Supplements I take and why

Alzheimer's, cardiovascular, and other chronic diseases; biomarkers, lifestyle, supplements, drugs, and health care.
circular
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Re: Supplements I take and why

Post by circular »

I was at my allopathic primary care doctor's yesterday and we went over my current supplements. She supported all these to help address my osteopenia, and I need to track my calcium intake for a bit to see how much calcium citrate to supplement. I wasn't taking selenium, zinc or magnesium for my bones, so I was glad to hear she thought they were important for that.

Vit D
Vit K (mk4/mk7)
Selenium
Zinc
Magnesium
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
Ssa
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Re: Supplements I take and why

Post by Ssa »

circular wrote:I was at my allopathic primary care doctor's yesterday and we went over my current supplements. She supported all these to help address my osteopenia, and I need to track my calcium intake for a bit to see how much calcium citrate to supplement. I wasn't taking selenium, zinc or magnesium for my bones, so I was glad to hear she thought they were important for that.

Vit D
Vit K (mk4/mk7)
Selenium
Zinc
Magnesium
I have been really been reviewing my supplements lately. I’m concerned that I get too much. I am very good at taking everything on a regular basis. In other words, I never forget and I may border on being too obsessed. I’m just scared if I stop my bone loss will return or I won’t get a good report on my next dexa scan.

I have switched supplements which makes me nervous because I had a good thing going and I shouldn’t mess with it. I was taking a multi vitamin by MD Essentials
5 in one. I was taking the recommended 4 a day. Then I went to just 2 a day because my b12 was so high on my bloodwork. My homocysteine was high and it had never been before. So I switched to 2 and added more methylfolate. I couldn’t tolerate high methylfolate. I hurt
So that’s when I went to b right by Jarrow and pic mins by thorn. And zinc balance by Thorne for some copper. I added all fat soluble individually but have stopped all but k2 for now. Since they are stored.

I eat fairly good and I am probably getting RDAs of most foods. As far as selenium I recently started taking 2 of the pic mins which gives 200mcg of selenium and get some with mixed nuts and they have Brazil nuts in them. Anyway if anything I get too much. I do take a good amount of magnesium citrate and other than 400 mg calcium citrate in my alkaline balance by source naturals. I don’t supplement more calcium.

I am getting more blood work soon just to check cholesterol, red and white blood cell count, ferritin, d3, and homocysteine.

I looked at all my bloodwork for past 20 years and realized that my white blood cell count was always just slightly high out of range except for last time. My cholesterol was the best it has ever been with highest HDL I’ve ever had. Because of this forum I now think it was the phosphatidylcholine I had added.

I need to learn to take breaks on all supplements periodically. I’m way too dedicated. Right now I do feel that I have a metallic taste in my mouth.
circular
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Re: Supplements I take and why

Post by circular »

I've been doing Qi Gong in the morning and only retroactively looking up some of the research on it. A review indicated that four studies (1 Qi Gong and 3 modified Tai Chi; n=427) 'reported positive effects on bone health... Bone loss was retarded and numbers of fractures were less among post-menopausal women practicing Tai Chi compared to usual care ...' You can read more at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3085832/
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
rjkmhk
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Re: Supplements I take and why

Post by rjkmhk »

Laurie: On another forum that I am on, has a member that mixes one drop of Hubner's colloidal silica in water and drinks it...if she’s using filtered water, what would be the difference between this method and your husbands method? Thanks!
circular
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Re: Supplements I take and why

Post by circular »

Ssa wrote: ...other than 400 mg calcium citrate in my alkaline balance by source naturals. I don’t supplement more calcium.
Hi Ssa, thank you for getting me off the dime about my osteopenia. I just posted some thoughts about calcium as it fits into my routine here.

