Some Supplements - More harm than good?

I know some of you don’t like Dr Stanfield, but he presents good evidence.

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This guy is bashing Resveratrol as often as he can, the company that sponsors him (DoNotAge) is pushing Resveratrol as if there was no tomorrow. Bought of them are only interested in clicks and profit.

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I agree with avoiding resveratrol and vitamin E. Metformin works well for diabetics and Rapamycin users. If you are just taking metformin without being diabetic or taking Rapamycin, I agree with Dr. Stanfield that you probably should stop.

We’re an exception to the rule due to Rapamycin diabetes. And the ITP backs this up.

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If you advocate against your sponsor then that should earn you credibility.

No we’re not… and no it doesn’t. We’ve been around and around this. Similar to GFJ, Metformin inhibits CYP3a4 so effectively increases the rapamycin dose. Any drug that halves your adaptation to endurance training should be avoided like the plague.

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I think a better title for this the thread is, ‘Most Supplements - More harm than good?’

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We’ll have to agree to disagree. I’ll go with the ITPs results. Of course you could always use acarbose instead of Metformin to avoid the exercise impact.

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I recall reading in another thread that your body weight is ~210 pounds? How tall are you?

I am 71 inches tall.

Ok, so your BMI is 29.3 versus a healthy range of 19 to 25.

Have you considered that your blood sugar control, and indeed overall healthspan, might improve more if you reduced BMI rather than taking more drugs and supplements? Indeed I contend that you would see greater benefit from that approach than from the combination of all your other interventions especially if that is achieved whilst also increasing VO2 (i.e. weight loss via exercise rather than diet).

Rapamycin is the icing not the cake…

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The story behind the headlines Resveratrol generated reveals in my view borderline unethical behaviour at best. Richard Miller yet again telling us exactly how it is. No ego, fanfare or commercial interest just straight facts:

“Resveratrol is the poster child for hype over data”

I used to take Resveratrol. Now I understand exactly how the hype train got going I don’t. Changing your mind in light of fresh information is surely not “bashing” but just good scientific reasoning.

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You are absolutely correct. My BMI is probably the biggest negative for my longevity along with getting only 5-6 hours of sleep. It’s something I need to do something about. I applaud you on your high level of physical fitness. I wish I were like you in that regard.

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So start tomorrow… Get up, put 5kg in a back pack and go for an hour walk. The morning day light will probably also benefit your sleep.

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Maveric, please… people here know what the recommended BMI levels and exercise regimens are… while I agree that rapamycin should be viewed as “icing on the cake” (ie. something you add on over and above a good diet and exercise program), I encourage you to simply lead by example (which I’m sure you are) but not by telling others what they should do… I think we all know what we “should” do, but life frequently gets in the way of that… we all have different life histories, and different situations, and just telling people what to do frequently isn’t that helpful. Instead of telling people what to do, simply share tactics and strategies that have been helpful.

What I have found helpful, for example, is this book… which focuses on slowly developing positive habits, and reducing unhelpful habits:

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Got to disagree on this one Brian. My point is vitally important and has been made by other leading figures in the longevity space. Until you have your fitness and body composition in the healthy ranges you should not waste time debating the merits of various supplements, or money buying them. You certainly should not have a page long list. It’s reflective of our culture as a whole, we want the quick fix. We’d rather taken a drug than get 10000 steps. @DeStrider in this thread is effectively arguing that rapamycin should be taken in conjunction with a diabetes medication. To hell with polypharmacy. To hell with side effects short and long term. To hell with the reduced adaptation to exercise… My counter argument is that rapamycin should not be taken until you’re metabolically healthy and I don’t believe that’s unreasonable.

There are of course many paths to improve fitness but pick one and start today.

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I’m not disagreeing with your argument… broadly, I think what you are saying is likely the consensus in the medical and research community (at least the limited set that I follow… Matt Kaeberlein, Peter Attia, etc. What I’m disagreeing on is the personalization … there is not need to personalize your argument, to comment on people’s weight or BMI. You can make your argument without making, what I perceive as critical comments about someone’s weight…

On metformin, specifically, I dropped it when the exercise studies came out for the reasons you mention… but I also know that there are a lot of geroscientists (Barzelai et al) still pushing it, so I suspect it still has some reasonable data behind it and so I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.

But yes - generally, I think we really want to try to minimize polypharmacy until we know more about how combinations of drugs work.

Most of the longevity scientists and longevity biotech people who I talk to who are taking rapamycin… are not taking much else. These are people who have spent their lives in the field…

Like this… Nathaniel David, Co-founder of Unity Biotech:

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I take a multivitamin which includes a bit of Vitamin E twice a week. I agree with the idea that Vitamin E is not something to have too much of.

I take Pterostilbene rather than Resveratrol. I don’t see Resveratrol as that negative, however. Nor do I see it as that positive.

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I have been through various changes. In August 2020 I was 130Kg and in May 2021 I was 85Kg. I am 6 foot two (188cm) so my BMI dropped from about 35 when I was 60 to 22ish when I was 61. I am soon to be 63 and my weight is around 82-83 Kg (I tend to binge drink every so often which can result in eating too much). I also had an issue with insomnia which is not entirely resolved, but I used a lot of melatonin during the night which I think also helped with the reduction of fat levels - there is research on this.

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@RapAdmin I know my weight is a problem and that I am pre-diabetic which is yet another reason why I am taking Metformin as well as Rapamycin. If I didn’t, I’d probably be a full-blown diabetic by now. The results from the Rapamycin + Metformin/Acarbose studies have convinced me I should be taking both, and I think it makes sense for most people as well (since I think I am closer to the norm?). I am also more at risk for weight-related diseases such as fatty liver, which Maveric probably isn’t. So, to each their own.

As for Maveric, he is probably an incredibly fit athlete with very few extra pounds. So he probably shouldn’t take Metformin as it has negative effects on exercise which is probably far more important to him. Since he lives in a fit world where most are athletic, his advice fits his subset of society. I live in a whole different world where exercise is far less important compared to other things and therefore my “crowd” tends to be less fit and more overweight.

I will strive to add more physical exercise and drop pounds. I completely agree I need more exercise and to get fit. I disagree that Rapamycin (and Metformin) is the icing. For me, as a pre-diabetic person, it is the cake because I would probably be in much worse shape without Metformin and Rapamycin. I hope that one day it will be the ‘icing’ for me as well.

As for @Maveric78, I think we will continue to agree to disagree. Although, if I were more athletic, like him, I probably would agree with him. Right now we live in two different worlds where what works for each of us is a bit different, IMHO.

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Sam Altman is on your side! :grinning:

Although… I suspect Sam might benefit more from Rapamycin than metformin.

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What do people think about this … a similar theme:

How to Spot and Avoid Fraudulent Longevity Supplements

https://healthnews.com/longevity/longevity-supplements/how-to-spot-and-avoid-fraudulent-longevity-supplements/