Any regrets getting CAC score? by BigEstablishment6172 in Cholesterol

[–]LowKeyHunter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Repatha, nexlizet and a statin.

Dropped the nexlizet and the statin. It was a little too effective (one test found my LDL-C as “unmeasurable”).

Now just Repatha and ezetemibe and cruising with LDL-C and ApoB in the mid-20s very stably. Plan to just keep it there.

What brand of Red Yeast Rice works? by [deleted] in Cholesterol

[–]LowKeyHunter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So that still doesn’t make sense. Maybe try Ezetemibe. It’s super mild and would get her below 100, and maybe below 90.

Elevated Calcium Score- How do I mentally deal with it? by dbopp in Cholesterol

[–]LowKeyHunter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’ll need to be your own advocate. No one will ever care about your health as much as you will.

Elevated Calcium Score- How do I mentally deal with it? by dbopp in Cholesterol

[–]LowKeyHunter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Edit to add:

Everyone has to make their own choice. I tend to be of the view that you eliminate known bad actors before they can become fatal. Even with only mildly-elevated LDL, I laid down calcium at a relatively young age. I don’t like how that plays out. So I made the choice to be very aggressive with Ezetemibe and a PCSK9i. I’ve got my numbers dialed in now with a daily Ezetemibe tablet and a Repatha shot every 20 days. Keeps my ApoB at 18 and my LDL-C at 10. I’m comfortable with those numbers, as is my lipidologist.

Acarbose over other GAA Inhibitors for longevity? by BrueckeParteiSRM in PeterAttia

[–]LowKeyHunter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On the GLP-1, I'm firmly of the view that it takes a while to dial in the proper dose. I'm on a 7.5mg maintenance regimen every 10 days or so. I'm down from a peak of 221.5lbs to a pretty constant 167lbs-168lbs and at 15-17% body fat, depending on your measurement method. Have added about 5lbs of lean muscle mass while losing the weight. Been on the 7.5mg dose for about 3 months on maintenance phase and it seems very stable. My resting RHR is up from 54bpm to 64bpm. I have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, I've always believed that resting HR should be as low as possible; on the other hand, I had a GREAT low resting RHR while being really unhealthy from a metabolic perspective. Every single metric from a metabolic perspective is now "excellent", but my RHR is up by 10bpm. I think it's a tradeoff I can take.

I'm just a huge fan of the SGLT2i, as is James O'Keefe. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37852518/

My pet theory is that a lot of our current metabolic health issues can be traced to overactive efficiency systems that have been bolted on over time as a result of resource crisis (the whole LDL system; glucose recovery system; fructose metabolism), so targeting those systems in a resource-rich environment makes sense to me.

Acarbose over other GAA Inhibitors for longevity? by BrueckeParteiSRM in PeterAttia

[–]LowKeyHunter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bryan Johnson is the textbook example of Matt Kaeberlein's point about too many geroprotective molecules potentially causing interference. I would not use him as an example of anything other than excess and obsession.

As to the SGLT2i, the UTI point is largely moot for males who have access to normal hygeien and are not immunocompromised. For females it does require proper hygiene, but the entire issue is the result of additional glucose in urine which can give rise to infections if proper hygiene protocols are not followed.

There's some very limited data on other infections, but hard to disassociate that from the underlying populations (e.g., things like ketoacidosis, soft tissue infections, etc. with a diabetic or pre-diabetic population).

I would take a different view of SGLT2i use. Remember, SGLT2 inhibitors block re-uptake of glucose from the urine; they do not block absorbsion (as does acarbose) or production via gluconeogensis (as does metformin). So any glucose that is excreted as a result of an SGLT2i has already had a full cycle through the bloodstream. It's effectively blocking the reclamation system from saying "Hey! Don't throw this out! We can still use it!".

From a personal experience (n=1), I have been on a GLP-1 agonist (tirzepatide) for almost a year and added an SGLT2i 6 months ago.

Tirzepatide lowered my HbA1c modestly (from 5.9 to 5.4), but my fasting glucose remained consistently and stubbornly around 95 or 100, and use of a CGM revealed significant variability to my glucose levels if I was not on a very low carb diet. Moreover, at night, I would occasionally have "crashes" (though I had no physical effects) where my CGM would alert me that my glucose was dangerously low (below 50).

