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I believe so. Whenever I’ve taken it, I have noticed zero side effects (besides dark stools) and it reliably increased my ferritin quickly. It can be taken with or without food and still be well absorbed.
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I think a good sleep mask is critical. I wear one every night and bring it on every trip I go on.
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Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) plays a fundamental causal role. The classic INTERHEART study showed that dyslipidemia, characterized by an elevated apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein AI ratio, was the risk factor with the highest population-attributable risk (PAR) for myocardial infarction (MI) (PAR 49.2% for the top four quintiles vs. the lowest quintile).
Despite strong evidence supporting the benefits of statins in reducing ASCVD, misinformation about this therapy continues to spread widely on social media, potentially increasing the risk of clinical events for the population. A Danish study showed that early statin discontinuation was more common after exposure to negative media coverage and was linked to a higher risk of MI and ASCVD death. Misinformation is a threat that needs to be fought because it causes delays in starting lipid-lowering treatment, denying many patients its benefits.
LDL-cholesterol lowering, the earlier the better: lessons from the real world
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AI and Genetics Reveal Early Risk Signals for Aortic Stenosis
Aortic stenosis is one of the most common and deadly forms of heart valve disease, affecting millions worldwide. The condition develops gradually as the aortic valve narrows, eventually limiting blood flow from the heart. Yet despite its prevalence, medicine still lacks drugs that can prevent or slow its progression. Once the disease becomes severe, patients are left with only one option: valve replacement through surgery or catheter-based procedures.
A new study from researchers at UC San Francisco and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard suggests that this reactive approach may not be inevitable. By combining artificial intelligence–based imaging analysis with large-scale human genetics, the team has uncovered early genetic signals that shape aortic valve function long before clinical disease develops. The findings, published in Nature Genetics, point toward a future in which aortic stenosis could be detected, and potentially intercepted, years earlier.
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Regarding the corn oil question, it’s the same amount as in a few tortilla chips, based on rct/epidemiological data and its composition, it’s healthy.
Assuming you have time to answer, I want to know how you did this? What was your protocol? Thanks.
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Greetings, I am afraid I cannot give you a ‘protocol’ that I followed. The gap between testing was about 15 years. Only one factor remained constant. I do a blood test every six months or so and I have maintained the LDL levels almost always below 50 and Apo B below ~60. Lately it (LDL) has been below 30 (below 20 also for a year). I attribute this to effect of polypharmacy (Quercetin, Fisetin…). No irrefutable proof.
No butter, vegetarian diet, Diabetic (gross and yet!). Little formal exercise, keep moving (not at all sedentary) Last two years was on Nattokinase, Serrapeptase and Lumbrokinase and whatever else I read about. Nothing rigorous or scientific about anything, I stick to a supplement for at least 6 months. Brownian motion with a directional bias! More focused on my diabetes the last few years. I take notes but I misplace them/lose them. Life goes on and another New Year dawns!
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I got some blood tests from LabCorp just before my ACDF surgery, to make sure my sirolimus levels were zero. While at it I also took the opportunity to get some other tests, including ApoB, which I didn’t get back in October at UCLA. So, this is while on 4mg pitavastatin, bempedoic acid 180mg + ezetimibe 10mg. However, at the point of the test I was no longer taking empagliflozin, telmisartan or rapamycin (in preparation for the surgery).
My results:
TC - 187 mg/dL
LDL-C - 94
HDL-C - 78
TRG - 80
So, pretty garbage.
ApoB - 76
ApoA-1 - 192
Barely acceptable.
Other lipid numbers: continue to be absolute trash.
LDL-P (particle number) - 1231 nmol/L
Small LDL-P - 611
LDL Size - 20.6 nm
Can’t say I understand much of these numbers. How can my ApoB be at 76, when not only is LDL-C at 94, but my trigs are at a hefty 80, and the LDL-P is high, as well as small LDL particles are high and overall LDL size is “small”. AND my Lp(a) is always insanely sky high. I don’t get it. Taken together I’d imagine my ApoB must be much higher than 76. I’m starting to think LabCorp is not reliable.
My fasting insulin is at 6.4 uUI/mL with fasting glucose 105 mg/dL; hscrp jumped up to 0.37.
