Xyosted and Rosuvastin

[ZALEMAX]

Greeting,

Just got my CALC Score its up from 707 (since 3 years ago) 900"s now was on Natesto 3 times daily for 2 years switched protocol started Zyosted start x1week 50mg been on it 1 month and a week. getting labs done tomorrow I will post results soon as available.

My lipid panel total is 189
borderline normal.

Cardio Dr. wants me to start taking Rosuvastin. he suggested LDL to be at 70 and best at 50. Is there anyone out there who has experience with this statin? I am thinking red yeast rice to bring the LDL down. Thoughts?

All responses appreciated

 

[ZALEMAX]

@SSHSSA74 my Lipoprotein value is elevated @ 60. Normal value is<30MG/DL. I am possibly/thinking to try red yeast rice supplement then check LDL again. Or try a lower dose Rosuvastain. Thoughts?

 

[Gman86]

I have not. My "bad" cholesterol went down a bit. I would like to get my CALC score test again. My problem is the hardening of the arteries. Supposedly I carry a middle eastern trait where my Lipoprotein (a) is elevated which keeps my bad cholesterol high.

No such thing as “bad” cholesterol brotha. Run far far away from any doctor that tells u that there’s such thing as “bad” cholesterol. The body doesn’t endogenously produce things that harm it.

just as beneficial as HDL. Both types of cholesterol are extremely important for optimal health. Can send u endless material going over all of this

So if ur trying to prevent artery hardening, and based on ur views about LDL, it seems like ur specifically concerned about preventing plaque buildup, when it comes to artery hardening, what u want to focus on is preventing ur arteries from becoming stiff and rigid, and cracking in the first place. These are tips that I sent someone, that go over some of the main things a person can do in order to keep blood pressure in a healthy range, but these specific tips also apply to keeping blood vessels healthy and stretchy, and preventing them from hardening and becoming stiff.




-Speaking of vitamin K, K2 is an extremely important vitamin in regards to cardiovascular health and keeping the blood vessels nice and relaxed. K2 helps guide calcium to the parts of the body that it should go to. Like nails, bones and teeth, for a few examples, opposed to going to arteries where it can increase a persons risk of atherosclerosis (build up plaque in arteries that can cause narrowing of blood vessels) which can result in blood pressure increasing, since the same amount of blood has less space to fit through

-the other main thing is to keep ur fasting insulin levels as low as possible. Aka be as insulin sensitive as possible. Being insulin resistant will make ur blood vessels stiff and brittle, and have a huge impact on BP, obv in a negative way. Anytime cells are insulin resistant, insulin has less of an effect, and blood sugars stay elevated longer in the blood than they should. This does two main things. Sugar in the blood makes the blood thick and sticky. Think of things high in sugar. Honey, syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc. U want ur blood thin and viscous. The other thing elevated sugar in the blood does is turn ur blood vessels hard and brittle. Consequently the blood vessels don’t flex as much, and cause blood pressure to increase. And on a side note, when elevated blood sugar levels cause the blood vessels to become brittle and stiff, they’re subject to cracking. Think of an old rubber band. When it’s new, it’s super flexible and stays in one piece. When it’s old and brittle it doesn’t stretch as much, and when u try to stretch it, it causes it to have a bunch of cracks. When this happens in the blood vessels, cholesterol then comes to fill in these cracks, which then cause plaque buildup, which then can cause narrowing of the blood vessels and blockages overtime

-Then u want to decrease inflammation as much as possible. The main offenders are usually pasteurized/ grain fed dairy (basically 99% of dairy people consume/ have access to), gluten and unhealthy fats/ processed oils.

But overall, if u want to keep ur arteries healthy and relaxed, and prevent them from hardening, always make sure ur fasting insulin level is as low as possible, ur HgbA1C is on the lower end, and make sure ur triglycerides are as low as possible (ideally 50 or less, but absolutely less than 100). Focus on these things. Don’t focus on trying to get LDL down. That’s the absolute incorrect way about going about preventing artery hardening. Don’t be like other people that are still believing antiquated/ stone age myths about this stuff that they heard repeated their whole lives growing up. It’s 2024, always try and be up on the latest research. It’s ur body and life that are going to suffer if ur not

 

[mooseman109]

I had a major MI in 2018, 100% occlusion of lad. Running 9 mph on treadmill training for the murph. BP, cholesterol and everything was great. Bad genetics I guess.
I have been in low dose rosuvastatin for 5 years. I experience no muscle weakness. It does not bother my work outs. Now saying that, 50% of my heart is dead, so I cant do high intensity anymore anyway, so it might be possible I would notice some effects if I did HIT training again.
The beta blocker is a bit of a different story. It slows my heart down for sure.