It would be interesting for someone super knowledgeable about it to offer a sort of hierarchy of which components to bone health are most important. Interestingly, Dr. Bredesen has said that our brain health depends on the balance between neurogenic and neurodegenerative factors and has used the analogy of the balance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts in bone health. In his brain model he's found that many see improvements in cognition even when they can't address all the "holes in their roof." Perhaps this is true for bone health too. That if we understood all the variables the way Dr. Bredesen parses out those of brain equilibrium, we could get away with some not being perfect. Stavia does a nice job in the Primer addressing the big kahunas of brain health. I'd like something like that for bone health so we don't overthink some of its variables that may have less impact than others, or that are more easily obtained through diet than supplement because the amounts needed may not be that high. For example selenium and zinc. How much are really needed for good bones? So often the supplements are quite high doses (I saw your post about the selenium issue). So your program may have helped your bones, but that doesn't tell us whether it goes too far at the same time.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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Re: Supplements I take and why

Post by Ssa »

circular wrote:
Ssa wrote: ...other than 400 mg calcium citrate in my alkaline balance by source naturals. I don’t supplement more calcium.
Hi Ssa, thank you for getting me off the dime about my osteopenia. I just posted some thoughts about calcium as it fits into my routine here.

It would be interesting for someone super knowledgeable about it to offer a sort of hierarchy of which components to bone health are most important. Interestingly, Dr. Bredesen has said that our brain health depends on the balance between neurogenic and neurodegenerative factors and has used the analogy of the balance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts in bone health. In his brain model he's found that many see improvements in cognition even when they can't address all the "holes in their roof." Perhaps this is true for bone health too. That if we understood all the variables the way Dr. Bredesen parses out those of brain equilibrium, we could get away with some not being perfect. Stavia does a nice job in the Primer addressing the big kahunas of brain health. I'd like something like that for bone health so we don't overthink some of its variables that may have less impact than others, or that are more easily obtained through diet than supplement because the amounts needed may not be that high. For example selenium and zinc. How much are really needed for good bones? So often the supplements are quite high doses (I saw your post about the selenium issue). So your program may have helped your bones, but that doesn't tell us whether it goes too far at the same time.
Sorry I haven’t figured out how to isolate part of post for a quote. I’ve read the how to and I’m sure it will be easy once I figure it out

Yes I’m pretty focused on this selenium overdose. I hope it didn’t undo any bone improvement but I guess it had to have. I’m sure I’ve been close to the edge of overdosing for awhile but never went to dangerous levels. My hair loss started after snacking on the mixed nuts and taking the “better” minerals by Thorne. My nails were bothersome for me but I had stopped getting my nails done at the salon. I thought they were bad and and just growing out the shellac. Masterjohn says some Brazil nuts could have very high levels.

I know you said your doctor suggested you supplement selenium. Mine had told me also for my hypothyroid Hashimoto. Once it finally dawned on me what I had done, I started adding up what I get in my diet already and I don’t think I needed it, obviously. Just get tested ( Masterjohn ) to see if you even need it. I had no idea it was such tight range.
circular
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Re: Supplements I take and why

Post by circular »

Ssa wrote:Just get tested ( Masterjohn ) to see if you even need it. I had no idea it was such tight range.
On my list :)

When I just want to quote a portion, I quote all and then delete all but the portion. A slight hassle over something easier, but doable if I'm not on my phone.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
laurie
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Re: Supplements I take and why

Post by laurie »

rjkmhk wrote:Laurie: On another forum that I am on, has a member that mixes one drop of Hubner's colloidal silica in water and drinks it...if she’s using filtered water, what would be the difference between this method and your husbands method? Thanks!
I think I answered your question under another thread but others will see this post so I will give the information here also. I wasn't tagged in this one so I didn't see it. Silica water is the only source of OSA (the bioavailable/absorbable form of silica) which gives you enough OSA to facilitate the elimination of aluminum from the body. Here is testing which my husband Dennis N Crouse (chemist) did on silica supplements and the amount of OSA they contain. As you can see in the bioavailable column mineral water has 10.8 to 14.6 mg of OSA per dose and colloidal drops contain .15 mg per dose.
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Apoe 3/4

"True prevention is only possible by first discovering the cause of a disease such as Alzheimer's."
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kharris536
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Important information I discovered about supplements

Post by kharris536 »