All in all, I’m not pleased with my lipid numbers on triple LLT: pita + BA + EZ. I’m thinking about PCSK9i, but really waiting on new drugs. Cr@p.
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I find it very surprising that your LDL-C is that high considering you’re taking all three meds that are supposed to crush it. As far as Apo-B it doesn’t seem to always be related to lipids. I have same scenario, my lipids are a bit high (naturally without any meds), but Apo-B is normal and that is a good thing since the Apo-B seems to be the new LDL-C meaning most doctors see high Apo-B as a better indicator of a potential future CVD event.
p.s why Labcorp if goodlabs is at least 30% cheaper, unless your tests are covered by you insurance.
ApoB is literally the lipid transport protein count. LDL can be confounded by size vs particle count. ApoB is supposed to get around that by collecting all the transport proteins into one number. Which is why I can make no sense of my numbers as I outlined above. It’s not simply the common discordance with LDL, but the particle count of all those proteins (including IDL). Re: labcorp, I was in a hurry and used Marek (who use labcorp) out of inertia as I already had an account with them. For my next test I do intend to look into Goodlabs.
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Ah I see. Marek might have a special deal with Labcorp so you might have still gotten good prices, but it is not available in NY (where I live). In NY the cheapest by at 30% is goodlabs.
Marek used to be cheap, but then their beancounter or new CEO decided it was a smart move to skin their customers and raised their prices to insane levels. They did run a holiday special where they cut the prices to previous levels, but I’m done with them, completely lost trust. I’m looking for alternatives and Goodlabs seems fine. Next time.
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Thanks for sharing that. A few questions.
-What country are your medications from?
-Do you count your macro nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber etc) and if so, what does a normal day look like for say ratio % of each macro or just foods you use?
-What daily supplements do you use?
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Meds from India, but always get the more expensive original non generic brand if available. Rapamycin, telmisartan, empagliflozin, BA+EZ, pitavastatin.
I don’t pay much attention to macros, just make sure I get enough protein and some healthy fats (nuts, EVOO), don’t count carbs, just whatever is in the fruits and veggies. I do pay a lot of attention to calorie counts, and keep them low/moderate. I don’t snack, and if trying anything new, I try to fit it into my daily or weekly calorie budget. I consciously consume a ton of fiber (over 100g/day). Diet pescatarian, Mediterranean, a little bit of eggs, kefir and fermented stuff like sauerkraut. Vast majority unprocessed food. Occasional treats like restaurant meals (rare), a piece of cake, glass of wine - all infrequent. No meat, except seafood (salmon, sardines, occasionally baby calamari).
Supplements slowly evolve with some dropping out others joining. Example from August of this year:
Sunday
Breakfast:
1)Vitamin D3 - 1000IU
2)K2 - mk4 1000mcg, mk7 100mcg
K1 - 1500mcg - DAILY
3)Boron - 3mg - DAILY
e)Zinc (as Zinc L-Methionine Sulfate) 15mg + Copper (as Gluconate) 1mg
2)TMG - 1g - DAILY
Dinner:
a)Grape Seed Extract - 400mg - DAILY
b)Magnesium - 100mg - DAILY
d)Vitamin C with 5mg Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex- 100mg - Sat, Sun, Wed
