merouleau intro

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
User avatar
Gilgamesh
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 1711
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2013 11:31 am
Location: Northeast US mostly
Contact:

Re: merouleau intro

Post by Gilgamesh »

Russ, I'm with you 100% on the benefits, and I'd double-down on them. I don't regret being sequenced, and I'm currently contemplating heading to GET 2014, where PGP participants have a good chance at having their entire genomes sequenced (http://www.personalgenomes.org/). I went to great effort to get a beta-amyloid scan. I'm going to have my gut microbiome sequenced. I want as much info as I can get. I think the benefits to me and to those I share the info with will be tremendous.

But a list of crystal-clear benefits doesn't count as proof in my book that the ethics of the matter are crystal-clear.

No matter. We're here because we have this knowledge and want to (continue to!) do something productive with it -- Wohlan!

GB

PS My "tricky" was not about the ethical question (in case that's what you were referring to).
MarkES
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 112
Joined: Fri Dec 06, 2013 7:49 pm

Re: merouleau intro

Post by MarkES »

Juliegee wrote:A good substitution for that coffee might be matcha tea.
Wow, matcha is very expensive, at least for what I've found so far online. One example from in pursuit of tea is about $54 after shipping costs or about $4.50 per serving. For one serving per day means $135 per month, or $1620 per year.
ε3/ε4
User avatar
SusanJ
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 3058
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:33 am
Location: Western Colorado

Re: merouleau intro

Post by SusanJ »

Try Republic of Tea.

http://www.republicoftea.com/matcha/p/V00715/ (regular) is $18 for powder: 30 cups of regular

http://www.republicoftea.com/organic-ma ... /p/V00624/ is $26.50 for powder: 25-30 cups of organic

They also offer a bagged version, and I believe they have a green tea with added matcha.

I like their teas in general and often order several types so the shipping isn't so prohibitive.
User avatar
MarcR
Mod
Mod
Posts: 2017
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:28 pm
Location: Sammamish, Washington, US

Re: merouleau intro

Post by MarcR »

Code: Select all

                                                 small   LDL
        LDL-P TC  HDL  LDL  TG  TC/H  TG/H  HDL-P LDL-P   sz   Notes
8/29/13  721  202 79   118  26   2.6   0.3   28.2  <90   21.5  16/8 IF, high fat, no PUFA oils
3/14/14 1846  273 70   189  72   3.9   1.0   38.6  <90   22.2  16/8 IF, keto, no PUFA oils
7/14/14       215 86   120  47   2.5   0.5                     16/8 IF, keto, no PUFA oils
Took a non-NMR snapshot after four months of fussing with supplements and diet - I'm thrilled. I wish I knew what did the trick, but I changed many things. At 51, I didn't want to incur any more CV damage than I had to, so I cast aside the objective of establishing a reproducible protocol in favor of maximizing my chances of improving my lipid profile quickly. While I'm still not convinced that high LDL (and LDL-P) are harmful when inflammation is low and fats are the body's primary energy supply, it's really nice not to have the answer to that question be a life and death issue personally.

Changes:

- Added curcumin, amla, folate, b6, b12, b2, n-acetyl-l-cysteine
- Reduced intake a bit and lost four pounds.
- My diet evolved, but I didn't track it closely. While I still consumed a lot of saturated fat - a favorite dish was a cup of cream, whipped, with stevia, vanilla, and berries - I think the balance may have shifted slightly toward olive oil and macadamia nuts. Also, I have been eating a can of brisling sardines packed in water nearly every day - over the winter it was just 2-3 cans per week.

On a related note, CRP is still low at 0.42, and homocysteine declined from 12.8 to 7.3 even though I failed to maintain a two-cup limit on coffee. I'm probably not drinking a full gallon each day any longer, but it's close. I suspect that my elevated homocysteine had more to do with B vitamin deficiency than an excess of coffee.
User avatar
MarcR
Mod
Mod
Posts: 2017
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:28 pm
Location: Sammamish, Washington, US

Re: merouleau intro

Post by MarcR »

I see that the CODE section doesn't show up correctly in Tapatalk, so I'll summarize the table briefly.

