrome. If I can reverse the cause long enough, the liver should stop dumping fat into the adipose tissue and triglycerides may drop.

rq1 8y ago
Go for keto + IF. It helped a lot of people.
- LinuxBender 8y ago
  I did. In fact that was a great start, but once you reach a certain point (in having metabolic syndrome), the Keto+IF reaches diminishing returns. It did bring me down 18 inches on the waist. The gut and hypertension will remain. In fact, my hypertension actually went up. To go further requires either Metformin or Berberine. I opted for Berberine, but time will tell.
  - bsmith 8y ago
    Awesome that it worked so well for you while it did. Tip for others who may try this: don't forget to lower your macros (and, in turn, calories) an appropriate amount as your weight drops. The same diet that maintains keto at 250 lbs won't keep you in keto at 190. For much, much more: https://peterattiamd.com/ https://peterattiamd.com/
    - redwards510 8y ago
      Keto is the absence of carbs. So the same diet that maintains keto at 250 will keep you in keto at 190, since it is what you eat, not how much you are eating. But you are absolutely correct that one must change their caloric intake as they lose weight if they want to keep losing weight.
      - atomical 8y ago
        Are you saying someone on keto can eat 4,000 calories of butter and not gain weight?
        lhl 8y ago
        The wording is a bit awkward, but if you re-read what he wrote, it's not what he's saying at all. Because a ketogenic diet depends the amount of carbohydrate restriction that will cause your body to physiologically be generating ketone bodies (eg, say less than 20g of net carbs), even at a constant formulation that doesn't change (as your TDEE changes) you will still be in the same state of ketosis - eg, if you measured your mmol concentration of BHB, it would likely remain the same. However, your caloric deficit of course would change (and you would need to lower it to match that to maintain your rate of weight loss). In your hypothetical example, if your TDEE were 2000kCal and you were able to eat and absorb 4000kCal of butter a day, you would gain weight (although slower than the expected 0.57lb/day due to increased TDEE; this expenditure change (up to +50%!) was shown in the Vermont State Prison overfeeding experiments in the 60s). But despite that, due to the complete lack of carbohydrates, this diet would definitely stimulate ketogenesis (and would do so regardless if your TDEE were a 2000kCal surplus or deficit). Due to the complete lack of proteins, you would eventually start consuming some lean body mass to produce some of the glucose (a percentage of glucose would be provided by the glycerol molecule holding together each triglyceride) required by the brain (~30%) and RBCs. I'd expect a pure butter diet to have about the same physiologic effect on protein-sparing as an extended fast (eg, you'd probably last a couple months before eventually expiring).
        User23 8y ago
        You can drink 4000 calories of ethanol and not gain weight though! It's the only macronutrient with no storage form. From this was derived the infamous lean chicken breast and tequila diet. Biologically impossible to gain fat on that diet. Dietary protein is used as such, very little is converted into glucose and of that virtually none becomes lipids[1]. Never said it's healthy, but you will lose fat. If you're not keen on the ethanol poisoning aspect of the diet, you can substitute complex fibrous carbs like broccoli or some such and get similar results. Of course if you really don't care about health you could poison yourself with Dinitrophenol. It's the fat burning drug. Literally. Users routinely die from their bodies cooking them to death. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3636601/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3636601/
  - 11235813213455 8y ago
    There's no best diet, there's just a diet that works for oneself. For me it's a ton of fruits (tomatoes, clementines, .. depending on the season), vegetables (onions with leaves, spinach leaves, herbs, peppers, aubergines, carrots...) vapor-cooked or boiled in water, occasionally with some white fish, and some rice to 'cement' a bit that, some honey. No sauce and no waste or almost, no drugs (this diet is like a natural drug for me). Doing some exercise the weekend on a bike. My BMI is always around 18 (60/1.83^2)
    - LinuxBender 8y ago
      Agreed. I am in a much worse state than you. Diet of any kind at this point sadly won't help me any more. Now I have to trick my metabolism into using glucose very inefficiently.
  - dashmeet 8y ago
    Have you considered increasing your exposure to sunlight? It should help with the lowering of blood pressure through an increase in nitric oxide levels among other things. Linking an article to with a brief overview, but there are many studies that can be found online. [1] https://www.outsideonline.com/2380751/sunscreen-sun-exposure-skin-cancer-science?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=facebookpost&fbclid=IwAR1P16BUQo-dYflLWTgdLhiU09ntClOWANDOMFe-yjndLFzbAaF--Cqv43s https://www.outsideonline.com/2380751/sunscreen-sun-exposure...
  - et2o 8y ago
    Congratulations on your progress! Interested why you decided against metformin. Lots of people without DM or Metabolic syndrome are taking it for its apparent life extension effects (mostly unproven this far in humans). For diabetes, there's pretty solid evidence. I work in this space tangentially and I had not heard of berberine before. What are you hoping to achieve with this supplement?
    - cik2e 8y ago
      Berberine has been shown to be as effective as metformin at controlling blood sugar with additional anti-depressive benefits. https://examine.com/supplements/berberine/ https://examine.com/supplements/berberine/
