Soluble fiber works the same way as Acarbose regarding glucose spikes, if you take Psyllium husk before a meal you don’t get the spikes.
I do this, and I use butyrate supplement (problem with this is that it is unknown how much of this is destroyed by stomach acid before it reaches lower intestine) And I take Acarbose from time to time. You can actually feel Acarbose working as it should do, because it creates gas.
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When this is happening, I get the feeling that while we may be living longer, the lives of those people around us is shortening 
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@davin8r you are absolutely 100% correct. And I am DEFINITELY not trying to be “religious” about which diet is best, or to get anyone to try keto. Actually Valter Longo’s Fasting Mimicking Diet is probably the best as of the most clinical data. My point was: if you’re trying to reduce glucose spikes, or inflammation markets, etc., there are other easy ways to do this without taking a pill (and thus risking side effects, interactions, or other complications). And if acarbose does something beyond this which is responsible for its longevity gains, maybe I should be taking it anyway given the data.
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I started acarbose a few weeks ago and I no longer get massive amounts of gas. It’s pretty clear to me that an adaptation has occurred. A few years ago I experimented with taking resistant starch to optimize gut health (potato starch in water), and the same thing happened: initially much gas that slowed down tremendously. I take up to 200 mg acarbose with a meal and the people around me are unaffected 
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My wife (not diabetic) buys hers at https://www.levelshealth.com approx $200/mo I nipped one of hers for the 15 day period they last. A constant policeman (the cgm) did cause me to reduce my chocolate vice. I calibrated with the keto mojo blood test meter. My cgm read high by 10pts.
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re buyng acarbose I see it on alldaychemists.com for $0.37/50mg I’ ve bought lots off allday. A fine (by me) site.
BTW watched a youtube (?? a PHD researcher recent post; acarbos produces the most gas on a wheat diet and less on a rice diet. Sounds like gas side effect is based on what you eat, not just personal variances.
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Interesting. I put two tablespoons of green banana flour along with an actual green banana in my morning smoothies and don’t get any gas at all, but acarbose is a completely different story. I don’t think the people around me could handle a two week break-in/break-wind period. I’m a health care provider who sees 30 patients per day, so that would be a quick way to earn an unwanted reputation. 
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FWIW.
After quitting Acarbose because of its unwanted gassiness etc., I have begun titrating up again. After a few weeks, I became less subject to unwanted gassiness, etc.
For me, wheat products in general cause the most gas, but strangely pasta products are mostly okay. Rice also seems to be okay. I still get a little gassy at times, but I am not sure that is all on Acarbose.
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How much Psyllium husk do you take? Do you take it with or before each meal? Do you add it to a glass of water or to a meal itself?
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I take 15g collagen, 500mg potassium powder, 15g pea protein powder, 3g of MSM, 200mg Hyaluronic acid, 2 tea spoons of Psyllium husk and 1g of vitamin C powder in a shaker, mix it with iced green tea and drink that before lunch (I don’t eat breakfast). Glucose spikes are very minor throughout the whole day. Even after sweets.
I go for number 2 in the toilet once a day, and I feel like my intestines are completely emptied after that.
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Thank you for the recipe. Why all other ingredients before lunch besides psyllium?
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I have always played tennis on hard court, last few years I can feel the damage done on knees and hips, collagen, Hyaluronic acid and MSM seems to help somewhat, I don’t eat enough of protein so thats the reason for pea protein, I was low in vitamin C on my last test, so I figured I would add to my shake for flavor. I have no idea if all these are ok to combine or not.
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Thank you. Glucosamine sulfate and Chondroitin may help with knee arthritis.
You take Psyllium only before lunch, not before dinner?
I only take once a day, I don’t want to overdo anything. But relatively early in the day seems to work very well for me.
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curt504
Did your wife buy acarbose at levels health?
I had the same problem after years of playing tennis on hard courts.
Boswellia Serrata/Frankincense is surprisingly effective for knee pain.
Oddly though it is used for osteoarthritis it specifically seems to target the knee.
It is a known anti-inflammatory and that is why I continue to take it though I no longer have any pain.
“The trial results revealed that BSE treatment significantly improved the physical function of the patients by reducing pain and stiffness compared with placebo”
“All patients receiving drug treatment reported decrease in knee pain, increased knee flexion and increased walking distance.”
" A pilot, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a novel Boswellia serrata extract in the management of osteoarthritis of the knee"
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Definitely Boswellia works for knee pain. I find I need to keep taking it or the pain comes back.
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Acarbose is an inhibitor of several carb enzymes. The MoA is delayed digestion of starches and disaccharides (particularly sucrose)
It could be related to (or a combination of):
- decreased postmeal spike in glucose that may contribute to aging/cancer, this may be independent of mean levels of glucose
- higher insulin sensitivity (seems to be more so in males)
- changes in the microbiome and their products from carb fermentation - the main one being short-chain fatty acid production ie butyrate to create GLP-1 increases (thus presumably the reason for mild weight loss)
- decreases in LDL, triglycerides, and total cholesterol (better than metformin in this regard, not to mention doesn’t seem to interfere with exercise)
I personally do the following:
- mix in multiple naturally occurring inhibitors from diet to potentially reduce the risk of “acarbose resistance”
- use slow digesting carbohydrates (examples are lentils/beans)
- maximum dose
It’s a pretty “clean” mechanism overall with very low systemic absorption - so I have fewer concerns about the potential side effects or potential drug interaction in my situation. Note that there are still potential contraindications or side effects. This is not medical advice.
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Please clarify which naturally occurring inhibitors do you mix
The main potential natural inhibitors from diet with apparently high inhibitory effects at low concentrations (has very low IC50) I use personally are from the following foods/drink:
- Purple sweet potato (anthocyanins)
- Bitter melon (glycosides/alkaloids)
- Tartary buckwheat, peppers (flavonoids)
- Green tea, not green tea extract supplement (other phenolic compounds)
(Food cultivar and processing matters)
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