8/29/13 TC = 202, HDL = 79, LDL = 118, TG = 26
3/14/14 TC = 273, HDL = 70, LDL = 189, TG = 72
7/14/14 TC = 215, HDL = 86, LDL = 120, TG = 47

My full results are up to date in the Biomarkers table on the Wiki.
User avatar
Julie G
Mod
Mod
Posts: 9187
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2013 6:36 pm

Re: merouleau intro

Post by Julie G »

Wow, more amazing news. Thank you so much for sharing, Merouleau. Your drop in LDL is huge. I'd love to see an NMR now. As a 3/4 on a keto diet, your results are impressive. My first thought is that the amla must have contributed to your improvement. At this point, I bet you're unwilling to change anything to pinpoint the specific benefactor.

Estimate your percentages of SFA and MUFA for us. This is something that many here are struggling with... MUFAs seem to improve our lipids, but ancestral E4s certainly didn't abstain from SFA.

The improvement in homocysteine is HUGE and so incredibly important...and you're still enjoying coffee! Life is good :D

Thank you for sharing, my friend. We learn so much from diet/lipid interaction results.
User avatar
SusanJ
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 3058
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:33 am
Location: Western Colorado

Re: merouleau intro

Post by SusanJ »

If I had to guess, I'd say that the drop in homocysteine was helped by the B vitamins helping out your methylation variants. What great feedback that you're applying the right solution in the right spot!
User avatar
MarcR
Mod
Mod
Posts: 2017
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:28 pm
Location: Sammamish, Washington, US

Re: merouleau intro

Post by MarcR »

Juliegee wrote:My first thought is that the amla must have contributed to your improvement. At this point, I bet you're unwilling to change anything to pinpoint the specific benefactor.
Yeah, I think I'll hold steady for a while, at least until I do an NMR a few months hence. I did forget to mention one other change. As some will recall, I take DHEA. Until last August I had been taking 50 mg daily for years. The August blood test showed that my blood level was high - 900+ ug/dl - so I reduced the dosage to 10 mg. The March test was under 300, so at that time I began replacing the Wednesday and Saturday doses with 50 mg capsules. Studies seem to show that DHEA supplementation can improve lipids, so perhaps the dosage change contributed to the improvement.

I think the reduced food intake may have been the biggest single factor. Last winter I ate heartily and stayed near the top of a 173-176 lb envelope. Perhaps the higher blood lipids were a manifestation of a moderate excess of fuel?
Juliegee wrote:Estimate your percentages of SFA and MUFA for us.
Ok, here are my guesses. 3/14/14: 75/25. 7/14/14: 50/50.
User avatar
pgf54
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 180
Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2014 5:16 am
Location: Muchea, West Australia

Re: merouleau intro

Post by pgf54 »

sorry was just reading back at page four
Does anyone have CT heart scan experiences to share?
I had a coronary calcium scan a few years back and scored a zero which amazed me as at the time I had high triglycerides,(x6 above normal, ) cholesterol at the top of the normal range, and a hdl that has always been very low ie 0.8 or 31..........and refuses to go up
I think my saving grace was I have been vegetarian since age 18, and eats lots salads and high fibre roughage , always eat fruit and veg peels and skins and pips etc. even citrus peel, Not much fast food . I also did no, to minimal exercise at the time for many years.
Don't wait for your ship to come in, row out to meet it.
User avatar
AnnaM
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 50
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2022 7:01 am
Location: West Palm Beach, FL

Re: merouleau intro

Post by AnnaM »

Hi Marc!
I stay away from saturated fats, as I read somewhere that the APOe4 gene is ancient and sloppy - it drops saturated fat all over. Don't know that link anymore, but in a recent Facebook video of Dr Bredesen, Julie G, and Ram Rao, there is a discussion of saturated fat, link is https://www.apollohealthco.com/facebook ... -part-one/
There is a Part 2, which is where I heard more about APOe4 and saturated fat, right after the first one. Both videos are really good, as always! As a 4/4, I mostly stay with olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds, as the body can make saturated fats when it needs it, (from a college class I took a few years ago!)
Your numbers do look great!
Thanks,
AnnaM
Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach
Post Reply