      - et2o 8y ago
        I don't think it's comparable. That link overstates the amount of evidence. Notably the only good trial didn't compare it to metformin. Three small trials and a meta analysis. There is decades of experience with and significant evidence for the efficacy of metformin.
    - atomical 8y ago
      Metformin is great if you like shitting your pants constantly. The life extension crowd is going to give us a lot of laughs.
      - LinuxBender 8y ago
        Berberine can do that as well. You have to start off with small doses and let things adjust. I've been doing so many supplements for so long that it didn't really affect me much.
  - lhl 8y ago
    Congrats on your progress! I assume you still have metabolic syndrome (have you gotten your fasting insulin tested? What's a shame is most doctors test that, which is a $30 assay and the only way to calculate HOMA-IR or QUICKI IR estimates). While I can't disagree w/ Metformin/Berberine being effective for glucose control, I personally don't think that they aren't great long term for the dysbiosis, B12-deficiency (for metformin) and toxicity (for Berberine) effects... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478780/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478780/ Most people that haven't long-term diabetic (eg, completely destroyed beta cells) should be able to get their health back in order via primarily dietary interventions, although it may require some detective work (conscientious dietary, blood work, body composition tracking). Some of the hypertension may require addressing the IR, which can just take time to resolve: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/3299096/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/3299096/ Some of it may also be insuring adequate electrolytes, most people are much too low on ketogenic diets: https://blog.virtahealth.com/sodium-potassium-magnesium-ketogenic-diet/ https://blog.virtahealth.com/sodium-potassium-magnesium-keto... I think waist:height ratio is definitely the best home measurement, but hopefully you're getting good supporting bloodwork as well, which can be very helpful in helping diagnosing problem areas. Also I found DXA and RER testing to be personally quite useful as well, especially for tracking progress on visceral fat (I took off 25% of my body weight off starting last summer). Good luck!
  - rq1 8y ago
    Congratulations! Keep going! Adding 20-30mn HIIT sessions fasted right before breaking the fast may help also. The hypertension may be related in some cases to sodium depletion causing aldosterone production (and cortisol and adrenaline) leading to fluid retention (and potassium excretion). For this reason some people supplement themselves with sodium/potassium during keto or long term (72h optimally) water fasts.
  - DoreenMichele 8y ago
    Insulin resistance is related to inadequate protein, not excess fat per se. You may need more muscle, which is partly based on getting the right kind and amount of protein. Egg whites are the most bioavailable protein. Humans can use about 98 percent of it. I used egg whites to good effect when one of my sons needed more protein for some reason. Reference: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8748147 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8748147 (This is not advice per se. I'm just making conversation and super tired.)
    - copperx 8y ago
      The positive association between egg consumption and prostate and colon cancer that has been showing up consistently in studies since the 90s is concerning. I'm not sure the risk is worth it.
    - LinuxBender 8y ago
      I eat eggs every day. Also spinach, onions, garlic, broccoli, sometimes wheat grass juice. Most of my protein is low quality soy from adv formula slimfast and I know that isn't great. Whey protein disturbs a wound in my stomach which I am still waiting to have doctors look at.
  - _up 8y ago
    Did you take in enough Electrolytes? Like Salt, Potassium and Magnesium? Because you lose a lot of Water and Minerals when doing this diet.
  - gerbilly 8y ago
    I also found that for some reason, MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), caused me to lose several pounds of fat. I don't exactly know why, but some suggest it reduces inflammation, or improves blood sugar regulation. From wikipedia: Multiple human and animal trials indicate MSM may reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
the_economist 8y ago
I did a 5-day fast last month. Water only, 120 hours. In the 30 days since I completed the fast, my fasting blood glucose has dropped from ~80-90 down to 65-75. I'm concerned about the accuracy of my Freestyle Libre, but it was previously consistent with professional labs. Anyway, a long term fast like the one I did may help improve your insulin resistance; it seems it did for me.
- Kirth 8y ago
  Did you notice any other effects from your fast?
  - the_economist 8y ago
    I haven't had a full panel of biomarkers tested since the fast. I will post here when I do. The only obvious changes have been 1. Smoother, younger looking skin with fewer blemishes 2. I look ripped
- copperx 8y ago
  As someone with a fasting glucose of 95-99 (my GP isn't concerned, I'm not a diabetic), I wonder why would you want to reduce fasting glucose if it's not even in the prediabetic range?
  - the_economist 8y ago