e)Garlic Extract - 1200mg - DAILY
f)Aged Garlic Extract AGE - 600mg - DAILY
g)Lithium Orotate - 1mg - DAILY (except Mon and Thursday when it’s 5mg)
Monday
Before breakfast: approx. 2-3g taurine
Breakfast:
1)Glucosamine Hydrochloride - 750mg,
Chondroitin Sulfate Sodium - 400mg,
Methylsulfonylmethane MSM - 375mg,
Vitamin D3 1000IU
3)K2 - mk4 1000mcg, mk7 100mcg
K1 - 1500mcg - DAILY
4)Boron - 3mg - DAILY
5)B Complex vit. B tab - most @ approx. 125% RDA - Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri
6)Lutein 20mg + Zeaxanthin 5mg DAILY Mon-Fri
7)Meso-zeaxanthin - 10mg - DAILY Mon-Fri
8)Vitamin D3 - 1000IU - DAILY Mon-Fri (total 2000IU for the day)
Dinner:
a)Taurine - 500mg
b)Grape Seed Extract - 400mg - DAILY
d)Magnesium - 100mg - DAILY
e)Molybdenum chelate - 250mg - Monday & Thursday
f)Citicoline - 250mg - Monday & Thursday
h)EPA - 500 mg, vit. E 10mg - Mon, Sat
e)Garlic Extract - 1200mg - DAILY
f)Aged Garlic Extract AGE - 600mg - DAILY
g)Lithium Orotate - 5mg - Monday & Thursday
2)TMG - 1g - DAILY
After Dinner:
f)Taurine: 500mg - Mon, Thur
g)Astaxanthin - 12mg
Tuesday
Before breakfast: approx. 2-3g taurine
Breakfast:
1)Glucosamine Hydrochloride - 750mg,
Chondroitin Sulfate Sodium - 400mg,
Methylsulfonylmethane MSM - 375mg,
Vitamin D3 1000IU
3)K2 - mk4 1000mcg, mk7 100mcg
K1 - 1500mcg - DAILY
4)Boron - 3mg - DAILY
5)B Complex tab - most @ approx. 125% RDA - Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri
- Zinc (as Zinc L-Methionine Sulfate) 15mg + Copper (as Gluconate) 1mg Tue, Fri, Sun
7)Lutein 20mg + Zeaxanthin 5mg - DAILY Mon-Fri
8)Meso-zeaxanthin - 10mg - DAILY Mon-Fri
9)Vitamin D3 - 1000IU - DAILY Mon-Fri (total 2000IU for the day)
Dinner:
a)Taurine - 500mg
b)Grape Seed Extract - 400mg - DAILY
d)Magnesium - 100mg - DAILY
e)Garlic Extract - 1200mg - DAILY
f)Aged Garlic Extract AGE - 600mg - DAILY
f)Iodine - 225mcg - Tue, Sat
g)Vitamin A (retinoic acid) - 10,000IU - Tue
i)Benfontiamin - 300mg - Tue, Thur
j)B2 riboflavin 5 phosphate sodium - 36.5mg - Tue, Thur
g)Lithium Orotate - 1mg - DAILY except Mon and Thursday when it’s 5mg)
2)TMG - 1g
After dinner:
g)Astaxanthin - 12mg
Wednesday
Before breakfast: approx. 2-3g taurine
Breakfast:
1)Glucosamine Hydrochloride - 750mg,
Chondroitin Sulfate Sodium - 400mg,
Methylsulfonylmethane MSM - 375mg,
Vitamin D3 - 1000IU
3)K2 - mk4 1000mcg, mk7 100mcg
K1 - 1500mcg - DAILY Mon-Sun
4)Boron - 3mg - DAILY
5)Lutein 20mg+ Zeaxanthin 5mg - DAILY Mon-Fri
6)Meso-zeaxanthin - 10mg - DAILY Mon-Fri
7)Vitamin D3 - 1000IU - DAILY Mon-Fri (total 2000IU for the day)
Dinner:
a)Taurine - 500mg
b)Grape Seed Extract - 400mg - DAILY
d)Magnesium - 100mg - DAILY
e)Garlic Extract - 1200mg - DAILY
f)Aged Garlic Extract AGE - 600mg - DAILY
f)Vitamin C with 5mg Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex- 100mg - Sat, Sun, Wed
g)Astaxanthin 12mg
g)Lithium Orotate - 1mg - DAILY except Mon and Thursday when it’s 5mg)
2)TMG - 1g
Thursday
Daily before breakfast: approx. 2g taurine
Breakfast:
1)Glucosamine Hydrochloride - 750mg,
Chondroitin Sulfate Sodium - 400mg,
Methylsulfonylmethane MSM - 375mg,
Vitamin D3 1000IU - DAILY Mon-Sun
3)K2 - mk4 1000mcg, mk7 100mcg
K1 - 1500mcg - DAILY
4)Boron - 3mg - DAILY
5)B Complex tab most @ approx. 125% RDA - Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri
6)Lutein 20mg + Zeaxanthin 5mg - DAILY Mon-Fri
7)Meso-zeaxanthin - 10mg - DAILY Mon-Fri
8)Vitamin D3 - 1000IU - DAILY Mon-Fri (total 2000IU for the day)
Dinner:
a)Taurine - 500mg - DAILY
b)Grape Seed Extract - 400mg - DAILY
d)Magnesium - 100mg - DAILY