 

[SSHSSA74]

No such thing as “bad” cholesterol brotha. Run far far away from any doctor that tells u that there’s such thing as “bad” cholesterol. The body doesn’t endogenously produce things that harm it.

just as beneficial as HDL. Both types of cholesterol are extremely important for optimal health. Can send u endless material going over all of this

So if ur trying to prevent artery hardening, and based on ur views about LDL, it seems like ur specifically concerned about preventing plaque buildup, when it comes to artery hardening, what u want to focus on is preventing ur arteries from becoming stiff and rigid, and cracking in the first place. These are tips that I sent someone, that go over some of the main things a person can do in order to keep blood pressure in a healthy range, but these specific tips also apply to keeping blood vessels healthy and stretchy, and preventing them from hardening and becoming stiff.




-Speaking of vitamin K, K2 is an extremely important vitamin in regards to cardiovascular health and keeping the blood vessels nice and relaxed. K2 helps guide calcium to the parts of the body that it should go to. Like nails, bones and teeth, for a few examples, opposed to going to arteries where it can increase a persons risk of atherosclerosis (build up plaque in arteries that can cause narrowing of blood vessels) which can result in blood pressure increasing, since the same amount of blood has less space to fit through

-the other main thing is to keep ur fasting insulin levels as low as possible. Aka be as insulin sensitive as possible. Being insulin resistant will make ur blood vessels stiff and brittle, and have a huge impact on BP, obv in a negative way. Anytime cells are insulin resistant, insulin has less of an effect, and blood sugars stay elevated longer in the blood than they should. This does two main things. Sugar in the blood makes the blood thick and sticky. Think of things high in sugar. Honey, syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc. U want ur blood thin and viscous. The other thing elevated sugar in the blood does is turn ur blood vessels hard and brittle. Consequently the blood vessels don’t flex as much, and cause blood pressure to increase. And on a side note, when elevated blood sugar levels cause the blood vessels to become brittle and stiff, they’re subject to cracking. Think of an old rubber band. When it’s new, it’s super flexible and stays in one piece. When it’s old and brittle it doesn’t stretch as much, and when u try to stretch it, it causes it to have a bunch of cracks. When this happens in the blood vessels, cholesterol then comes to fill in these cracks, which then cause plaque buildup, which then can cause narrowing of the blood vessels and blockages overtime

-Then u want to decrease inflammation as much as possible. The main offenders are usually pasteurized/ grain fed dairy (basically 99% of dairy people consume/ have access to), gluten and unhealthy fats/ processed oils.

But overall, if u want to keep ur arteries healthy and relaxed, and prevent them from hardening, always make sure ur fasting insulin level is as low as possible, ur HgbA1C is on the lower end, and make sure ur triglycerides are as low as possible (ideally 50 or less, but absolutely less than 100). Focus on these things. Don’t focus on trying to get LDL down. That’s the absolute incorrect way about going about preventing artery hardening. Don’t be like other people that are still believing antiquated/ stone age myths about this stuff that they heard repeated their whole lives growing up. It’s 2024, always try and be up on the latest research. It’s ur body and life that are going to suffer if ur not

Thanks for all this information. I actually do take vit k2 almost everyday. I guess I need to request an blood test for insulin. I had a test recently, but I do not see insulin results on it. And HgbA1C??? Is that another blood test? Triglycerides on my last panel in December were 51. LDL was 88. I'm on 10 mg telmisartan BP med also.

 

[Gman86]

Thanks for all this information. I actually do take vit k2 almost everyday. I guess I need to request a blood test for insulin. I had a test recently, but I do not see insulin results on it. And HgbA1C??? Is that another blood test? Triglycerides on my last panel in December were 51. LDL was 88. I'm on 10 mg telmisartan BP med also.

Ya HbA1c is a blood test as well. Just tests ur average blood sugar level over the last 3 months

Triglycerides of 51 is amazing!! That says a ton about ur diet and overall metabolic health.

LDL of 88 is way too low, imo. I personally try to get my LDL close to 200. Tons of benefits to having a healthy LDL level, mainly in the immune system department

10mg of telmisartan is a very small dose. U definitely don’t need to be taking it, at least for BP. Keeping BP in a healthy range is one of the easiest things to do. It might sound like an exaggeration, but it’s not. It truly is extremely simple to keep BP within a healthy range, without meds, for the vast majority of people. Here’s another few tips, from what I sent a guy one time, in regards to how to keep BP in a healthy range

“It’s all about doing everything u can to keep ur blood vessels flexible and relaxed. So ya, magnesium is a huge one. I personally use Remag. It’s a high quality liquid magnesium chloride. I put it in my water and sip on it throughout the day. So I’m slowly getting magnesium in my system all day.
-A huge thing when it comes to BP is hydration. I personally only drink mineral water. And then throw in some Celtic sea salt, for extra electrolytes, and the magnesium, every time I open one. So i recommend everyone drink mineral water, with some added electrolytes. That has helped a ton, in regards to keeping my BP in a very healthy range”

 

[SSHSSA74]

Ya HbA1c is a blood test as well. Just tests ur average blood sugar level over the last 3 months

Triglycerides of 51 is amazing!! That says a ton about ur diet and overall metabolic health.