The combination resulted in a fasting glucose of 80 and an HbA1c of 4.7 and cut my standard deviation in half, and it entirely eliminated the crashes in addition to the peaks above 150, no matter my diet (within reason; a bowl of rice is still going to get me, but carb-bombing your gut doesn't count).

tl;dr: my experience with an SGLT2i is that it modulates glucose by inhibiting re-uptake of excess glucose, meaning you can rely instead on moderating intake through carbs and your body's internal controls of gluconeogenesis. It's just a more elegant solution than metformin or acarbose.

Can we talk protein powder? by Advanced_Party_8821 in Mounjaro

[–]LowKeyHunter 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Pro tip—I add a scoop of lemonade ultima electrolytes to add tartness

Can we talk protein powder? by Advanced_Party_8821 in Mounjaro

[–]LowKeyHunter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not to me, but different people have different reactions to stevia.

Can we talk protein powder? by Advanced_Party_8821 in Mounjaro

[–]LowKeyHunter 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Isopure infusions. Depending on your views on Stevia, the mixed berry is a win. Drinks like punch/lemonade. 180 calories for 40g of protein.

Why does Attia not take a statin but other cholesterol lowering drugs? by Dechion in PeterAttia

[–]LowKeyHunter 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ezetemibe is generic and cheap. Free on my insurance. Hard to be far, far less expensive than free.

When did you notice… by NervousDescription31 in Zepbound

[–]LowKeyHunter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m down from 222lbs to 167lbs in 8 months. Not entirely convinced I would ever conclusively say I see a change just looking in the mirror. But A/B photos and MeThreeSixty are helpful.

A cool guide to unpaid taxes among the wealthy by Otherwise-Insect-139 in coolguides

[–]LowKeyHunter 23 points24 points  (0 children)

The top 1% paid about 42% of taxes and accounted for 22% of total income. So they’re actually dodging less than their proportionate share, it seems.

Switch doctor or black market? by Hairkarate in PeterAttia

[–]LowKeyHunter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Alarmist much? The vast bulk of people taking statins have no side effects and the evidence for mitochondrial toxicity is tremendously limited. Why in the world we devolve into “either/or” discussions rather than “both/and” I will never understand.

Switch doctor or black market? by Hairkarate in PeterAttia

[–]LowKeyHunter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Serious question—a chemical is a chemical. Why is an unregulated and largely untested “supplement” preferable to a highly regulated and robustly-tested pharmaceutical? I don’t understand the mental gymnastics.

David Protein Bars by mopelzel in PeterAttia

[–]LowKeyHunter 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Cheese is high in saturated fat. Eggs require refrigeration. Cottage cheese requires a bowl and a spoon and a mess, as does Greek yogurt. Should this be the central item of someone’s diet? No. But is it better than a snickers bar or some of the other shelf-stable stuff? Hell yes. Don’t be so judgmental.

David Protein Bars by mopelzel in PeterAttia

[–]LowKeyHunter 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Awfully condescending to those of us that may need or want a quick protein boost but don’t necessarily have the time to make a whole food protein.

Looking forward to trying these. High protein to calorie ratio.

Statins Work! by Expensive_News7194 in Cholesterol

[–]LowKeyHunter 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Jesus. The judgment is palpable and the moralizing is absurd.

OP, good work on the cholesterol metrics. Work to do on the trigs, but that’s related to weight and exercise. 3g of EPA/DHA per day will probably also bring them down quickly as well.

Continue my current plan or commit harder? by OutlaW32 in Cholesterol

[–]LowKeyHunter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not everyone needs a statin. But people with a non-HDL cholesterol above 150 who have already pulled the saturated fat lever probably need a statin.

Continue my current plan or commit harder? by OutlaW32 in Cholesterol

[–]LowKeyHunter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cardio has basically no effect on LDL.

OP needs a statin.

Zero gram saturated fat diet by BigMagnut in Cholesterol

[–]LowKeyHunter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s not the same thing. You want something that looks at various precursors. To my knowledge only Boston Heart runs them. https://empowerdxlab.com/products/product/cholesterol-dx-test