    https://chriskresser.com/when-your-normal-blood-sugar-isnt-normal-part-1/ https://chriskresser.com/when-your-normal-blood-sugar-isnt-n... In this study, people with FBG levels above 95 had more than 3x the risk of developing future diabetes than people with FBG levels below 90: https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(08)00231-3/fulltext https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(08)00231-3/fulltex... This study showed progressively increasing risk of heart disease in men with FBG levels above 85 mg/dL, as compared to those with FBG levels of 81 mg/dL or lower: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16207847 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16207847
phil248 8y ago
How does one know if they are one of the 25% of Americans with "metabolic syndrome"?
- Alex3917 8y ago
  Start by getting your A1C measured, which many/most doctors do as part of an annual checkup for adults.
- lhl 8y ago
  Here you go: A comprehensive definition for metabolic syndrome https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2675814/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2675814/ - see Table 1 as the definition can vary, but NCEP ATP III is 3/5 of central obesity, fasting glucose (or high HbA1c), >150 mg/dl of TG, <40 mg/dl(M) <50 mg/dl(F) HDL, >130/85 mmHg blood pressure. A recent review of 2009-2016 NHANES data concluded that only 12.2% of Americans were in "optimal cardiometabolic health". https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/met.2018.0105 https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/met.2018.0105 The guidelines they used were (very similar but slightly more stringent than the ATP III): * waist circumference (WC <102/88 cm for men/women) * glucose (fasting glucose <100 mg/dL and hemoglobin A1c <5.7%) * blood pressure (systolic <120 and diastolic <80 mmHg) * triglycerides (<150 mg/dL) * high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (≥40/50 mg/dL for men/women) * not taking any related medication Even w/ ATP III, only 19.9% of American adults don't have metabolic syndrome. What metabolic syndrome really is, is hyperinsulinemia/insulin resistance. You should get your estimates by having fasting glucose and fasting insulin tested for to get HOMA-IR and QUICKI estimates (TG-FB and TC/HDL are two other estimates you can use). If you are IR (probably 80% of American adults), then you can improve this by eating less often, eating earlier in the day, or eating less carbohydrates (especially those with a high glycemic load) - doing all three is pretty doable and actually tends to work synergistically (endocrinology!). Exercise also helps improve insulin sensitivity, but you can't really outrun a bad diet.
  - mbeex 8y ago
    > >130/85 mmHg blood pressure Praise the power to define/change definitions of these values...
MagicPropmaker 8y ago
There's a very inexpensive treatment for many people with MetS -- weight loss: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898932/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898932/
rainbowzootsuit 8y ago
To piggy back another comment take a look at Jason Fung's clinical work with people with metabolic syndrome/Type 2 diabetes. It's focused on using fasts to so-to-speak "reset" a metabolism. https://idmprogram.com https://idmprogram.com https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC8bWMq7Ahg3CUz3ish9dvuw https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC8bWMq7Ahg3CUz3ish9dvuw
aszantu 8y ago
keto does that, or even carnivore. Dave feldman does a ton of experiments on this
_up 8y ago
I had the same problem and then started Keto/IF and also switched to better Oils (less Omega6)for cooking and also eat a can of cod liver (packaged less than 6 months before) which has lots of Omega3 and Vitamin A every two weeks. I have the feeling that everyone is different and there isn't one solution that works for everyone. But sugar, processed foods, and too much Omega6 are a big factor in a lot of illnesses.
baccheion 8y ago
Vitamin D3 is said to help with metabolic syndrome. Also, intermittent fasting (eating within the same 8-hour window) and keto. Estrogen, DHEA, vitamin K2 MK-4, etc. https://vitamindwiki.com/Overview+Metabolic+Syndrome+and+vitamin+D https://vitamindwiki.com/Overview+Metabolic+Syndrome+and+vit...
- LinuxBender 8y ago
  I take D3, K2 MK4, K2 MK7, chelated magnesium religiously. For some reason, DHEA doesn't agree with me. I get headaches from it. Excess D3 also causes pain in the back of my head and neck. Curious if its related to calcium scavenging or some deficiency.
  - baccheion 8y ago
    How much DHEA did you take and was it with pregnenolone? 5 mg + 5 mg topically is said to be the preferred way to supplement. The pain may be related to blood pressure. Is there any reason you didn't also add a multivitamin? How much D and K? Magnesium? Ever had any lab work done?
    - LinuxBender 8y ago
      I also use a multivitamin from time to time, but I get some crappy multivitamins from adv formula slimfast, rainbow-lite and both contain fake vitamins (like ascorbic acid). I try to get most of my vitamins from food. My BP is under control though I would love to stop using BP drugs. In fact, I would like to see legislation around the use of them, i.e., doctors must within 180 days, find the root causes of the abnormal BP and within 360 days, have the person on a program to fix it. BP drugs are bad news and put people at grave risk (as the body fights the effect) which means if you stop taking them, your body fighting the ffect triggers a rebound. It's happened to me twice when the pharmacy was screwing around with my prescription. Magnesium is 100mg, 3 times a day. It is chelated and bound to a couple amino acids. K2 MK4, 100mcg twice a day. K2 MK7 100mcg twice a day. The only lab work I've had done was testing for the usual things, cholesterol, triglycerides, checking for h.pylori, etc... I don't think they even do a ldl lipoprotein spectrum graph.

