Lex's Journal

[lex_rooker]

"the major part of AGEs measured in urine is of dietary origin. Similar results were observed for PD-effluates. This gives the preliminary indication that dietary AGEs might significantly contribute to the total AGE load of the human body. The kidney, as well as the peritoneal membrane, has to deal with a "continuous" exposure to dietary AGEs. Therefore, biologic effects of these exogenously formed compounds have to be considered, in addition to AGEs formed endogenously."
Henle T. AGEs in foods: do they play a role in uremia? Kidney Int 2003;63(suppl 84):S145-S147.

So they are saying that the kidneys and liver are doing their job and removing waste products like AGEs?

Hmmm you mean the kidneys and peritoneal membrane have to deal with continuous exposure to dietary AGEs just like they have to deal with continuous exposure to everything else we consume? 

Lex

[lex_rooker]

I'm not saying it will be awesome in every way, assuming it happens.  We might miss being analog creatures, to a certain degree.

Especially when the power is turned off....

Lex

[Brad462]

Hey Lex, do you still eat the groundbeef and organ mix from Slankers?  Just curious.

[lex_rooker]

Hey Lex, do you still eat the groundbeef and organ mix from Slankers?  Just curious. 

Yup, doing pretty much the same as I always have.  On occasion I switch off between the pet food and the primal beef mix, but other than that everything else is the same.

Lex

[Alive]

Raw meat is the way to go since it has few AGE, while providing carnosine to disable any AGE already in your body, plus other amazing health benefits of health and life extension:

Carnosine Nature's pluripotent life extension agent

... Carnosine has the remarkable ability to rejuvenate cells approaching senescence, restoring normal appearance and extending cellular life span...

...The body is made up largely of proteins. Unfortunately, proteins tend to undergo destructive changes as we age, due largely to oxidation and interactions with sugars or aldehydes. These interrelated protein modifications include oxidation, carbonylation, cross-linking, glycation and advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) formation. They figure prominently not only in the processes of aging but also in its familiar signs such as skin aging, cataracts and neurodegeneration. Studies show that carnosine is effective against all these forms of protein modification...

...meat—the main dietary source of carnosine—...

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2001/jan2001_report_carnosine_1.html

From wikipedia
- carnosine is highly concentrated in muscle and brain tissues.
- A small 2002 study reported that carnosine improved socialization and receptive vocabulary in children with
autism.
- In animal models carnosine has been shown to retard cancer growth[19] and protect against alcohol-induced oxidative stress[20] as well as ethanol-induced chronic liver damage

[Hotmail]

Hi Lex, been reading your journal on and off, I noted you had periods when you suffered increased weight on ZC,  can you let me know if this is a continuousness trend? i.e first one loses weight, then gains it on ZC? Did you manage to control its? If so, how?

Thanks and apologies for barging onto your journal!

[lex_rooker]

Hi Lex, been reading your journal on and off, I noted you had periods when you suffered increased weight on ZC,  can you let me know if this is a continuousness trend? i.e first one loses weight, then gains it on ZC? Did you manage to control its? If so, how?

Early in the process of transitioning from a high carb diet to a VLC or ZC diet your body is not very efficient at using fatty acids for fuel.  Cells need high concentrations of mitochondria to use fatty acids as their primary fuel where mitochondria are not needed in as many numbers when using glucose as the primary fuel.  This means that the body is throwing away much of the energy from the fat that has taken the place of the carbs in the diet - so you lose weight.  This gives the appearance that you can eat as much as you want of fat and protein and still lose (or at least not gain) weight and therefore calories don't count when eating VLC or ZC.

Unfortunately this doesn't go on forever.  Once the body fully adapts to using fatty acids as its primary fuel source, the dietary fat can now be used more efficiently for fuel and you'll start to gain weight again.  To keep weight down you must start counting calories again.  This is not difficult as fat is very satisfying so if you only eat until satisfied you'll be fine.  If you insist on stuffing yourself just because you think you can, you'll gain weight.

Most people start to notice this around 1 year to 18 months after starting VLC or ZC.  It is also well documented in the Atkin's diet literature.  People start on Atkin's, lose weight rapidly during the first year or so, and then their weight loss slows or stops altogether, and they will gain weight again if they over eat.