LDL of 88 is way too low, imo. I personally try to get my LDL close to 200. Tons of benefits to having a healthy LDL level, mainly in the immune system department

10mg of telmisartan is a very small dose. U definitely don’t need to be taking it, at least for BP. Keeping BP in a healthy range is one of the easiest things to do. It might sound like an exaggeration, but it’s not. It truly is extremely simple to keep BP within a healthy range, without meds, for the vast majority of people. Here’s another few tips, from what I sent a guy one time, in regards to how to keep BP in a healthy range

“It’s all about doing everything u can to keep ur blood vessels flexible and relaxed. So ya, magnesium is a huge one. I personally use Remag. It’s a high quality liquid magnesium chloride. I put it in my water and sip on it throughout the day. So I’m slowly getting magnesium in my system all day.
-A huge thing when it comes to BP is hydration. I personally only drink mineral water. And then throw in some Celtic sea salt, for extra electrolytes, and the magnesium, every time I open one. So i recommend everyone drink mineral water, with some added electrolytes. That has helped a ton, in regards to keeping my BP in a very healthy range”

Got it. Thanks for all the great information. I appreciate it. i will look into remag and mineral water!

 

[ZALEMAX]

I had a major MI in 2018, 100% occlusion of lad. Running 9 mph on treadmill training for the murph. BP, cholesterol and everything was great. Bad genetics I guess.
I have been in low dose rosuvastatin for 5 years. I experience no muscle weakness. It does not bother my work outs. Now saying that, 50% of my heart is dead, so I cant do high intensity anymore anyway, so it might be possible I would notice some effects if I did HIT training again.
The beta blocker is a bit of a different story. It slows my heart down for sure.

@Moose man 109 what is your low dose of rosuvastatin? Is that what you started at? My Dr. is prescribing me 20mg start dose. I think its too high. Thoughts?

 

[ZALEMAX]

Ya HbA1c is a blood test as well. Just tests ur average blood sugar level over the last 3 months

Triglycerides of 51 is amazing!! That says a ton about ur diet and overall metabolic health.

LDL of 88 is way too low, imo. I personally try to get my LDL close to 200. Tons of benefits to having a healthy LDL level, mainly in the immune system department

10mg of telmisartan is a very small dose. U definitely don’t need to be taking it, at least for BP. Keeping BP in a healthy range is one of the easiest things to do. It might sound like an exaggeration, but it’s not. It truly is extremely simple to keep BP within a healthy range, without meds, for the vast majority of people. Here’s another few tips, from what I sent a guy one time, in regards to how to keep BP in a healthy range

“It’s all about doing everything u can to keep ur blood vessels flexible and relaxed. So ya, magnesium is a huge one. I personally use Remag. It’s a high quality liquid magnesium chloride. I put it in my water and sip on it throughout the day. So I’m slowly getting magnesium in my system all day.
-A huge thing when it comes to BP is hydration. I personally only drink mineral water. And then throw in some Celtic sea salt, for extra electrolytes, and the magnesium, every time I open one. So i recommend everyone drink mineral water, with some added electrolytes. That has helped a ton, in regards to keeping my BP in a very healthy range”

@Gman86 my triglycerides mg/dl is 42 HDL 76 LDL 96 Total cholesterol 184
My Dr. is prescribing rosuvastatin@ 20mg he wants me @ 70 and ideally @ 50 LDL
My dad past away from heart attack he was 48. My hemoglobin A1c% total is 5.3 and I do not eat sweats and no high fructose corn syrup etc.
I appreciate post above. My BP seems to directly correlate to what's in front of me and my reactions to people person or places and if If seems threat to me it can get into the 160'z but otherwise generally 125'z-137,z my heart rate at base is 53-day -night 48.
do you have any thoughts on lowering the A1C. I am not a huge fan of statins either but given my family history I am taking a harder look at the statin. Do you have any further thoughts? I agree great information!

 

[Gman86]

@Gman86 my triglycerides mg/dl is 42 HDL 76 LDL 96 Total cholesterol 184
My Dr. is prescribing rosuvastatin@ 20mg he wants me @ 70 and ideally @ 50 LDL
My dad past away from heart attack he was 48. My hemoglobin A1c% total is 5.3 and I do not eat sweats and no high fructose corn syrup etc.
I appreciate post above. My BP seems to directly correlate to what's in front of me and my reactions to people person or places and if If seems threat to me it can get into the 160'z but otherwise generally 125'z-137,z my heart rate at base is 53-day -night 48.
do you have any thoughts on lowering the A1C. I am not a huge fan of statins either but given my family history I am taking a harder look at the statin. Do you have any further thoughts? I agree great information!