rq1 8y ago

Go for keto + IF. It helped a lot of people.

LinuxBender 8y ago
I did. In fact that was a great start, but once you reach a certain point (in having metabolic syndrome), the Keto+IF reaches diminishing returns. It did bring me down 18 inches on the waist. The gut and hypertension will remain. In fact, my hypertension actually went up. To go further requires either Metformin or Berberine. I opted for Berberine, but time will tell.
- bsmith 8y ago
  Awesome that it worked so well for you while it did. Tip for others who may try this: don't forget to lower your macros (and, in turn, calories) an appropriate amount as your weight drops. The same diet that maintains keto at 250 lbs won't keep you in keto at 190. For much, much more: https://peterattiamd.com/ https://peterattiamd.com/
  - redwards510 8y ago
    Keto is the absence of carbs. So the same diet that maintains keto at 250 will keep you in keto at 190, since it is what you eat, not how much you are eating. But you are absolutely correct that one must change their caloric intake as they lose weight if they want to keep losing weight.
    - atomical 8y ago
      Are you saying someone on keto can eat 4,000 calories of butter and not gain weight?
      - lhl 8y ago
        The wording is a bit awkward, but if you re-read what he wrote, it's not what he's saying at all. Because a ketogenic diet depends the amount of carbohydrate restriction that will cause your body to physiologically be generating ketone bodies (eg, say less than 20g of net carbs), even at a constant formulation that doesn't change (as your TDEE changes) you will still be in the same state of ketosis - eg, if you measured your mmol concentration of BHB, it would likely remain the same. However, your caloric deficit of course would change (and you would need to lower it to match that to maintain your rate of weight loss). In your hypothetical example, if your TDEE were 2000kCal and you were able to eat and absorb 4000kCal of butter a day, you would gain weight (although slower than the expected 0.57lb/day due to increased TDEE; this expenditure change (up to +50%!) was shown in the Vermont State Prison overfeeding experiments in the 60s). But despite that, due to the complete lack of carbohydrates, this diet would definitely stimulate ketogenesis (and would do so regardless if your TDEE were a 2000kCal surplus or deficit). Due to the complete lack of proteins, you would eventually start consuming some lean body mass to produce some of the glucose (a percentage of glucose would be provided by the glycerol molecule holding together each triglyceride) required by the brain (~30%) and RBCs. I'd expect a pure butter diet to have about the same physiologic effect on protein-sparing as an extended fast (eg, you'd probably last a couple months before eventually expiring).
      - User23 8y ago
        You can drink 4000 calories of ethanol and not gain weight though! It's the only macronutrient with no storage form. From this was derived the infamous lean chicken breast and tequila diet. Biologically impossible to gain fat on that diet. Dietary protein is used as such, very little is converted into glucose and of that virtually none becomes lipids[1]. Never said it's healthy, but you will lose fat. If you're not keen on the ethanol poisoning aspect of the diet, you can substitute complex fibrous carbs like broccoli or some such and get similar results. Of course if you really don't care about health you could poison yourself with Dinitrophenol. It's the fat burning drug. Literally. Users routinely die from their bodies cooking them to death. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3636601/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3636601/
- 11235813213455 8y ago
  There's no best diet, there's just a diet that works for oneself. For me it's a ton of fruits (tomatoes, clementines, .. depending on the season), vegetables (onions with leaves, spinach leaves, herbs, peppers, aubergines, carrots...) vapor-cooked or boiled in water, occasionally with some white fish, and some rice to 'cement' a bit that, some honey. No sauce and no waste or almost, no drugs (this diet is like a natural drug for me). Doing some exercise the weekend on a bike. My BMI is always around 18 (60/1.83^2)
  - LinuxBender 8y ago
    Agreed. I am in a much worse state than you. Diet of any kind at this point sadly won't help me any more. Now I have to trick my metabolism into using glucose very inefficiently.
- dashmeet 8y ago
  Have you considered increasing your exposure to sunlight? It should help with the lowering of blood pressure through an increase in nitric oxide levels among other things. Linking an article to with a brief overview, but there are many studies that can be found online. [1] https://www.outsideonline.com/2380751/sunscreen-sun-exposure-skin-cancer-science?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=facebookpost&fbclid=IwAR1P16BUQo-dYflLWTgdLhiU09ntClOWANDOMFe-yjndLFzbAaF--Cqv43s https://www.outsideonline.com/2380751/sunscreen-sun-exposure...