There is no magic in VLC or ZC other than the fact that high levels of dietary fat will satisfy you so it is easier to eat less.  I've also found that if I over eat on highly saturated fat, that some of it passes through undigested making stools pasty, and of course that is energy that never becomes available to the body.

Generally I'm satisfied on 2,000 to 2,500 Kcal/day.  If I eat more than this I gain weight.  Not as much or as fast as when eating a high carb diet, but I will put on weight.

Hope this answers your question.

Lex

[lex_rooker]

Finally got my annual labs completed.  Rather a heroic effort this year.  New doctor, new lab, and a couple of screw-ups requiring that I have blood drawn twice to get them completed.

Usually my blood is pulled in the early morning but this year my appointment was in the mid afternoon so blood was drawn at 3pm instead of 8 or 9 am.  This is just about the time I eat my daily meal and this is reflected in the lower blood glucose reading of 82.  My BG usually stays right around 100 for most of the day but does start to fall in the late afternoon before I eat.  So, if you're looking at all my previous labs and see BG at 98-99, that is because it was drawn first thing in the morning several hours before my meal.  This year it appears to be lower because it was drawn so close to meal time and it had been over 24 hours since my last meal.

Lipid panel remains about the same.  Total Cholesterol slightly over 200, HDL and LDL in the "good" range and Triglycerides very low at 59.

PSA is slowly rising at the rate of about 0.5 points per year.  Last year it was in the mid 2s this year it is just over 3.  This tells me that diet may be slowing prostate growth but it hasn't stopped it.  I'll have to start thinking about what approach to take when I get near the 4 mark and the doctor will want a biopsy.  This can be very destructive and cause even worse problems so not excited about doing it.  Will have to investigate alternatives.

No A1c test this year.  Doctor wouldn't perform it as he felt that based on my past history it wasn't necessary.

Paleo Phil asked about a C-Reactive protein test.  I managed to get this included as a one-time test this year just to set a reference point.   Looks good at less then 0.1 mg/dl

Every year I've tried to get a test for vitamin D and for some reason they either did the wrong test or didn't do the test at all.  This year all went well and I got the results, though it did take the second blood draw to get it done.  Vitamin D level was 51 ng/mL which seems pretty good since I don't take any supplements.  The test shows that all my vitamin D is endogenous (my body made it from sun exposure) as I don't take supplements and there is no measurable vitamin D2 which is the stuff they fortify dairy products with.

Labs are attached.  You'll notice that there are two different formats in this posting.  This is because there were two different blood draws and the second draw with the Vitamin D test and the CBC were handled differently than the first by my medical provider.

All in all very happy as my labs look great for someone 61 years old.

Lex

[William]

PSA is slowly rising at the rate of about 0.5 points per year.  Last year it was in the mid 2s this year it is just over 3.  This tells me that diet may be slowing prostate growth but it hasn't stopped it.  I'll have to start thinking about what approach to take when I get near the 4 mark and the doctor will want a biopsy.  This can be very destructive and cause even worse problems so not excited about doing it.  Will have to investigate alternatives.

The only thing I know of that stops prostate growth is the iodine protocol:
   http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/iprotocol.html

- I no longer need to piss in the wee hours of the night after a year supplementing with Lugol's etc.
   http://www.iodoraliodinesupplements.com/

BTW I am old enough (just barely) to be your father.   

[goodsamaritan]

Alternative to prostate problems:

Prostate massage, buy a prostate massage tool.

Regular emissions / ejaculations / sex. (once a week? once every 2 weeks? I don't know what's good at your age)

Eat oysters every 2 weeks.

[lex_rooker]

GS,
I've been doing the things you recommend for several years at the suggestion of my old doctor with the exception of eating oysters.  Just don't like the little buggers.  Either hasn't helped, or is part of what is slowing the rate of PSA increase.  No way to tell which.

[lex_rooker]

The only thing I know of that stops prostate growth is the iodine protocol:
   http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/iprotocol.html

- I no longer need to piss in the wee hours of the night after a year supplementing with Lugol's etc.
   http://www.iodoraliodinesupplements.com/

William,
As I've stated before, I have little faith in most of this stuff.  I've never found that it made any difference at all.  That said,  I now have a track record of PSA rising at the rate of 0.5 points per year for the last several years.  It might be interesting to try your suggestion for a year and see if there is any change.  With the information from the previous labs, it would be easy to tell if there was a change in PSA rather than just anecdotal evidence of how I feel.

