I have been taking rapamycin for 2 years. The only time I saw rapamycin affected blood sugar and cholesterol was at high doses. i.e. over an effective dose, taking GFJ into account was at doses that exceeded 20 mg/wk. There is no discernable effect on blood sugar or cholesterol at the dose I am taking, 4mg/wk. All of my lipid measures are good and towards the good end of the spectrum. Even when I was taking high doses the effect wasn’t large, though it did concern me at the time. Of course, I am one, and the results may vary.
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From the paper you reference, still another of many supporting lower is better.
“Meaning Further lowering of LDL-C beyond the lowest current targets is associated with further reduced cardiovascular risk with no offsetting safety risks.”
I am not going to argue the benefits of statins, I am a believer in low to moderate doses. If you can’t get the results you want with low does statins, then try adding something like Pantethine, if that doesn’t work then add ezetimibe.
Currently, I am taking all three, atorvastatin 40mg, Pantethine 600mg, and ezetimibe 10mg.
My latest results from taking the triple combo along with 4mg/wk of rapamycin with GFJ on 11/21/23.
This is the best result I have seen for some time. Also, I am on a low to moderate carbohydrate diet.
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I’m taking reasonable steps to get below: apoB / 60 and HbA1c/ 5.5. If I fail, I will try harder but I’m steady for now.
My apoB is 48 (down from 74 12 mos & 64 6 mos ago)
My HbA1c is 5.5 (down from 5.8). I’d like to be lower but I’m focusing on sleep and stress improvement for further reduction.
ApoB: 10mg rosuvastatin every other day, 10mg ezetimibe 5 days/ wk, vit b5 500mg 5 days / week
HbA1c: metformin 500 mg 4 d/w, berberine 500mg 5 d/w, no added sugar in diet.
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Is there a reason to do higher every other day vs lower every day?
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Longevity past reproductive age is not favored by evolution : the only reason humans could have evolved to live this long past female menopause is to have at least one sex capable of reproducing in old age. In fact, it also means all of us must have enough number of male ancestors that reproduced at an old age, to favor the genes that happened to favor longevity.
The only other land mammal where females live well past menopause are Asian Elephants. Technically other land mammals are said not to experience menopause, since females die of old age while still fertile, but most mammals have a gradual drop in female fertility with age, so the difference between strict menopause and very low female fertility past a certain age, as with African Elephants, is not that different in terms of evolution of longevity : in both cases longevity can only evolve if males remain fertile in old age.
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LDL-C is used as an approximation of ASCVD risk and as such it might be totally misinterpreted on individual basis. It is good to test atherogenic particles or composition of your LDL-C. For example my triglycerides and apoB are low and apoA1 are high in spite of my HDL-C being normal and my LDL-C rather high.
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An old off patent and cheap Bezafibrate might do just that. It is not a strong LDL-C lowering drug it might even elevate LDL-C if your TGs are rather high, that is why I imagine is not really popular among LDL-C lowering craze but it will affect your metabolic pathways, lowering TG, blood sugar and lowering atherogenic lipoproteins (apoB) and boosting non atherogenic lipoproteins (apoA1).
That’s interesting.what are your ldl-c and apoB levels?
Last test was week ago, LDL-C 98 and apoB 58.
Regular exercise, slight CR, no other interventions.
@Neo i use a statin on non-lifting days to avoid muscle aches post workout. I lift 3X/wk. I might not need to double up on the days I do take it now that I know how low my apoB has gotten.
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How do you explain the discordance between them?
This study suggests that high ldlc relative to apoB is suggestive of high CIMT
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.906396/full#:~:text=While%2C%20discordant%20high%20LDL-C,LDL-C%20for%20elevated%20CIMT.
But there may be another explanation. Apologies if you’ve already discussed this all above
I’m toying with experimenting with v.low dose Rosuvastatin+ ezetimibe. Need to double check but from memory, 1mg of each per day should reduce apoB by about 40%. So similar to alternate day 10mg rosuvastatin.
The side effect profile is very good for 1mg of each.
Essentially the dose response curve is parabolic, and the dose/side effect curve is parabolic too. So you get a big benefit from a very low dose and very low sides.
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I have no good answers. But my triglycerides have been fairly low all my life, I have been metabolically healthy, I carry no excess weigh, I stay lean and active (I never take car, bus, taxi if I can walk or bike)… I only use EVO and butter and never used any other fat source in my life. I have never eaten any trans fats. And probably it is genetic, my body probably favors apoA1 vs apoB for transport of fats, so my LDL-C has a more favorable composition with less atherogenic particles. My remnant cholesterol was always very low.
I have seen a significant rise in apoB taking rapamycin but after 9 months numbers are getting down to baseline. This is based on assessment of previous lipid numbers, as my LDL-C and remnant cholesterol went up and HDL-C went down on rapamycin. ApoB is mostly contained in LDL-C and remnant cholesterol.
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Yes 1 mg of each should lower apoB by a lot. It is a strategy I can try as well, I have done so in the past but never tested the result.
I also am unsure of the efficacy of statins and ezetimibe at already low LDL levels, as the drugs are typically used for hypercholestrolemia.
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@L_H That makes sense to me. The half-life of rosuvastatin is long enough that it doesn’t fully leave the body in 48 hours, and a very small dose provides most of the benefit. My only goal was to avoid the achy feeling without abandoning the apoB lowering benefit of the statin. I originally switched from atorvastatin to rosuvastatin with excellent improvement in muscle side effects, but for 100% elimination of the side effect I stumbled upon the every other day dosing.
Davin, what is a brand for True Carpos extract you use? My calcium score is higher than I expected so now I have to do something to lower it as much as possible.
It’s an interesting question. Based on the mechanics of statins and ezetimibe, I can’t see why not. But i couldn’t find any studies either…
Hi Lara, It’s literally called TrueCapros. I get mine from Amazon.
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Do you still have good results with it? Are you combining it with Repatha and pine bark?