O
Olafur Pall Olafsson
Guest
jamesbeebop wrote:
> Olafur,
>
> Thanks for the great info!
>
> What I still find to be quite confusing ... is how to find the "best"
> information about supplementation and longevity. I'm not a
> professional scientist, and reading raw study data leaves me feeling
> overwhelmed. How do you know it's a 'good' study?
You mean how do you know it's a positive study? If that is what you
mean that is a thing which requires some basic knowledge about the
human body as well as understanding of scientific abstracts. That is
not something you just learn overnight. However you do not have to be
a scientist or highly educated to learn this (I am not), all you need
is sound thinking, interest in the subject and the willingness to
learn.
> I started down this path with The Antioxidant Miracle by Lester Packer
> ... then I read Fantastic Voyage by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman. I
> now *love* reading Kurzweil, and am currently working on The
> Singularity is Near. I've also become a member of LEF and get their
> magazine.
I got into life-extension when I read the book "Stop Aging Now by Jean
Carper". That is the only book I've read that is related to
life-extension (I rarely read books), all my research since then has
been solely done on the internet.
> How do I know these are good sources of information though ... how do I
> modify my supplement regimen to best suite my specific needs. Perhaps
> in time, I'll feel more comfortable in this area, but right now, as I
> said, it leaves me feeling overwhelmed.
I understand that, researching life-extension is not easy particularly
to start with but if you keep researching it you will eventually start
to understand it better. In the mean time just keep on reading and
don't hesitate to ask questions.
> In answer to questions you posed ... it's the racemic form of ALA, and
> I'd been considering switching to the 'R' version after I ran out of
> what I have now.
That's a great idea, I highly recommend that you switch to the R-form.
The racemic form is a 50/50 mixture of the S- and R- enantiomers. The
R- enantiomer is the same form of ALA as is endogenously produced in
the body and is responsible for most of the benefits of ALA. The S-
enantiomer on the other hand is not normally found in the body and it
has been shown to have some negative effects.
> I started 'into' supplements around the beginning of this year ...
> February, some time. But, I've been learning as I go ... and what I
> take today isn't even close to what I was taking then. I've been
> taking the LEF mix and booster for around 3 months ... and also
> exercising more and more regularly in that same time frame. This has
> all been *after* my most recent blood tests ... so, I do hope to see
> some improvement in those results.
You will most definitely see some improvement in the parameters from
the changes you've made. Please post your test results when you take
another blood test, it will be interesting to see what has changed.
> I was frustrated with the initial
> test results because I have always had a reasonably low body weight and
> (presumably) body fat percentage. I'm 5'8" and weigh around 140, or a
> little less. Not on lot of room for fat.
You have a good BMI for life-extension and not much room for weight
loss. And while you may not know your bodyfat percentage if you have
visible abs that's a sign your bodyfat is probably close to being
optimal for life-extension. Given these stats and your age I would
expect you to have better glucose tolerance and higher HDL cholesterol
if you eat healthy and are physically active but this of course is very
individual and depends on a lot of factors. F.ex. it seems that some
people that have low HDL levels do not experience a rise in HDL levels
from exercising which otherwise is one of the most effective ways to
increase HDL levels (PMID: 9568755). This last is not as true for
women as it is for males (PMID: 7055869, PMID: 229871).
> Olafur,
>
> Thanks for the great info!
>
> What I still find to be quite confusing ... is how to find the "best"
> information about supplementation and longevity. I'm not a
> professional scientist, and reading raw study data leaves me feeling
> overwhelmed. How do you know it's a 'good' study?
You mean how do you know it's a positive study? If that is what you
mean that is a thing which requires some basic knowledge about the
human body as well as understanding of scientific abstracts. That is
not something you just learn overnight. However you do not have to be
a scientist or highly educated to learn this (I am not), all you need
is sound thinking, interest in the subject and the willingness to
learn.
> I started down this path with The Antioxidant Miracle by Lester Packer
> ... then I read Fantastic Voyage by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman. I
> now *love* reading Kurzweil, and am currently working on The
> Singularity is Near. I've also become a member of LEF and get their
> magazine.
I got into life-extension when I read the book "Stop Aging Now by Jean
Carper". That is the only book I've read that is related to
life-extension (I rarely read books), all my research since then has
been solely done on the internet.
> How do I know these are good sources of information though ... how do I
> modify my supplement regimen to best suite my specific needs. Perhaps
> in time, I'll feel more comfortable in this area, but right now, as I
> said, it leaves me feeling overwhelmed.
I understand that, researching life-extension is not easy particularly
to start with but if you keep researching it you will eventually start
to understand it better. In the mean time just keep on reading and
don't hesitate to ask questions.
> In answer to questions you posed ... it's the racemic form of ALA, and
> I'd been considering switching to the 'R' version after I ran out of
> what I have now.
That's a great idea, I highly recommend that you switch to the R-form.
The racemic form is a 50/50 mixture of the S- and R- enantiomers. The
R- enantiomer is the same form of ALA as is endogenously produced in
the body and is responsible for most of the benefits of ALA. The S-
enantiomer on the other hand is not normally found in the body and it
has been shown to have some negative effects.
> I started 'into' supplements around the beginning of this year ...
> February, some time. But, I've been learning as I go ... and what I
> take today isn't even close to what I was taking then. I've been
> taking the LEF mix and booster for around 3 months ... and also
> exercising more and more regularly in that same time frame. This has
> all been *after* my most recent blood tests ... so, I do hope to see
> some improvement in those results.
You will most definitely see some improvement in the parameters from
the changes you've made. Please post your test results when you take
another blood test, it will be interesting to see what has changed.
> I was frustrated with the initial
> test results because I have always had a reasonably low body weight and
> (presumably) body fat percentage. I'm 5'8" and weigh around 140, or a
> little less. Not on lot of room for fat.
You have a good BMI for life-extension and not much room for weight
loss. And while you may not know your bodyfat percentage if you have
visible abs that's a sign your bodyfat is probably close to being
optimal for life-extension. Given these stats and your age I would
expect you to have better glucose tolerance and higher HDL cholesterol
if you eat healthy and are physically active but this of course is very
individual and depends on a lot of factors. F.ex. it seems that some
people that have low HDL levels do not experience a rise in HDL levels
from exercising which otherwise is one of the most effective ways to
increase HDL levels (PMID: 9568755). This last is not as true for
women as it is for males (PMID: 7055869, PMID: 229871).
