I have a few Acarbose questions, if anyone could answer them:
1 - I read that Acarbose should be used for complex carbs not simple carbs. Is this correct? If so could you give a few examples of complex carbs?
2 - Lots of people seem to be taking 100mg per meal. Is that the ideal amount for increasing health-span?
3 - Do you take Acarbose if you snack?
4 - Do you take Acarbose at every meal, or do you think through how many carbs there are?
5 - Someone said 1:2 is a good ratio for Acarbose to carbs. Is that right? So if I drank a can of soda with 54 grams of sugar I would take 25mg of Acarbose?
6 - Is it still valuable health-wise to take as little as 25mg per meal?
7 - Are there gender differences with Acarbose? Like does it only affect men with increased health-span? I thought I read that somewhere.
ad. 1 sugars are simple carbs / all the rest are complex carbs (starches, fiber etc.) examples are: rice, wheat, bread, pasta, potatoes, legumes, seeds, grains, non starchy vegetables…
ad. 2 I personally take 50-100 mg depending on the carbohydrate load of the meal (I remember reading somewhere that 200 mg per day is the dose, but I might be wrong). As delaying the release of glucose from complex carbohydrates is dose dependent, the more you take the lower the increase of glucose in blood. I started with much lower dose the first days to adjust my digestive system…
ad. 3 yes, I do.
ad. 4 e.g. if I eat steak and salad I take 50 mg and if I eat pizza or pasta I take 100 mg
ad. 5 maybe 1:2 is a good ratio but as much as I know it would not help with sugar, acarbose lowers your blood sugar by preventing the breakdown of starch into sugar, it has no influence on sugars.
ad. 6 I would say yes, but as reduction of postprandial hyperglycemia is dose dependent it would not lower blood glucose that much.
ad. 7 I think it was around 20% extension for males and 5% for female mice…
Acarbose works on starches: " Acarbose lowers your blood sugar by preventing the breakdown of starch into sugar, so not on sugar directly I think.
Just google foods that include starch - I think its general things like rice, lentils, wheat products, etc.
We don’t really know the optimal dosing for lifespan in humans… but the method of action is thought to be reducing blood glucose spikes - so I recommend using a CGM or finger pricks 30 to 60 minutes after a meal to see the effect of the dose of rapamycin you are taking, and adjust up or down as needed. 100mg per meal usually works pretty well for me to keep my blood glucose flat during the day (or between 70 and 100 about 98% of the time).
Acarbose effectiveness lasts about 2 hours - so if you snack within that 2 hour window, you’re covered. If not - then yes, pop an acarbose with the snack.
I take acarbose only with starchy meals. I don’t think that acarbose would help with a cola/sugary drink - but test it. I’m not sure if all surgars / sweeteners are considered “starches” - I don’t think so. I saw this:
“Sugar is also made from starch. This sugar (called “glucose-fructose syrup” or “fructose-glucose syrup”) comes in a liquid form. It has a similar composition to sucrose and is often used as an alternative to table sugar in some food products.”
I would not take beano with acarbose since beano is a purified alpha galactosidase enzyme which is the same enzyme class you are trying to inhibit with acarbose so it diminishes the effectiveness. The gas is how you know its working!
Yes - typically just before eating a meal with carbs / starches.
Lately I’ve been just popping 100mg or 200mg of acarbose at the start of any meal. I leave the bottle on my kitchen table so its easy to take even if I’m not sure of the exact level of carbs/starches in a given meal I’m starting.
My issues with gas have really gotten better over time - partly due to elimination of wheat from my diet, but it also seems my body adjusts to the acarbose and less gas is produced.
Yes, for me, the gas issues get better with time even if you don’t change your diet. I believe it is modifying your microbiome to reduce gastrointestinal distress over time.
I have been using Acarbose since January now with a few month break for hip surgery. Since my last update I have increased my dose to 50MG per meal. Like others here I don’t notice any difference with higher doses. BTW: I took a page out of @Agetron 's protocol and got a keychain pill holder - makes life so much easier when eating out. Gracias sir. Here is my latest cost from India.
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