Since you've had success with the same issue do you have a specific product and/or protocol to suggest?

Lex

[William]

Yes, my protocol is based on that of www.breastcancerchoices.com, modified for rzc, because it is the only form of iodine which is both harmless and has a proven  record of curing cancer.

It is Lugol's iodine first thing on waking, then again 6 hours later, started with 1 drop twice/day, increasing by one drop each week. The reason for the tiny starting dose of 6.25x2 mg is that ugly detox reactions can be provoked in those of our age if starting at the recommended 100 mg/day. (I'd be amazed if you are not full of bromine).

Lugol's is not legally sold in U.S.A., but a weaker form is sold by http://jcrows.com/, just double the dose. Iodoral works too, but co$t$, and should be taken with the supervision of a competent doc, if you choose that, there is a list of iodine-literate physicians at breastcancerchoices.com.

The rest of the protocol: 2- L-selenomethionine 200 mcg NOW brand (there is a balance of this with iodine, and if Se is not taken some have had thyroid problems)
                                             3-  Mag malate renew  AOR brand
                                             4-  tri-boron from twinlab
                                              5- Solution of dried seawater in drinking water, 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp/day. Celtic or Redmond's RealSalt.  I don't measure this, but go by taste. It makes my pemmican taste much better too.

I get the above from http://www.iherb.com/  (also better-than-bouillon, thanks).

Do read the faq at: http://curezone.com/faq/c.asp?a=13,281,2962

This protocol gives tools and weapons to the immune system. Reverse aging happens.   w00t
                                             

[lex_rooker]

Thanks William.  I'll  look at getting the supplements you recommend and reading the information at the link you've provided.  It will be interesting to see if there is any effect to PSA and/or change in BPH symptoms a year from now.

Lex

[Inger]

Lex, I would say William is so right about Iodine being one of the most important things. That is why I suggested seafood and mackerel head smoothie..lol.
You could eat lots of algae too. So much better than taking Iodine drops. Natural is always better. I drink algae water these days, just soak the algae in water and drink when thirsty. Excellent Iodine-source and lots of other minerals too.

Too sad you weren't eating the oysters your doctors suggested, they are the best superfood ever. You better eat lots of oysters every day and your prostate will be as it was when you was 20 yo..

[Hotmail]

Every time I eat oysters I end up having an awful episode of  food poisoning,  really awful, the type that let you want to wish you are dead lol ,aren't oysters scavengers that will eat anything and everything, including all solution in the waters?   or do you get some kind of organic oysters?

[goodsamaritan]

Every time I eat oysters I end up having an awful episode of  food poisoning,  really awful, the type that let you want to wish you are dead lol ,aren't oysters scavengers that will eat anything and everything, including all solution in the waters?   or do you get some kind of organic oysters?

Some people are just allergic to certain types of foods.  You are allergic to oysters, so do not eat them.  Eat something else.

[lex_rooker]

Inger,
Just don't like sea food and oysters are towards the top of my yuck list along with mussels, shrimp, and lobster.  My doctor didn't recommend oysters or any other foods or supplements but he did recommend massage which I've done.  Hasn't made any difference from what I can tell.

I will work with William to determine a reasonable protocol for adding iodine and other necessary co-factors to my diet for the next year and we'll see what happens.

Lex

[Löwenherz]

Finally got my annual labs completed.

Hi Lex,

thank you very much for posting your new lab results. Looks really good! That's great. I would say that this is the most interesting and most detailed zero carb (plus raw) lifestyle journal on this planet, far better than any book about ketogenic diets.

BTW: It might be useful or more practical to stick the pdf-document to your first post of this journal where all other laboratory values from earlier years are located!?