Man, ur cholesterol values are so good! Only thing I would want to see different is ur LDL up a bit. 96 is still too low. Ur missing out on a bunch of benefits that come from having ur LDL closer to 200. U at least want to see it at 150 tho, minimum.

I can send u a bunch of stuff, proving that LDL is definitively not the cause of cardiovascular disease. Imo it could not be more obvious that LDL is not the cause, and suppressing it just makes no sense. Especially in someone like u, that’s metabolically healthy. The cause of cardiovascular disease is chronically elevated blood sugar levels/ being insulin resistant, chronic inflammation, and consuming foods high in crap processed oils/ processed foods. I promise u that taking a statin is only going to make ur overall health worse, and do zero to further lower ur risk of having any type of cardiovascular disease. It’s a lose lose for someone in ur position. Ur dad didn’t pass away from a heart attack because of his LDL level. Again, I can send you so many things, from credible sources, like cardiologists, for example, easily proving that cardiovascular disease isn’t due to cholesterol levels. That’s such an old myth that it makes me sad that people still believe it to this day, with all the information out there at our fingertips. So ya, absolutely don’t take the statin lol. Again, u want to work on getting ur LDL up, if avoiding all cause mortality is ur goal

And ur A1C is perfect! U actually don’t want it much lower. It’s an average of ur blood sugar levels over the past 3 months, and low blood sugars have negatives to them just like high blood sugar levels do. So u don’t want ur A1C too low. That would indicate that u chronically have low blood sugar levels, which again, isn’t what u want. U want ur A1C to be right around where urs is. Maybe like 4.7-5.3ish. So I guess getting it down a little wouldn’t hurt, but if I were u, I honestly wouldn’t worry about it too much. But to lower it further, all u have to do is make urself as insulin sensitive as possible. Just eat as close to carnivore as u can, and if u consume carbs, consume a low to moderate amount per day, and make sure they come from healthy sources, as much as possible. Mainly from fruit and raw organic honey. And just avoid crap processed oils, like the plague, and obv avoid processed foods as much as u can.

 

[ZALEMAX]

Man, ur cholesterol values are so good! Only thing I would want to see different is ur LDL up a bit. 96 is still too low. Ur missing out on a bunch of benefits that come from having ur LDL closer to 200. U at least want to see it at 150 tho, minimum.

I can send u a bunch of stuff, proving that LDL is definitively not the cause of cardiovascular disease. Imo it could not be more obvious that LDL is not the cause, and suppressing it just makes no sense. Especially in someone like u, that’s metabolically healthy. The cause of cardiovascular disease is chronically elevated blood sugar levels/ being insulin resistant, chronic inflammation, and consuming foods high in crap processed oils/ processed foods. I promise u that taking a statin is only going to make ur overall health worse, and do zero to further lower ur risk of having any type of cardiovascular disease. It’s a lose lose for someone in ur position. Ur dad didn’t pass away from a heart attack because of his LDL level. Again, I can send you so many things, from credible sources, like cardiologists, for example, easily proving that cardiovascular disease isn’t due to cholesterol levels. That’s such an old myth that it makes me sad that people still believe it to this day, with all the information out there at our fingertips. So ya, absolutely don’t take the statin lol. Again, u want to work on getting ur LDL up, if avoiding all cause mortality is ur goal

And ur A1C is perfect! U actually don’t want it much lower. It’s an average of ur blood sugar levels over the past 3 months, and low blood sugars have negatives to them just like high blood sugar levels do. So u don’t want ur A1C too low. That would indicate that u chronically have low blood sugar levels, which again, isn’t what u want. U want ur A1C to be right around where urs is. Maybe like 4.7-5.3ish. So I guess getting it down a little wouldn’t hurt, but if I were u, I honestly wouldn’t worry about it too much. But to lower it further, all u have to do is make urself as insulin sensitive as possible. Just eat as close to carnivore as u can, and if u consume carbs, consume a low to moderate amount per day, and make sure they come from healthy sources, as much as possible. Mainly from fruit and raw organic honey. And just avoid crap processed oils, like the plague, and obv avoid processed foods as much as u can.

@Gman86 Atherosclerosis is thickening or hardening of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining of an artery. Risk factors may include high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, obesity, physical activity, and eating saturated fats.
I don't eat red meats since 20 years ago just eat fish and chicken. I am puzzled about your position on LDL/HDL although, I like your motivational posting I don't smoke I weigh about 178-180lbs. I do not eat sweets yet my A1c is high. What is your personal lipid panel? Do you have any family history of Cardiac issues?

