Friday, March 20, 2020

Retrospective #398: My Supplements


I have never been asked by a reader about the supplements I take, nor have I written about them. 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 that they are “individualized.” I think it is also because I have read so much about how none of them are necessary or even helpful. However, a few years ago I began full-day fasting, sometimes alternate day and sometimes extended (multiple) day.
So, the further rationale that justifies taking them is that they are an insurance policy, to be sure I get essential vitamins and minerals when I am not getting them from food. Of course, there’s no real way to prove that they have helped me? A well-designed personal experiment is impossible; there are just way too many confounding factors.
 Besides, most of the supplements I take are vestigial, that is, I take them because I have been a Type 2 diabetic since 1986, and I began many of them since before I was initiated in the ways of eating a Very Low Carb diet, and I just continued taking them. That’s my rationale. Besides, I do believe in some. But, which would I eliminate and why?
I am prompted to write about this now by a presentation by podcast meister, the “Fat Emperor,” Ivor Cummins, that I attended at Keto Fest in New London, CT in July 2017. 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.” No time for an explanation. It was just a given, like everyone knew! Fortunately, I do supplement with magnesium (500mg/day).
Here’s a complete list of my current supplements. Bear in mind, I am/have been a Type 2 Diabetic for 34 years and eat a Very Low Carb (VLC) Ketogenic Diet, with frequent (usually 3 x 42, alternate) full-day “fasting.”
With COFFEE with HEAVY CREAM and POWDERED PURE 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 (and 100mg magnesium)
     100mg capsule of CoQ10, the active form (Ubiquinol)
     200mg magnesium citrate, 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 20mg Enalapril Maleate (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 citrate, chelated for absorption
     1 capsule homocysteine modulators: 50mg B6, 400mg folic acid (B9), and 500mcg B12
     250mg vitamin C, to help with protein uptake
In addition, I take 3 meds: 750mg metformin Hcl and 20mg Enalapril Maleate + 120mg Verapamil (BP meds)
Candidates for deletion: 1) chromium picolinate, 2) R-Lipoic acid and 3) the homocysteine modulators.
Possible additions: 1) a calcium supplement, to help with magnesium uptake.
My labs are very good. My last A1c was 5.3%. My Vitamin D and B12 are high and very high respectively. My TC is below 200, 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 food intake is about 300kcal/day and my feasting food intake paradigm is still about 1,200 (15g carbs, 60g protein and 100g fat, mostly saturated/monounsaturated). Finally, my inflammation markers are very low, with my hsCRP usually less than 1.0. Now that I have laid it out for everyone to see, what do you think? I invite comments.

1 comment:

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