- et2o 8y ago
  Congratulations on your progress! Interested why you decided against metformin. Lots of people without DM or Metabolic syndrome are taking it for its apparent life extension effects (mostly unproven this far in humans). For diabetes, there's pretty solid evidence. I work in this space tangentially and I had not heard of berberine before. What are you hoping to achieve with this supplement?
  - cik2e 8y ago
    Berberine has been shown to be as effective as metformin at controlling blood sugar with additional anti-depressive benefits. https://examine.com/supplements/berberine/ https://examine.com/supplements/berberine/
    - et2o 8y ago
      I don't think it's comparable. That link overstates the amount of evidence. Notably the only good trial didn't compare it to metformin. Three small trials and a meta analysis. There is decades of experience with and significant evidence for the efficacy of metformin.
  - atomical 8y ago
    Metformin is great if you like shitting your pants constantly. The life extension crowd is going to give us a lot of laughs.
    - LinuxBender 8y ago
      Berberine can do that as well. You have to start off with small doses and let things adjust. I've been doing so many supplements for so long that it didn't really affect me much.
- lhl 8y ago
  Congrats on your progress! I assume you still have metabolic syndrome (have you gotten your fasting insulin tested? What's a shame is most doctors test that, which is a $30 assay and the only way to calculate HOMA-IR or QUICKI IR estimates). While I can't disagree w/ Metformin/Berberine being effective for glucose control, I personally don't think that they aren't great long term for the dysbiosis, B12-deficiency (for metformin) and toxicity (for Berberine) effects... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478780/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478780/ Most people that haven't long-term diabetic (eg, completely destroyed beta cells) should be able to get their health back in order via primarily dietary interventions, although it may require some detective work (conscientious dietary, blood work, body composition tracking). Some of the hypertension may require addressing the IR, which can just take time to resolve: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/3299096/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/3299096/ Some of it may also be insuring adequate electrolytes, most people are much too low on ketogenic diets: https://blog.virtahealth.com/sodium-potassium-magnesium-ketogenic-diet/ https://blog.virtahealth.com/sodium-potassium-magnesium-keto... I think waist:height ratio is definitely the best home measurement, but hopefully you're getting good supporting bloodwork as well, which can be very helpful in helping diagnosing problem areas. Also I found DXA and RER testing to be personally quite useful as well, especially for tracking progress on visceral fat (I took off 25% of my body weight off starting last summer). Good luck!
- rq1 8y ago
  Congratulations! Keep going! Adding 20-30mn HIIT sessions fasted right before breaking the fast may help also. The hypertension may be related in some cases to sodium depletion causing aldosterone production (and cortisol and adrenaline) leading to fluid retention (and potassium excretion). For this reason some people supplement themselves with sodium/potassium during keto or long term (72h optimally) water fasts.
- DoreenMichele 8y ago
  Insulin resistance is related to inadequate protein, not excess fat per se. You may need more muscle, which is partly based on getting the right kind and amount of protein. Egg whites are the most bioavailable protein. Humans can use about 98 percent of it. I used egg whites to good effect when one of my sons needed more protein for some reason. Reference: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8748147 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8748147 (This is not advice per se. I'm just making conversation and super tired.)
  - copperx 8y ago
    The positive association between egg consumption and prostate and colon cancer that has been showing up consistently in studies since the 90s is concerning. I'm not sure the risk is worth it.
  - LinuxBender 8y ago
    I eat eggs every day. Also spinach, onions, garlic, broccoli, sometimes wheat grass juice. Most of my protein is low quality soy from adv formula slimfast and I know that isn't great. Whey protein disturbs a wound in my stomach which I am still waiting to have doctors look at.
- _up 8y ago
  Did you take in enough Electrolytes? Like Salt, Potassium and Magnesium? Because you lose a lot of Water and Minerals when doing this diet.
- gerbilly 8y ago
  I also found that for some reason, MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), caused me to lose several pounds of fat. I don't exactly know why, but some suggest it reduces inflammation, or improves blood sugar regulation. From wikipedia: Multiple human and animal trials indicate MSM may reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.

