Without hGH I doubt there would be any benefit for the thymus. Long before TRIIM, the benefit of hGH for the Thymus was already known. This is not new and has been known for quite a while.
The other 2 compounds are there to 1) (Met) counteract hGH effect on possible insulin resistance and 2) (DHEA) provide hormone precursors.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1471489210000512
I stumbled across this related thymus connection while reviewing, @Steve_Combi ’s references.
Interesting that much research dates back to 1990s but we show little in human clinical application regarding thymus rejuvenation.
Zinc is pretty interesting, Without adequate zinc, wound healing is impaired, same for Vit C. I’ve been supplementing both since the 90’s.
Now another reason to ensure one is getting enough zinc, either through diet or supplementation.
Another thing about aging is that our digestive system become less effective so even if one is eating a “proper” diet that can still be deficient. Our digestive enzymes are not at the same level as when we were young. This is the reason I’ve been taking digestive enzymes for the past 20 years.
So many things slow, degrade, stop as we age. Many of which we can compensate for, fortunately.
That’s a great suggestion and I’m actually working on building one according to Trumpkin’s notes, but I don’t actually need to raise IGF-1. It tends to run too hot naturally (220-270) as it is!
What markers are people using to assess functional changes in the thymus, other than “feelz”? I’m at a point where I can finally start a modified version of this protocol.
Hey… I started Fahy’s protocol in January 2025 after my personal physician said he supported my trying hgh.
Found a reliable source… all indications are it is real peptides using meditrope blacktops. Slight carpal tunnel in wrist. Not a problem… but a good indicator it’s real hgh. Like mouth sores appear for some on real rapamycin.
I am going on 5 months. I am getting ready to see if my DNA methylation test and Glycan inflammation test show any improvement.
So far… skin doing great… body feeling fantastic… very euphoric. I take a shot of 3 iu nightly with DHEA supplement… so as not to have insulin issues. I plan on going a full year… if my tests mentioned above are solid with improvements.
Great to hear. Keep us posted on results. How long are you planning to run this for? 9 months?
Also are you taking metformin or some other protector against high blood sugar as per the Fahy protocol. (I know DHEA helps with this too).
He is a raw vegan so his stack would be herbs and some enzymes/probiotics. He is big into wild herbs and wild herb harvesting. I used to find that very fascinating. It still is fascinating to me, but I’d rather dissect the herbs down to their phytonutrients and systematically test each one for lifespan effects these days.
I think regenerating the thymus is an area where improved medical scanners (yet to be developed) could help a lot – say, a wearable ultrasound patch + machine learning to interpret the results. For all we know there are combinations of common supplements and exercises that affect thymus regeneration, but it’s hard to measure this. With wearable tech people could do the equivalent of n=1 studies, similar to continuous glucose monitoring self-experiments, to at least generate some good hypotheses about what to try (which then could be followed up with rigorous, double-blind placebo-controlled, n=100 studies).
As to Fahy and his TRIIM-X experiments, they sound encouraging. He looks pretty young for his age (mid-70s), so either he has really good genetics or what he’s doing is working. I wonder how much carnosine supplementation has contributed to his good results. I have read that it is quickly broken down in the liver into beta-alanine and histidine. So perhaps just taking a beta-alanine supplement gives similar benefits as taking carnosine. (I guess it’s a good idea not to take it with taurine as both compete for uptake in cells).
Not sure if mentioned here before, but have been researching and getting ready for the TRIIM protocol as well. Androgens can slow and and prevent this protocol from working, so just an FYI to keep your testosterone low and natural for best results and certainly curtail raising your testosterone into supra-physiological levels.
Faye mentions that even DHEA can raise testosterone levels and have a counterproductive impact on the TRIIM protocol, but it’s a small one and worth it for the insulin sensitivity.
Hey Lar,
I am 5 months in so far… seems great. Doing biological tests soon. GlycanAge and TruMe.
I am planning the full 12 months.