 

[Charliebizz]

I have a bunch of stuff I could link, showing that LDL has a bunch of benefits, and lowering it is going to cause a host of problems within the body, and that LDL, and cholesterol in general, aren’t the causes of any form of cardiovascular disease, but here’s a few to check out that are really good at getting these points across. I’ve done more research on this topic than most people will do in 100 lifetimes, and I promise u that one of the worst things anyone can do, when it comes to their overall health, is to take a statin. If I were u, I would stop taking it asap. But to each their own. I’m just hear to spread correct information. Not here to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do with their bodies

(15 min video going over study released march 2024 showing highest risk of all cause mortality is individuals with low LDL)

(8 min vid of guy that did 5 year phd on cholesterol and sex hormones, goes over why ldl is good for us, not bad)

(vid where doctor goes over cholesterol, and a lot about how ldl is actually good for us)
-1:14:14 long

I cannot believe people still believe in the cholesterol myths. I watched my father go from a strong ass hell ox of a man to a frail old man over night from all these big pharma treatments. Some is on him because he wanted the easy way out. Instead of some lifestyle changes. But it’s a shame that people still trust “the science”

 

[ZALEMAX]

I cannot believe people still believe in the cholesterol myths. I watched my father go from a strong ass hell ox of a man to a frail old man over night from all these big pharma treatments. Some is on him because he wanted the easy way out. Instead of some lifestyle changes. But it’s a shame that people still trust “the science”

@Charliebizz and @Gman86 Please know I am trying to understand this to get more clarity I have few questions to ask y'all. My calcium score is in the 900's the vitamin K, K2 is an extremely important vitamin (@Gman86 wrote)in regards to cardiovascular health and keeping the blood vessels nice and relaxed. K2 helps guide calcium to the parts of the body that it should go to. Like nails, bones and teeth, for a few examples, opposed to going to arteries where it can increase a persons risk of atherosclerosis (build up plaque in arteries that can cause narrowing of blood vessels) which can result in blood pressure increasing, since the same amount of blood has less space to fit through.

Is that two different vitamins? also, how much? and what brand?

I have not started the statin yet but am looking at it hard and weighing this out.

Trying to keep a1c down I am borderline, thoughts?

Appreciate any personal information about your protocol about cardiovascular health and any other TRT information you would like to share.

Xyosted 50mg a week.
low dose aspirin daily.
2.5 mg Tadifil daily
Generic Viagra 100mg split 1/4 daily thought day when needed.
Coq10-200mg.
vitimin -c 1000.
d3-2000
pumpkin seed oil-1,000mg
NAC

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

@Charliebizz and @Gman86 Please know I am trying to understand this to get more clarity I have few questions to ask y'all. My calcium score is in the 900's the vitamin K, K2 is an extremely important vitamin (@Gman86 wrote)in regards to cardiovascular health and keeping the blood vessels nice and relaxed. K2 helps guide calcium to the parts of the body that it should go to. Like nails, bones and teeth, for a few examples, opposed to going to arteries where it can increase a persons risk of atherosclerosis (build up plaque in arteries that can cause narrowing of blood vessels) which can result in blood pressure increasing, since the same amount of blood has less space to fit through.

Is that two different vitamins? also, how much? and what brand?

I have not started the statin yet but am looking at it hard and weighing this out.

Trying to keep a1c down I am borderline, thoughts?

Appreciate any personal information about your protocol about cardiovascular health and any other TRT information you would like to share.

Xyosted 50mg a week.
low dose aspirin daily.
2.5 mg Tadifil daily
Generic Viagra 100mg split 1/4 daily thought day when needed.
Coq10-200mg.
vitimin -c 1000.
d3-2000
pumpkin seed oil-1,000mg
NAC

Note that low A1c is only good if fasting insulin is also low, such as 6 or below. Having high insulin to keep blood sugar down only replaces one problem with another (possibly worse) problem.

 

[ZALEMAX]

Note that low A1c is only good if fasting insulin is also low, such as 6 or below. Having high insulin to keep blood sugar down only replaces one problem with another (possibly worse) problem.

@Guided_by_Voices so what is the best way to keep a1c down in general terms?