the_economist 8y ago

I did a 5-day fast last month. Water only, 120 hours. In the 30 days since I completed the fast, my fasting blood glucose has dropped from ~80-90 down to 65-75. I'm concerned about the accuracy of my Freestyle Libre, but it was previously consistent with professional labs. Anyway, a long term fast like the one I did may help improve your insulin resistance; it seems it did for me.

Kirth 8y ago
Did you notice any other effects from your fast?
- the_economist 8y ago
  I haven't had a full panel of biomarkers tested since the fast. I will post here when I do. The only obvious changes have been 1. Smoother, younger looking skin with fewer blemishes 2. I look ripped
copperx 8y ago
As someone with a fasting glucose of 95-99 (my GP isn't concerned, I'm not a diabetic), I wonder why would you want to reduce fasting glucose if it's not even in the prediabetic range?
- the_economist 8y ago
  https://chriskresser.com/when-your-normal-blood-sugar-isnt-normal-part-1/ https://chriskresser.com/when-your-normal-blood-sugar-isnt-n... In this study, people with FBG levels above 95 had more than 3x the risk of developing future diabetes than people with FBG levels below 90: https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(08)00231-3/fulltext https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(08)00231-3/fulltex... This study showed progressively increasing risk of heart disease in men with FBG levels above 85 mg/dL, as compared to those with FBG levels of 81 mg/dL or lower: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16207847 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16207847

phil248 8y ago

How does one know if they are one of the 25% of Americans with "metabolic syndrome"?

