Just wondering if my protocol is missing anything.
Supplements - Vitamin D (+ K2) 4000iu, Creatine - 5g, Melatonin - 0.5mg
Rx - Metformin - 500mg, Rosuvastatin - 5mg, Tretinoin + Azelaic Acid, Zoloft - 50mg
Workout Routine is 2 days upper and 2 days lower strength training with 2 days of zone 2 and one HIIT a week.
My diet is mostly fruits, veg, eggs, white meat, fish, rice and some bread and red meat sometimes.
I dont drink often, but will have a night out once a month or so. I know alcohol is bad but its hard to avoid at 24 and I want to balance socializing with physical health.
I get blood tests 2-3 times a year and everything is in line. No side effects at all from the Rx.
7-8 hours sleep a night, sometimes wake up due to the Zoloft but just for a few mins.
Anything else you would add or wish you could have done at my age?
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I always use the six basic supplements that everyone should take, in my opinion - vitamin D3, Magnesium, B12, Omega-3 (1 g, High EPA), Creatine, and lithium orotate. You’ve got 2 covered.
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Hey, welcome, and great question! You mentioned the meds, but how about the blood biomarkers? You said everything is in order- do you have numbers?
At age 24, I reckon there are a few things you can do:
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Look for genetic high risks: e.g. Lp(a), ApoB etc. Lp(a) you only really need to do once. I tested mine in my early 30s and found a nasty surprise that it was >80mg/dl, oops. If they’re bad, you generally want to take more aggressive action for cardiovascular health.
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Build a massive aerobic and strength base. Let’s assume everything starts to get worse after 40. The bigger your base, the longer it takes for you to fail into frailty. You’re doing zone 2 and HIIT, so it sounds like you’re doing the right things.
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Mental health. I am 39, a university professor, and I have graduate students around your age. A staggering number of them seem to have mental health issues - depression and bipolar in particular. I don’t know what’s causing it, but that seems to be a major problem for your generation. You mention Zoloft, and I don’t know if that’s due to a diagnosis, you’re using it in a preventative manner(?) as you are presumably doing with Metformin/Rosuvastatin. I suggest trying to invest whatever you can into a healthy mindset, avoiding trauma, minimising your stress, while at the same time balancing living your life with extending your life. Time with friends, healthy and rewarding relationships, new experiences - those turn out to be the things that older people think make life worth actually living.
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Related to that, another thing I’ve heard is good is diversifying your interests and passions. It sounds hand-wavy, but people with purpose and passion tend to live longer, and it’s now reckoned that social involvement, friends and good relationships confer a risk reduction on par with other longevity interventions.
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Stay away from obvious causes of death. For your age - drunk driving, being a passenger in the car of an idiot, illegal drugs (Fentanyl risks etc), mental health - are the major risks.
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I think some of these result from a general deterioration in mtDNA.
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You’re doing well.
Do you wear sunscreen whenever you go out? If you’re caring about skin aging, which tretinoin+azelaic acid tells me you do, then you should be using sunscreen.
Metformin is this prescribed for diabetes or are you takin this for longevity? What made you decide on this over something like an SGLT2 inhibitor or GLP1 agonist?
If you can moderate you intake of alcohol then once a month as a social activity is good imo.
Curious what benefits you’re getting from Zoloft?
Not a bad protocol overall. Welcome to the website.
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Yeah I wear a broad spectrum SPF 50 sunscreen everyday.
Im not diabetic but I experimented with metformin and it made me feel way better. Improved skin, energy and other and no side effects so didn’t see any reason to stop.
Zoloft is due to some depression and anxiety. It’s mostly genetic and lingers even with supplements, exercise and sleep. Would like to stop it at some point in the future if possible tho.
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Depression and anxiety would be another reason to try lithium orotate. It’s cheap and it helped me reduce my negative emotions. I’d give it a try.
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