I’m not really sure you can apply fruit seasonality changes to the topic of cycling supplements/medications since the later doesn’t undergo seasonal changes. I only used blueberries as an example since they’re generally considered a health food, seasonality changes aside.
I actually don’t think you said anything wrong in your post. I would never suggest staying on an antibiotic forever, for example, since that is only used to treat a specific condition we are trying to get rid of and we know there are tremendous downsides to antibiotics.
For Rapamycin, I think we can safely say that daily dosing is a pretty bad idea for anti aging so I meant taking it once every 1-2 weeks while the drug remains in the system before the next dose. I didn’t necessarily mean continuous use to be defined as daily dosing.
That being said, with respect to longevity interventions, I still can’t think of anything that would be better off cycled on and off. Unless I am proven wrong, I will continue to hold this opinion.
IMO: The effects of rapamycin are subjectively much more profound in the elderly.
I began taking rapamycin shortly after turning 80, and it has truly changed my life. Occasionally, I have taken breaks from rapamycin, mainly due to concerns that it might delay wound healing, which is something I’ve noticed myself with minor injuries like paper cuts and insect stings. However, whenever I stop taking rapamycin, I start to feel unwell within about a week. Looking back, those breaks don’t seem to make much sense given how much better I feel while on the medication.
Patients undergoing kidney transplants take rapamycin and recover well.
So now, I have decided not to cycle off rapamycin, even for medical procedures.
Oddly, and it may be in my mind, after taking rapamycin for years, I don’t notice any increase in healing time from insect bites (mosquitoes), minor injuries, etc.
It’s not so much “reversal of benefits” as it is what John Hemming has mentioned - the return of the harmful SASP levels once you stop rapamycin, so the resumption of damaging processes. During the time you are on rapamycin you are effectively pausing a lot of the damage (at lease the subset of damage that is caused by SASP), is what this research is suggesting.
I think like most things; it’s a balance. If you take too much rapamycin for too long you risk blocking mTORC2, and getting negative side effects like blood lipid or glucose disregulation. But of course “what is too much, for too long” is going to vary by person and situation… so its all very difficult to parse out right now due to individual differences and lack of robust clinical trials.
I was starting to get side effects from 6mg per week (not sleeping well, not feeling good in the days after a dose, worsening of existing chronic pain). I’ve tried a few different dose regimens now, so I decided to try 1mg daily for 1 month following the recent small studies on APOE4/4 participants, as I have APOE4/4 and that’s my main reason for taking Rapa.
Anyway, I’ve nearly completed the month and have had no sides other than the occasional painless tiny lump somewhere in my mouth. I’ll go back to 6mg weekly after this to see if the side effects come back. I did have a medical checkup after 3 weeks of daily Rapa and my LDL-C was 46 (Brillo EZ, Ator 20mg) and my HbA1c was 5.1% (Acarbose & Dapa), so I was happy about that. Unfortunately, routine NHS checkups in the UK are not very extensive and that’s all they tested for, which is a bit of a waste but better than nothing.
Yes. Dosing is definitely weight dependent. A lot of lighter folks here cannot handle normal weekly doses without severe side effects. The dosing amount is different from.person to person. You also need the goldilocks dose. Too little does nothing and too much is annoying due to side effects.
Rapamycin blood tests should help you find your sweet spot.
Yes, probably backing down was a good choice… too high and MTOR2 is affected… and you age faster. I did much higher for 7 months and did not feel a problem (silent pathology)… but inflammation and methylation test said otherwise. Lost some of the rejuvenation I had gained.
For me 6 - 8 mg is my sweet spot for catabolic and anabolic balance. Now my biological tests show I regained those years back.
Blueberries and fruit in general don’t grow year round - that’s an artifact of modern supply chains. Fruit, and all food are incredibly complex chemically. They have some defensive chemicals, which in small amounts are beneficial through hormesis, but what if you eat them “unnaturally” long? Toxins might accumulate and be a net negative. Especially with modern growing methods
I’m with you on pesticides, but I think it’s important to point out that modern growing techniques have led to a reduction in the levels of nutrients in our foods (see, for example, this news report Why modern food lost its nutrients).
I’m not at all concerned about consuming too many naturally occuring defensive chemicals year-round when modern farming practices have made our food less nutricious and full of chemicals whose effects we still don’t fully understand.
Dr. Blagosklonny wrote in his later years that he use to cycle on and off rapa, but later became convienced that his cancer got a hold in his body when he was not on drug during on of these cycles. I started rapa at 71 and I am 79 now never stopped. Also, just started low dose Retatrutide to lose a few pounds, but to mainly reset my mitocondria balance. Unlocking longevity with GLP-1: A key to turn back the clock? Unlocking longevity with GLP-1: A key to turn back the clock? - PubMed
I am turning 23 next month and my weight is around 70 kg, which has been constant for 2-3 years. I have been taking 12 mg of rapamycin weekly for around 2 years of now, and the only side effect I felt was fatigue on the day of taking rapamycin & very rare mouth sore. so I’ve been dosing it just after lunch at around 2 o’clock in the afternoon and not eat after. Recently, my lipids were also fine: the LDL was around 55, and everything related to glucose metabolism was also fine. NEVER TOOK A BREAK in last 2 years , only one time got ldl high as 115 in test, I have also been dosing empagliflozin (6.25mg) in the morning just after breakfast to control my glucose metabolism and also using Metformin (500mg of sustained release) in the afternoon just before lunch.
You will beat the old age record for men yet. And, have amazing health to boot .
Jealous that rapamycin is available for you to purchase easily in India.
TBH - you dose seems high to me for your young age… watch that MTOR2… we need anabolic too! It can be silent pathology… a good inflammation test like GlycanAge or methylation test like TruMe Labs can help monitor the MTOR2.
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