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

You want to do things that increase insulin sensitivity and avoid things that spike blood sugar (there is a compelling school of thought that extreme spikes in blood sugar may be worse than the average level, as long as the average level is not high.) So specific steps could include:
- eat within a 6-8 hour window, which will give your body 16-18 hours in a low insulin, steady blood sugar state
- good sleep is absolutely essential, as is avoidance of chronic stress. IIRC there was a study showing that even one night of bad sleep significantly reduced insulin sensitivity.
- avoid sweeteners of any kind since this will provoke insulin release
- time your carbs around activity, specifically after intense activity. You can look into the concept of Non-insulin-mediated-glucose-uptake (NIMGU) which refers to the body's ability to store glucose without needing insulin in certain situations such as right after intense exercise. Low-level activity such as a 10 minute walk after eating carbs can also be helpful.
- Maintaining a fairly high amount of muscle is generally insulin sensitizing since muscle is one of the main glucose storage areas.
- I micro-dose metformin (250 mg) prior to a carb-heavy meal (which I only have several times per week at most) to promote akkermansia. Berberine and bitter melon are worthwhile considering also.
- 200g of carbs per day is likely a good number to shoot for with slightly more on and prior to heavy activity and a bit less around lower activity days.
- Minimize a-cellular carbohydrates (i.e. anything made with flower or sugar) as these are absorbed higher in the gut and spike blood sugar.
- Minimize seed oils. All risk, no reward
- If you have signs of visceral fat, consider an extended fast to eliminate it
- And more generally regarding calcification, here is a podcast on the topic: Reverse Heart Disease: Patrick Theut's Journey & Vitamin K
- Do all the things in the "20 things" post
- I would read the book The Clot Thickens: THe enduring mystery of heart disease, by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick to get fluent in the more technical details of heart disease.
- Also, while not specific to blood sugar, there is more and more evidence coming out that excessive blood clotting is the root cause of a lot of problems so addressing this should be a high priority. Aluminum can cause this and hence should be avoided in any form that could get into the body, and silica/sauna can be used to help remove what's there. Amidwesterndoctor on substack (essential reading IMO) has written extensively about this related to Zeta Potential, so I would read through his posts as well. Grounding and sunlight can also help reduce excessive clotting.
- Finally, note that there has been a bit of controversy about the accuracy of the A1C tests due to variation in how long red blood cell turn over from person-to-person, so as with everything, I would do things that tilt the odds in you favor without over-stressing about numbers unless they beyond any possible margin of error.

 

[ZALEMAX]

You want to do things that increase insulin sensitivity and avoid things that spike blood sugar (there is a compelling school of thought that extreme spikes in blood sugar may be worse than the average level, as long as the average level is not high.) So specific steps could include:
- eat within a 6-8 hour window, which will give your body 16-18 hours in a low insulin, steady blood sugar state
- good sleep is absolutely essential, as is avoidance of chronic stress. IIRC there was a study showing that even one night of bad sleep significantly reduced insulin sensitivity.
- avoid sweeteners of any kind since this will provoke insulin release
- time your carbs around activity, specifically after intense activity. You can look into the concept of Non-insulin-mediated-glucose-uptake (NIMGU) which refers to the body's ability to store glucose without needing insulin in certain situations such as right after intense exercise. Low-level activity such as a 10 minute walk after eating carbs can also be helpful.
- Maintaining a fairly high amount of muscle is generally insulin sensitizing since muscle is one of the main glucose storage areas.
- I micro-dose metformin (250 mg) prior to a carb-heavy meal (which I only have several times per week at most) to promote akkermansia. Berberine and bitter melon are worthwhile considering also.
- 200g of carbs per day is likely a good number to shoot for with slightly more on and prior to heavy activity and a bit less around lower activity days.
- Minimize a-cellular carbohydrates (i.e. anything made with flower or sugar) as these are absorbed higher in the gut and spike blood sugar.
- Minimize seed oils. All risk, no reward
- If you have signs of visceral fat, consider an extended fast to eliminate it
- And more generally regarding calcification, here is a podcast on the topic: Reverse Heart Disease: Patrick Theut's Journey & Vitamin K
- Do all the things in the "20 things" post
- I would read the book The Clot Thickens: THe enduring mystery of heart disease, by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick to get fluent in the more technical details of heart disease.
- Also, while not specific to blood sugar, there is more and more evidence coming out that excessive blood clotting is the root cause of a lot of problems so addressing this should be a high priority. Aluminum can cause this and hence should be avoided in any form that could get into the body, and silica/sauna can be used to help remove what's there. Amidwesterndoctor on substack (essential reading IMO) has written extensively about this related to Zeta Potential, so I would read through his posts as well. Grounding and sunlight can also help reduce excessive clotting.
- Finally, note that there has been a bit of controversy about the accuracy of the A1C tests due to variation in how long red blood cell turn over from person-to-person, so as with everything, I would do things that tilt the odds in you favor without over-stressing about numbers unless they beyond any possible margin of error.

@Guided_by_Voices Supergreat!! post and information I will be reading your post and absorbing its list of each and all of the contents. Your knowledge and information is far reaching I am hopeful to incorporate it. I'll post back to you.

If you can or want to please share your lipid panel and a1c and any other TRT information/or protocol?

 

[Gman86]

@Gman86 Atherosclerosis is thickening or hardening of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining of an artery. Risk factors may include high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, obesity, physical activity, and eating saturated fats.
I don't eat red meats since 20 years ago just eat fish and chicken. I am puzzled about your position on LDL/HDL although, I like your motivational posting I don't smoke I weigh about 178-180lbs. I do not eat sweets yet my A1c is high. What is your personal lipid panel? Do you have any family history of Cardiac issues?

I know it’s confusing as all hell, trust me, I COMPLETELY get it lol. It’s very very difficult to believe that cholesterol isn’t the cause of cardiovascular diseases, like atherosclerosis, when cholesterol is partially what arterial plaque is made up.



