Fidel's tests

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
Fidel
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Post by Fidel »

Julie, i'm a male. Are there female Fidels out there? :) If i do like Bruce Jenner, i'll change my name to Fidelia. 8-)

Not aware of any Alzheimers in my genetic line. My father died from heart disease. My mother passed due to leukemia.
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Fidel
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grazing

Post by Fidel »

Juliegee wrote:Have you checked fasting insulin yet? I worry that grazing will elevate that number rendering you more susceptible to IR.
The study at http://gg.gg/meal-freq compared a group eating 3 meals daily with a group eating 17 snacks daily. The latter group showed a drop in serum insulin levels.
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Stavia
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Re: Fidel's tests

Post by Stavia »

1989 study. 7 people. 14 days on each arm with a two week washout period. I have accessed the full text, it was a good study for 25 years ago, but not something I'd use to base my eating pattern today on. They didn't even have Hba1c yet then - they were still using fructosamine. Its way outdated in terms of what we can measure today.
This is one of my issues with Pam Macdonald's work, random cherry picking of the literature, not a measured assessment of the whole body of evidence.
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Julie G
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Re: Fidel's tests

Post by Julie G »

Fidel, I thought you were a male; just wanted to be sure. As you're keenly aware, E4 males tend to be at higher risk of CAD; females at higher risk of dementia. I'm sorry about the loss of your parents, my friend.

Interesting older paper. You've probably seen other more recent ones that conclude the opposite :shock: There is a lot we don't know about meal timing and health. For an E4s, eating often may be abnormal from an evolutionary perspective. It could even prove disadvantageous in terms of metabolic flexibility. Fasting, for even as little as a 16 hour period, provides a period of autophagy and has been found to improve health indicators and counteract disease processes. It also allows your body to naturally transition (remain metabolically flexible) to a fat burning state where ketones provide energy. You could unwittingly be making yourself "fragile" by providing a constant steady supply of calories, especially glucose.

As I stated earlier, I think your numbers look great; especially your LDL-P. I'm just tossing out a few ideas to keep you uber-safe. In light of your somewhat higher A1c & glucose numbers and smaller particle sizes; it wouldn't hurt to consider checking your fasting insulin. You can order an online test for about $35. If that's also on the high side, adding more plant based MUFAs could bring those biomarkers to a less risky place. I'm sure you've read about the correlation between small particles and oxidized LDL; considered to be highly atherogenic.

We recently met with Dr. Ronald Krauss, who created LDL sub-fraction technology and the very creative terms "Pattern A" and "Pattern B" ;) He warned that paying attention to LDL particle numbers alone was a mistake. He considered a low LDL-P, composed of primarily small particles, to be atherogenic...that might be especially true in the context of higher homocysteine and other inflammatory markers.

Many here have observed that E4 carriers must carefully balance lipids and glucose biomarkers. Think of each one as being at either end of a see-saw. As lipid bio-markers improve, our glucose bio-markers tend to worsen and vice versa. Our job is to carefully balance both; really hard. You're doing a great job. I just wanted to throw a few ideas out there for your consideration. Thanks again for sharing.
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insulin

Post by Fidel »

Stavia, i came across that study while skimming through the book "The Okinawa Diet Plan". The Okinawans are known for their longevity. Their saying "hara hachi bu" (meaning "eat until you are 8/10ths full") is something that does make sense to me. While the science doesn't always back it up, i stand with Pam McDonald in her endorsement of the grazing approach. To my mind, humans are natural herbivores. Herbivores graze.

I do think you're right though, that some of Pam's advice is better suited for people who are in very unhealthy states. Her promoting 25% protein for apoE4 doesn't look like a smart approach for some such as myself. Even the 20% protein diet i tested brought in too much methionine, bumping up my homocysteine, i suspect.

Julie, thanks for the additional thoughts. Will keep it all in mind as i continue to experiment.
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Stavia
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Re: Fidel's tests

Post by Stavia »

Fidel, interesting concept - that we are herbivores. It is possible indeed. Especially while gathering, one would naturally snack. Not sure about the hunting though, if the hunters would be able to snack. But grazing would suit many lifestyles.
I love the Okinawan's philosophy, I do try to follow it, but I eat maximum twice a day. I just don't get hungry the rest of the time and I want the metabolic benefits of fasting including ketone body generation because I am now 54 and likely as an E4E4 to have a mitochondrial glucose metabolism defect which for me trumps any possible lowering of insulin. Which I am not worried about anyway 'cos my fasting insulin is 3 and my HbA1c is 30. If I had a glycaemic control issue I'd still try fasting first over grazing as it has been shown to improve glycaemic control significantly. If your glycaemic control is good it probably doesn't matter at your age what meal frequency you follow.

I guess one size doesn't fit all huh. Which is predictable in view of our genetic complexity. And there are so many fine details we have to balance.

Loving this thread :)
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portion control

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"Kuten gwa", meaning "little portion" is another Japanese expression that goes with the 8/10ths full concept. The Japanese man on record as the human male who has lived the longest (116+ years) credited little portions as the key. It does strike me as important, moreso if you are not getting all that much exercise, and when eating fatty things like nuts. My exercise level hasn't been that high, although i should say that for some time, my walking has included pushing around a patient in a wheelchair for miles, which does burn more calories than simple walking.

In the days before my blood test, i ate a few ounces of Japanese crackers called arare made from glutinous rice which i later found out is high in amylopectin, the kind of starch which has a higher glycemic index than amylose. So my fasting glucose might have been a couple points lower if i hadn't eaten that.
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