I take 3 iu nightly… hgh with 100 mg DHEA over the counter. All good so far.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0192056192901152
An attempt has been made to regenerate the thymus in intact aging rats using inhibitors of the aromatase system, in the hope that this maneuver could lead to the use of such chemical intervention in the treatment of immunodeficiency syndromes. Young adult and aging (18-month-old) male rats were orchidectomized under ether anesthesia and 7 days later given s.c. implants of testosterone in silicone elastomer (SILASTIC) tubing. Some rats received testosterone together with a five-fold excess of the aromatase inhibitor 1,4,6-androstatriene-3,17-dione (ATD). One group of young intact rats received implants containing 25 mg ATD and group of 18-month-old intact rats received 125 mg ATD or 25 mg of another, more powerful aromatase inhibitor 4-hydroxyandrostenedione (4-OH). On the 28th day after implanting, rats were killed and the thymus, spleen, prostate gland and seminal vesicles removed for weighing and histology. In addition, estrogen receptors were measured in the thymus was enlarged after orchidectomy and greatly restored in aging rats. In aging rats, both aromatase inhibitors restored the thymus, which appeared normal histologically.
First time I’m hearing that aromatase inhibitors also regenerate the thymus. I don’t know about rats, but side effects on these can be terrible. Thanks for linking to the patent docs, @touringsedan .
Thanks, that was illuminating.
The patent itself give a clue on what to measure:
More specifically, the invention consists of a combination of human growth hormone (GH) and/or GH releasers, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and metformin and means of delivering this combination of medications that results in the reversal of normal age-related changes in kidney function, systemic inflammation, cancer risk, heart disease risk, CD38 expression, hair color, thymotrophic hormones, the CD4/CD8 cell ratio, immune cell populations, bone marrow density, thymus structure, and epigenetic age.
I am still skeptical of the consumer epigenetic/biological age tests out there, so I’ll steer clear of those. Looks like my best bet CD4/CD8 cell ratio, which I can get from Labcorp. The test is called “T- and B-Lymphocyte Differential Profile”, and I can get it at a discounted cost of about $97
I think the test best test subject is ourselves, as long as you know what you’re optimizing. For example improving a blood test result. What you should select for testing in the first place is important though.
Exactly.
HGH is suppose to take grey hair back to brown/black. If 73 year old Dr. Fahy doesn’t dye his hair… gotta say it’s working.
At 67 years…I have very few grey hairs on arms, legs and pubic area. I do have blonde with red tints (Scottish). Since doing TRT and rapamycin it is very thick and dark - black color. Most is new hair growth in the last 3 years. See below.
This morning when I saw a lone offending grey/white hair near my knee… I was about to pluck it out. But, it seemed odd.
Closer inspection showed it had reversed to black at the root. Then, I noticed using my camera for a closer study… multiple black roots with grey… white tops. Hmmmm… I guess something fantastic is happening inside me to reverse my greying. Have a look.
Another spot nearby with three hairs going back to black. Can you find them below? It might be the HGH and my rejuvenated thymus.
Decided to keep the little guys… just trimmed off the top grey. Lol
To double click on hGH and thymus rejuvenation, whats the most appropriate age to reap maximal benefits while minimizing any downsides of starting too early in life cycle. Or, is it determined by onset of thymus involution?
I found it interesting that hairs will regain colour part way along the shaft. You can also get hairs which start vellus, firm up and then get terminal and pigmented and then slowly get stronger.
Don’t clip them!! It’s a great indicator of effectiveness of treatment. You wouldn’t throw away a thermometer if you’re interested in temperature, would you now? Keep them! Great indicators.
I was just getting a bit of vitamin D from the sun and listening to Dr. Fahy’s TRIIM X updates 2024. In it, he states that when medicine finally confirms the health benefits of regrowing the thymus with HGH and DHEA - he thinks that most would begin at 50 years - and maybe even 40 years of age as the thymus has significantly involuted by then.
Okay, I will keep them.
I’ll see how long it and the others grow. They are in the minority so easy to find, My body hair has blonde and reddish hairs too from my Scottish genetics. Just a few hairs are grey.