Arterial plaque

“This plaque is made up of cholesterol, fatty substances, calcium, cellular waste products, and fibrin, a clotting material in the blood. It builds up in the inner lining of arteries, causing them to thicken and stiffen. This process is called atherosclerosis, which is a type of arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. As plaque builds up, it narrows the artery, reducing blood flow and the amount of oxygen and nutrients that reach the body. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes are risk factors for arterial plaque”



There’s no debating that plaque build in the arteries causes arterial narrowing, and can eventually get so bad that they occlude blood vessels completely, causing heart attacks and strokes. These plaques can also break off and form clots that can also cause heart attacks and strokes.



Plaque rupture

“When plaque becomes brittle or inflamed, it can break open or rupture. This can cause a blood clot to form inside the artery, which can narrow or completely block blood flow. A ruptured plaque can also break off and travel to smaller arteries, such as in the brain, where it can get stuck and cut off blood supply. This can lead to a stroke”



So I can absolutely see why people could think that cholesterol is the cause of cardiovascular disease. However, cholesterol is not the cause of these issues. The root cause of atherosclerosis, for example, is what is causing ur arteries to be stiff and crack in the first place, thus needing plaque to plug up the cracks. So yes, in a person that’s very metabolically unhealthy, and is going to have very unhealthy arteries/ blood vessel lining, there is an argument to keep cholesterol very low. But this is like women taking extremely high dosages of AI’s, in order to get their estrogen to basically zero, in order to prevent/ put breast cancer in remission. Or a man being on testosterone deprivation therapy, in order to prevent/ put prostate cancer into remission. Optimal levels of cholesterol, are not the cause of cardiovascular diseases, like atherosclerosis, just like optimal levels of estrogen isn’t the cause of breast cancer, and optimal levels of testosterone/ dht aren’t the cause of prostate cancer. And just like Estrogen and testosterone deprivation therapies comes with a HOST of negative consequences, cholesterol deprivation therapy is in the exact same boat. If there’s one thing in the body u don’t want to purposely lower, it’s cholesterol. Ur brain is mostly made up of cholesterol, and cholesterol is needed for so many extremely important processes within the body. That includes both HDL and LDL



So short story long, what u want to do, if avoiding all cardiovascular disease is the goal, is look at the root causes of it. Other than someone using steroids and increasing the size of their heart, causing it to not be able pump properly, most cardiovascular disease is caused by the same things. Basically poor circulation/ damaged blood vessels/ chronic inflammation. So now let’s go over what causes these things. Let’s start with blood vessels. U basically just want to keep them as healthy and pliable as possible. How do u go about this? Simple answer, stay as metabolically healthy as possible. Aka be as insulin sensitive as possible. People think they need to avoid carbs to achieve this. This simply isn’t the case. Being metabolically unhealthy comes mostly from consuming processed foods with crap oils in them. Bad oils negatively affect the body way more than something like high fructose corn syrup does. This is because HFCS is in and out of ur body, doing damage while in there, but again, it’s only in there for a brief time, each time. Crap oils, on the other hand, become part of ur cell membranes, when consumed, and negatively affect the body for MUCH longer periods of time. We’re talking months and months. I’ve heard they can negatively affect the body up to even 1-3 years. There’s plenty of vids I can send u on how these crap oils negatively affect the body, if u want to learn more. So without going into a ton of detail, when it comes to diet, just try to avoid processed foods, as much as u can, avoid crap oils/ crap fats, and avoid added sugars in foods. Obv I can go into much more detail than that, but that’s the basics. And just try to eat as much ruminant animal meat as possible/ animal products in general. These are going to be the foods that pack the most nutrition/ micronutrients, per calorie, that ur body requires to function properly/ be as metabolically healthy as possible, without coming with aspects of the food that mess with the body, once consumed. And then just do all the things that we all are aware of, in regards to getting our bodies to function as optimally as possible. Lift weights/ do HIT cardio at least 3 times per week, try to stay away from long distance/ long duration cardio (too much of a stressor to the body), optimize sleep the best that u can and decrease stress the best that u can, to name the main ones.