Do you know your thyroid levels? As far as I can see they are not included in your test. Against the background of the recent "safe starches" and thyroid health discussions in low carb circles around Jimmy Moore, Nora Gedgaudas, Ron Rosedale etc. it would be very interesting to see your TSH and fT3 - levels. There is a widespread opinion amongst low carb doctors that long-term zero carbing causes hypothyroidism. Because you feel good I guess that you are definetely not hypothyroid. Your levels could clarify the question if the standard interpretation used by hospitals is wrong in a low carb context, as Ron Rosedale claims.

Löwenherz

[PaleoPhil]

Congrats on the overall good results, Lex.

RDW 15.9 (reference range 11.0 - 15.0 %)
MCV 89.5 (80.0 - 100.0 fl)

Lex, has your folate level ever been checked? High RDW with normal MCV can be caused by the beginning stages of a decrease in folic acid in the body (WHAT CAN CAUSE THE RED CELL DISTRIBUTION WIDTH TO BE TOO HIGH? http://www.medfriendly.com/redcelldistributionwidth.html). Interestingly, Danny Roddy, Mel of ZIOH and Todd of the Dirty Carnivore forum all reported experiencing scurvy-like folic acid deficiency symptoms, or even diagnosed folic acid deficiency (as I noted about Mel here - http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/journals/lex's-journal/msg77597/#msg77597) on all-pemmican diets (folic acid deficiency symptoms are quite similar to scurvy symptoms). You don't eat all pemmican, but you do eat some, as I understand it, and eat an all-meat diet.

Natural folate is much better than folic acid, and is best obtained from food. Natural folate is associated with reduced risk of high-grade prostate cancer (Folate intake and prostate cancer risk: a case-control study, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19838935 and Figueiredo et al, Folic acid and risk of prostate cancer: results from a randomized clinical trial, http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/101/6/432.abstract), whereas high-dose synthetic folic acid supplements are associated with INCREASED risk of prostate cancer (http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/news/20090310/folic-acid-may-raise-prostate-cancer-risk).

Folate-rich foods like green vegetables, peanuts and beef liver
(http://www.livestrong.com/article/473845-what-is-high-rdw-and-low-ferritin/#ixzz27QaT1FXN), asparagus and spinach, and the nutrient diindolylmethane, found in crucifers like broccoli, kale, cabbage and cauliflower, have been connected to prostate cancer prevention (http://www.ehow.com/way_5626027_diet-lower-psa.html). Other foods high in folate include herbs, other legumes, nuts and seeds (http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-high-in-folate-vitamin-B9.php).

On the other hand, these studies associated folate with higher PSA, but don't say whether the folate was from food or what:
- Collin et al, Associations of folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine, and folate-pathway polymorphisms with prostate-specific antigen velocity in men with localized prostate cancer, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20852008
- Folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine and prostate cancer risk: surprise finding, http://psa-rising.com/eatingwell/vb12_folate04.html

[William]

Symptoms of folic acid deficiency:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/8-symptoms-of-folic-acid-deficiency/
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/folic-acid-deficiency-anemia-topic-overview

I don't have any of them, and I eat a quack of a lot more pemmican than Lex. Quit eating liver, the only non-plant source of folic acid, months ago because it contains evil carbs.

Were the people mentioned eating grass-finished beef?

[lex_rooker]

BTW: It might be useful or more practical to stick the pdf-document to your first post of this journal where all other laboratory values from earlier years are located!?

I PM'd GS and asked him to post the labs to the first Journal entry but apparently he never did it.  Is there a Moderator out there that can copy my lab pdf to the first entry with all the others?

Do you know your thyroid levels? As far as I can see they are not included in your test. Against the background of the recent "safe starches" and thyroid health discussions in low carb circles around Jimmy Moore, Nora Gedgaudas, Ron Rosedale etc. it would be very interesting to see your TSH and fT3 - levels. There is a widespread opinion amongst low carb doctors that long-term zero carbing causes hypothyroidism. Because you feel good I guess that you are definetely not hypothyroid. Your levels could clarify the question if the standard interpretation used by hospitals is wrong in a low carb context, as Ron Rosedale claims.