e)EPA - 500mg
f)Molybdenum chelate - 250mg - Monday & Thursday
g)Benfontiamin - 300mg - Tue, Thur
h)B2 riboflavin 5 phosphate sodium - 36.5mg - Tue, Thur
i)Citicoline - 250mg - Monday & Thursday
e)Garlic Extract - 1200mg - DAILY
f)Aged Garlic Extract AGE - 600mg - DAILY
g)Lithium Orotate - 5mg - Monday and Thursday
2)TMG - 1g - DAILY
After Dinner:
i)Taurine: 500mg - Mon, Thur
g)Astaxanthin - 12mg
h)Vitamin Methyl B12 - 1000mcg - last Thursday of every month
Friday
Daily before breakfast: approx. 2g taurine
Breakfast:
1)Glucosamine Hydrochloride - 750mg,
Chondroitin Sulfate Sodium - 400mg,
Methylsulfonylmethane MSM - 375mg,
Vitamin D3 1000IU - DAILY Mon-Sun
3)K2 - mk4 1000mcg, mk7 100mcg
K1 - 1500mcg - DAILY
4)Boron - 3mg - DAILY
5)B Complex tab - most @ approx. 125% RDA - Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri
6)f)Zinc - 15mg
Copper - 1mg - Tue, Fri
7)Lutein 20mg + Zeaxanthin 5mg - DAILY Mon-Fri
8)Meso-zeaxanthin - 10mg - DAILY Mon-Fri
9)Vitamin D3 - 1000IU - DAILY Mon-Fri (total 2000IU for the day)
Dinner:
a)Taurine - 500mg
b)Grape Seed Extract - 400mg - DAILY
d)Magnesium - 100mg - DAILY
e)Garlic Extract - 1200mg - DAILY
f)Aged Garlic Extract AGE - 600mg - DAILY
g)Lithium Orotate - 1mg - DAILY except Mon and Thursday when it’s 5mg)
2)TMG - 1g - DAILY
After dinner:
g)Astaxanthin - 12mg
Saturday
Breakfast:
1)Vitamin D3 - 1000IU
3)K2 - mk4 1000mcg, mk7 100mcg
K1 - 1500mcg - DAILY
4)Boron - 3mg - DAILY
5)TMG - 1g - DAILY
Dinner:
b)Grape Seed Extract - 400mg - DAILY
d)Magnesium - 100mg - DAILY
f)Vitamin C with 5mg Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex- 100mg - Sat, Sun, Wed
g)EPA - 500 mg, vit. E 10mg Tue, Sat
h)iodine - 225mcg
e)Garlic Extract - 1200mg - DAILY
f)Aged Garlic Extract AGE - 600mg - DAILY
g)Lithium Orotate - 1mg - DAILY except Mon and Thursday when it’s 5mg)
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Right on, good write up. Yeah, you are right into thinking about PCSK9i.
Looks like you are doing the things I was going to mention.
That is odd that the fiber intake, omega fats, garlic extract, b complex hasn’t made your cardio profile better.
Only other things I can think of:
I assume you are in a good weight range (and body fat %), and doing some walking or weight training during the week.
Various stimulants from doctor or supplements (yohimbine) can help burn fat and lower TG & cholesterol levels.
But they might have other effects that might not be of benefit, and not everyone can handle them.
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Yes, I’ve been slim all my life and exercise regularly, both cardio and weights. My lipids being high is not a mystery - LDL in the 140-180 range all my life - it’s genes. What’s disappointing is how ineffective LLT drugs have been for me.
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I really hope you’ll be able to try a PCSK9i, and I’m eager to see the results! Is insurance coverage/cost the main deterrent, or is it the thought of having to do the injections?
Insurance won’t cover, butI’m willing to eat the cost. Injections I’m not thrilled with, but that’s infrequent. It’s my (probably excessive) fear of the AD signal based on MR. I’d love some new drugs. But I suppose if push comes to shove, I’ll break down and do it. Just that AD and dementia in general are the one thing that I would 100% not want to risk, as getting it to me is an automatic auto ejection. I wish the MR signal would be for something like cancer - just not AD. Anything but dementia.
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