So those are some of the main ways to increase insulin sensitivity. Reason insulin sensitivity is so important is due to the fact that chronically elevated glucose levels in our blood wreak havoc on our circulatory system. Instead of going into great detail about why being insulin resistant is so bad for us/ bad for our circulatory/ cardiovascular system, I’ll paste something I wrote to someone, that relates, about how to optimize BP



“but speaking of vitamin K, K2 is an extremely important vitamin in regards to cardiovascular health and keeping the blood vessels nice and relaxed. K2 helps guide calcium to the parts of the body that it should go to. Like nails, bones and teeth, for a few examples, opposed to going to arteries where it can increase a persons risk of atherosclerosis (build up plaque in arteries that can cause narrowing of blood vessels) which can result in blood pressure increasing, since the same amount of blood has less space to fit through

-the other main thing is to keep ur fasting insulin levels as low as possible. Aka be as insulin sensitive as possible. Being insulin resistant will make ur blood vessels stiff and brittle, and have a huge impact on BP, obv in a negative way. Anytime cells are insulin resistant, insulin has less of an effect, and blood sugars stay elevated longer in the blood than they should. This does two main things. Sugar in the blood makes the blood thick and sticky. Think of things high in sugar. Honey, syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc. U want ur blood thin and viscous. The other thing elevated sugar in the blood does is turn ur blood vessels hard and brittle. Consequently the blood vessels don’t flex as much, and cause blood pressure to increase. And on a side note, when elevated blood sugar levels cause the blood vessels to become brittle and stiff, they’re subject to cracking. Think of an old rubber band. When it’s new, it’s super flexible and stays in one piece. When it’s old and brittle it doesn’t stretch as much, and when u try to stretch it, it causes it to have a bunch of cracks. When this happens in the blood vessels, cholesterol then comes to fill in these cracks, which then cause plaque buildup, which then can cause narrowing of the blood vessels and blockages overtime

-Then u want to decrease inflammation as much as possible. The main offenders are usually pasteurized/ grain fed dairy (basically 99% of dairy people consume/ have access to), gluten and unhealthy fats/ oils.

-there’s obv other things u can do, like optimize sleep, and minimize stress. These will also have huge positive effects on BP when optimized”



Then as far as optimizing circulation goes, u just want to keep ur heart as healthy as possible, so it can pump blood as effectively/ efficiently as possible, and u want to obv keep ur blood vessels as clear as possible, and u want to keep ur blood the optimal consistency, as much as possible. To achieve these things, u basically do all the same things that I mentioned above, that u would do in order to prevent all cardiovascular disease



So hopefully all that helps u understand a bit more why cholesterol is not the enemy, and if u want to decrease ur risk of having any cardiovascular disease/ cardiovascular events, there’s many many things that will be much more beneficial, to focus on/ improve upon. Again, there’s an endless list of benefits that come from having optimal HDL, and LDL levels. Imo, based on all my research, an LDL level of around 200 is a good number to shoot for. I can send u a bunch of great vids where cardiologists explain all of LDL’s benefits, and why actively trying to lower it is a horrible idea

 

[Gman86]

I cannot believe people still believe in the cholesterol myths. I watched my father go from a strong ass hell ox of a man to a frail old man over night from all these big pharma treatments. Some is on him because he wanted the easy way out. Instead of some lifestyle changes. But it’s a shame that people still trust “the science”

Literally blows my mind that people still believe in old antiquated medical myths, with all the info we have at our fingertips 24/7. All it takes is some half decent common sense/ critical thinking skills to realize that our medical system isn’t designed to resolve medical issues. It’s designed to treat them, while the person’s condition either remains the same, or continues to get worse. Yet people still would rather take a doctors advice on how to prevent/ treat medical conditions, vs simply looking up how to get to the root cause of their conditions, and resolve them completely. This includes “scary”/ serious conditions, such as cancer. How to treat/ resolve/ prevent cancer is easy, and anyone can learn how to do so very easily, with a little time and dedication to researching the subject. It’s not rocket science. Cancer runs on glucose. U get ur body to run on ketones, and not glucose, limit ur carb intake to as low as u can, avoid all foods that mess with the body, decrease chronic inflammation as much as possible, improve insulin sensitivity as much as possible, optimize sleep, decrease stress, optimize ur social life, try and stay in a state of positivity as much as possible, workout with weights/ do HIT cardio at least 3 times per week, bam, u don’t have to worry about cancer any longer. It’s literally that simple. Obv easier said than done, I get it, but at least the strategy to prevent/ resolve cancer is there, if one can stick to it. And medical doctors/ some people will think this is all nonsense, but the proofs in the pudding. If u have cancer, implement these things and watch ur cancer disappear. People can argue all day about what theoretically will or will not happen, but results don’t lie.

But ya, I agree man, I’ve been in the medical field for almost 20 years, it’s definitely sad to see people continue to get worse once they start taking bandaid medications/ treatments for their medical conditions

 

[Guided_by_Voices]

While waiting for your copy of The Clot Thickens to arrive, here is a video summary with the author. He covers a lot in a short time and a lot of it is covered in much more detail in his What Causes Heart Disease blog which the book grew out of, but this will get you started. It also reminded me that Chondroitin Sulfate is a heart-healthy compound due to its role in blood vessel integrity which almost no one is aware of.

 

[mooseman109]

@Moose man 109 what is your low dose of rosuvastatin? Is that what you started at? My Dr. is prescribing me 20mg start dose. I think its too high. Thoughts?

20 is what I take. My total chose stays 100-120