I think they did TSH and T3/T4 in previous labs and there was no problem.  Danny Roddy says they are the wrong tests but the only tests I can get are the ones my doctor approves.  With no symptoms the docs are reluctant to run expensive tests.  I looked at getting all the tests Danny Roddy recommeded and the full panel was over $1,000.  If I only went for the minimum tests it was still over $600.  Not sure it is worth the cost to do it out of pocket myself - again, since I'm not experienceing any outward problems.  There is the PSA/prostate problem but modern medicine doesn't seem to see a connection between thyroid and prostate issues.  As it was I had to talk like a Dutch Uncle to get the Vit D and C-Reactive Protein tests.

Lex

[lex_rooker]

Phil,
Not sure if the RDW number is anything to worry about or not.  It is not astronomically high and at this point I'm more inclined to take the wait-but-monitor approach.  For me the PSA number is of more concern as I now have a clear track record over several years for that.

I do eat a good bit of liver as part of my daily food mix so if folate is the problem, and liver has folate, then I should be getting plenty of it.

BTW, what did you think of the CRP number?  Less than 0.1, which I guess is as low as they measure.

Lex

[PaleoPhil]

Symptoms of folic acid deficiency:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/8-symptoms-of-folic-acid-deficiency/
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/folic-acid-deficiency-anemia-topic-overview

I don't have any of them, and I eat a quack of a lot more pemmican than Lex. Quit eating liver, the only non-plant source of folic acid, months ago because it contains evil carbs.

Were the people mentioned eating grass-finished beef?

It's only one possible factor in Lex's high RDW, low-normal MCV and gradually rising PSA. I'm not saying he definitely is folate deficient, just noticed a slight pattern.

With folic acid deficiency, "the signs are often subtle" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folate_deficiency. All three of those fellows were slow to recognize that something was seriously wrong, and I came across two other cases of ZCers who developed folic acid deficiency symptoms that I forgot about:

Ken - http://forum.zeroinginonhealth.com/printthread.php?tid=2835&page=70

Osprey101 - http://forum.dirtycarnivore.com/index.php/topic,105.msg96885.html#msg96885

None of these were eating "evil carbs" and I think they were all avoiding liver. Lex's willingness to eat liver and other organs may actually be one reason why he has avoided the levels of deficiency and severity of symptoms they experienced.

I doubt any of them were eating grass-finished beef, which may be another factor in Lex's better results. Plus, I think at least two of them had a history of GI problems. Poor absorption of folic acid may have been another factor for them.

Phil,
Not sure if the RDW number is anything to worry about or not.  It is not astronomically high and at this point I'm more inclined to take the wait-but-monitor approach.  For me the PSA number is of more concern as I now have a clear track record over several years for that.

Yes, that makes sense. If the RDW worsens, that would be more concerning than a single slightly high measure.

I do eat a good bit of liver as part of my daily food mix so if folate is the problem, and liver has folate, then I should be getting plenty of it.

I vaguely recall Todd said in the Dirty Carnivore forum that he would have to eat a lot of liver to get enough folate without also eating other folate-containing foods like egg yolks, shellfish, greens and nuts/seeds and I recall being surprised thinking that was one data point that hinted that humans are more omnivorous than carnivorous.

BTW, what did you think of the CRP number?  Less than 0.1, which I guess is as low as they measure.

Ah yes. I forgot that if numbers are great, physicians don't say anything, instead of saying they're great (which would help people know they're on the right track. It's excellent.

[Löwenherz]

I think they did TSH and T3/T4 in previous labs and there was no problem.  Danny Roddy says they are the wrong tests but the only tests I can get are the ones my doctor approves.  With no symptoms the docs are reluctant to run expensive tests.  I looked at getting all the tests Danny Roddy recommeded and the full panel was over $1,000.

That's indeed expensive. Here is the summary of Ron Rosedales thoughts about VLC dieting and thyroid health:

"The lowering of free T3 is a sign of that adaptation, and, according to Paul Jaminet, when you follow his diet you prevent the lowering of free T3.  That is powerful indication that following a “safe starch” diet is preventing one from changing into a calorie restriction phenotype and preventing the genetic expression and adaptation to deeper maintenance and repair that equates to health and longevity that a very low carbohydrate, high-fat diet would otherwise allow the opportunity for."

Taken from his blog:

http://drrosedale.com/blog/2012/08/18/a-conclusion-to-the-safe-starch-debate-by-answering-four-questions/#more-1137

Löwenherz