Alex3917 8y ago
Start by getting your A1C measured, which many/most doctors do as part of an annual checkup for adults.
lhl 8y ago
Here you go: A comprehensive definition for metabolic syndrome https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2675814/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2675814/ - see Table 1 as the definition can vary, but NCEP ATP III is 3/5 of central obesity, fasting glucose (or high HbA1c), >150 mg/dl of TG, <40 mg/dl(M) <50 mg/dl(F) HDL, >130/85 mmHg blood pressure. A recent review of 2009-2016 NHANES data concluded that only 12.2% of Americans were in "optimal cardiometabolic health". https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/met.2018.0105 https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/met.2018.0105 The guidelines they used were (very similar but slightly more stringent than the ATP III): * waist circumference (WC <102/88 cm for men/women) * glucose (fasting glucose <100 mg/dL and hemoglobin A1c <5.7%) * blood pressure (systolic <120 and diastolic <80 mmHg) * triglycerides (<150 mg/dL) * high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (≥40/50 mg/dL for men/women) * not taking any related medication Even w/ ATP III, only 19.9% of American adults don't have metabolic syndrome. What metabolic syndrome really is, is hyperinsulinemia/insulin resistance. You should get your estimates by having fasting glucose and fasting insulin tested for to get HOMA-IR and QUICKI estimates (TG-FB and TC/HDL are two other estimates you can use). If you are IR (probably 80% of American adults), then you can improve this by eating less often, eating earlier in the day, or eating less carbohydrates (especially those with a high glycemic load) - doing all three is pretty doable and actually tends to work synergistically (endocrinology!). Exercise also helps improve insulin sensitivity, but you can't really outrun a bad diet.
- mbeex 8y ago
  > >130/85 mmHg blood pressure Praise the power to define/change definitions of these values...

MagicPropmaker 8y ago

There's a very inexpensive treatment for many people with MetS -- weight loss: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898932/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898932/

rainbowzootsuit 8y ago

To piggy back another comment take a look at Jason Fung's clinical work with people with metabolic syndrome/Type 2 diabetes. It's focused on using fasts to so-to-speak "reset" a metabolism. https://idmprogram.com https://idmprogram.com https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC8bWMq7Ahg3CUz3ish9dvuw https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC8bWMq7Ahg3CUz3ish9dvuw

aszantu 8y ago

keto does that, or even carnivore. Dave feldman does a ton of experiments on this

_up 8y ago

I had the same problem and then started Keto/IF and also switched to better Oils (less Omega6)for cooking and also eat a can of cod liver (packaged less than 6 months before) which has lots of Omega3 and Vitamin A every two weeks. I have the feeling that everyone is different and there isn't one solution that works for everyone. But sugar, processed foods, and too much Omega6 are a big factor in a lot of illnesses.

baccheion 8y ago

Vitamin D3 is said to help with metabolic syndrome. Also, intermittent fasting (eating within the same 8-hour window) and keto. Estrogen, DHEA, vitamin K2 MK-4, etc. https://vitamindwiki.com/Overview+Metabolic+Syndrome+and+vitamin+D https://vitamindwiki.com/Overview+Metabolic+Syndrome+and+vit...

LinuxBender 8y ago
I take D3, K2 MK4, K2 MK7, chelated magnesium religiously. For some reason, DHEA doesn't agree with me. I get headaches from it. Excess D3 also causes pain in the back of my head and neck. Curious if its related to calcium scavenging or some deficiency.
- baccheion 8y ago
  How much DHEA did you take and was it with pregnenolone? 5 mg + 5 mg topically is said to be the preferred way to supplement. The pain may be related to blood pressure. Is there any reason you didn't also add a multivitamin? How much D and K? Magnesium? Ever had any lab work done?
  - LinuxBender 8y ago
    I also use a multivitamin from time to time, but I get some crappy multivitamins from adv formula slimfast, rainbow-lite and both contain fake vitamins (like ascorbic acid). I try to get most of my vitamins from food. My BP is under control though I would love to stop using BP drugs. In fact, I would like to see legislation around the use of them, i.e., doctors must within 180 days, find the root causes of the abnormal BP and within 360 days, have the person on a program to fix it. BP drugs are bad news and put people at grave risk (as the body fights the effect) which means if you stop taking them, your body fighting the ffect triggers a rebound. It's happened to me twice when the pharmacy was screwing around with my prescription. Magnesium is 100mg, 3 times a day. It is chelated and bound to a couple amino acids. K2 MK4, 100mcg twice a day. K2 MK7 100mcg twice a day. The only lab work I've had done was testing for the usual things, cholesterol, triglycerides, checking for h.pylori, etc... I don't think they even do a ldl lipoprotein spectrum graph.