I haven’t written about supplements
since…wow! I just did a search of almost 400 posts and discovered I have NEVER
written about my supplements. I guess it’s because I consider it
personal, not in the sense of private – I am transparent about my health – but
in the sense of “individualized.” I think it is also because I have read so
much about how none of them are
necessary or even helpful, like I’ve just been duped or sold a bill of goods.
So, why do I take supplements when
there’s no real way to prove that they have helped me? A well designed experiment is
impossible; there are just way too
many confounding factors. I guess the best answer is that they are “insurance;”
besides, most of them are vestigial, that is, I began them before I was initiated in the ways – or the concept anyway – of eating a low carb diet of whole, real food…and
I just continued with them. That’s my construct anyway. Besides, some of them I
do believe in. So, which would I
eliminate and why?
I am prompted to write about this
now by a presentation made at Keto Fest in New London, CT last July by podcast
meister Ivor
Cummins, the “Fat Emperor.” Near the end – maybe his very last
sentence – as though it were a hurried, throwaway line, he said: “Don’t forget
to take supplemental magnesium and potassium.” No time for an explanation. It
was just a given, like everyone knew! Fortunately, I do
take them both.
Here’s a
complete list of my current supplements. Bear in mind, I am/have been a Type 2
Diabetic for 31 years and eat a Very Low Carb (VLC) or LCHF (Low-Carb,
High-Fat) or Ketogenic Diet, with frequent full-day fasting.
With COFFEE with HEAVY CREAM and
POWDERED STEVIA, early in the MORNING
● 1g
fish oil, containing 300 EPA and 200 DHA, and 5 IU of vitamin E
● 1
tablet high potency men’s multi-vitamin, with vitamin D3, lutein and lycopene
● 100mg
capsule of CoQ10, the active form (Ubiquinol)
● 200mg
magnesium glyconate, chelated for absorption
● 200mcg
of elemental chromium (chromium picolinate), with 18mg L-leucine + 2mg vitamin
B6
● 100mg
biologically active R-Lipoic acid (alpha lipoic acid), with 150mcg D-Biotin
In addition, I take 2 prescription
meds: 750mg metformin Hcl and 25mg HCTZ, a diuretic (for hypertension)
With 6oz RED WINE & 8oz SELZER,
about 12 hours later, if FASTING, or with FOOD (my supper meal).
● 1g
fish oil, containing 300 EPA and 200 DHA, and 5 IU of vitamin E
● 200mg
magnesium glyconate, chelated for absorption
● 99mg
potassium, a multi-source blend
● 1
capsule homocysteine modulators: 50mg B6, 400mg folic acid (B9), and 500mcg B12
In addition, I take 3
prescriptions: 750mg metformin Hcl, and 20mg Enalapril & 240mg Verapamil
(BP pills)
Candidates for deletion: 1)
chromium picolinate, 2) R-Lipoic acid and 3) homocysteine modulators.
Possible additions: 1) a
small (250mg) Vitamin C tablet with supper, to help with protein uptake, and a
calcium supplement, to help with magnesium uptake. First I need to learn more
about their interactions.
My labs are very
good. My last A1c was 5.2%. My Vitamin D and B12 are high and very high
respectively. My TC is below 200mg, my HDL-C is averages about 80, my LDL-C
averages about 100 and my TGs still average around 50, even though I don’t eat
a can of sardines for lunch any more. When I do eat lunch, I prefer a can of
kippered herring in brine. It’s fewer calories and much less fat, and I’m
trying to burn endogenous fat, not exogenous
fat! My fasting intake is about
300kcal/day and my feasting intake
paradigm is still about 1,200 (15g carbs, 60g protein and 100g fat, mostly
saturated/monounsaturated). Finally, my inflammation markers are very low. Now that I have laid it out
for everyone to see, what do you think? I invite comments.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI see you are taking BP pills. Hypertension is supposed to go hand in hand with insulin resistance. Or so they say.
Have you seen improvement in your BP with a low-carb diet? Or with any other intervention?
I am asking because I have hypertension, and I was expecting a low-carb diet to help greatly. It hasn't helped at all.
Hi Valerie,
DeleteGood question. Hypertension does go hand in hand with insulin resistance. They are also components of the Metabolic Syndrome (see my #9).
I was on a cocktail of 3 BP pills when, at 375 pounds, I started eating VLC (20g/day). My BP was 130/90. Nine months later, I had lost 60 pounds and my BP was 120/80 on the same meds and doses. Three months later it was 110/70, again same/same.
Today I am 184 pounds lighter than when I started. I am still on the same meds/same doses and my latest BP was 120/80. Before that 125/70.
My doctor's nurse says that I have "the BP of a teenager." I'm 76. I told my doctor I'd like to stop taking the diuretic (HCTZ), and he said "OK," but I haven't stopped it.
I consider my BP under control. I really don't think I would want it to be lower than it is, but that question is above my pay grade.
The conventional thinking that the thing that moves BP is weight loss, not a low carb diet per se. In my case, it appears it was so, but all the improvement occurred in the first 9 months. I suppose no further improvement was needed, unless of course, it would stay at 120/80 without meds. But, again, that is above my pay grade. I think it comes with age. And once your arteries are stiffened, they're not going to get flexible again.