Hello ApoE4,
I received genetic testing and was determined to have two copies of ApoE4. However, prior to this discovery, through trial and error (that is via numerous lipid panel tests over the years and subsequent adjustments to my diet, I realized that my LDL is very sensitive to any animal derived saturated fat and some plant fats, specifically coconut oil. I am now a whole food, plant based eater for this reason. The good news is that according to past and ongoing research, consuming a whole food, plant based diet (lots of fruits, vegetables, low glycemic whole grains, nuts, seeds and no added sugars, refined carbohydrates or processed foods) may help to decrease the risk of developing late onset Alzheimer's - even for carriers of 2 copies of ApoE4 like me!
Therefore, because elevated LDL has been linked to increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular health is intrinsically linked to neurovascular health (brain health), then the logic follows that achieving and maintaining LDL levels well below 100 and triglyceride levels well below 150 should be the predominant goal for anyone actively working to avoid the development of Alzheimer's.
My frustration lately has been finding recommended supplements (that, according to related peer reviewed, randomized, controlled trials work to improve cardiovascular and neurovascular health), that do not contain additives, fillers and potentially blood lipid elevating substances that could run counter to what the supplement is supposed to be doing in the first place. For example, in November 2019 my LDL was 118 (which actually had decreased 14 points since omitting MCT/coconut derived) and my triglycerides were 70 - excellent, as usual, thankfully, and decreased also from 88.
I began taking a certain brand of CoQ10, Vitamin D3 and algae derived DHA DPA. I foolishly, (hind sight is 20/20) did not carefully examine the ingredients or the ingredients of the actual capsule. I had my lipid profile retested just this past week (end of February 2020), eagerly awaiting even lower LDL and triglyceride levels. Much to my horror, my LDL had INCREASED to 137 (an increase of nearly 20 points) and for the first time in my life my triglycerides were a whopping 141!! Never before, had my triglycerides risen above the 80s. I was flabbergasted and extremely frustrated.

I began researching the possible culprits. Here is what I discovered:

1) I discovered that in some individuals (and yes, also in mice) supplemental DHA, regardless if it's derived from algae or fish, can result in an elevation of LDL.
2) MCT (medium chained triglycerides, commonly found in coconut and palm kernel oils) can result in elevating both LDL and triglyceride levels in humans.
3) The ingestion of glycerin and/or gelatin raised LDL and triglycerides in mice. The results are still pending for humans.

Low and behold, the CoQ10, D3 and DHA DPA supplement capsules were all made from gelatin/glycerin. The CoQ10 contained several fillers, one of which was...drum roll please...MCT. Not to mention the fact that the CoQ10 and the D3 were animal derived.
Lesson learned, do not assume that when an expert recommends certain supplements that those supplements are all created equal. Research is required on the part of the consumer prior to purchasing. I naively assumed that because he was recommending them in his book, to decrease risk of Alzheimer's, that the supplements were all plant derived/based. After all, he strongly recommends eating a whole food, plant based diet - then the supplements should all be whole food, plant based, right?
The long and the short of it is, I have discovered that my blood lipids are extremely susceptible to fluctuations depending on whether I consume animal derived saturated fats, dietary cholesterol and medium chained triglycerides/coconut oil. The questions remain: Is my blood lipid fluctuation susceptibility because I have two copies of ApoE4?
Is there anyone else out there, who has one or two copies of ApoE4 who has experienced the same or similar issues with diet/supplement related LDL and/or triglyceride volatility?
Ssa
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Re: Important information I discovered about supplements

Post by Ssa »

kharris536 wrote: Is there anyone else out there, who has one or two copies of ApoE4 who has experienced the same or similar issues with diet/supplement related LDL and/or triglyceride volatility?
Hello
I have been “experimenting” on myself and learned through trial and error on several supplements. My cholesterol has been my struggle for 20 years. My almost best test results were back in 2000 when I was doing Atkins diet. But could never replicate for almost two decades. My last test was the best ever and the supplements I had added were phosphatidylcholine and k2. I then did research with APOE4 and fish oil and that fish oil without phospatidylcholine will raise cholesterol.
One researcher recommended krill oil.
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