Hello everyone , it’s a pleasure to be writing here.
A Quick Introduction
I just turned 40. I’ve always considered myself healthy and active, and my family has good longevity genes (grandparents lived to 95+, great-grandmother to 107). I was a late bloomer, always the smallest until 17, when I started catching up. Perhaps I have a slower biological clock?
Today, I’m still active. I’m 183cm, 70kg, DEXA lean mass 91.1%, fat 5.2%, BMD T-score -1.4. My results have been similar for the past 15 years. I’ve never really dieted, though I’ve been 99% whole-food plant-based for the last 5 years.
My VO2 max is 63ml/kg/min.
Blood Test Results:
Cholesterol mg/dl: total 122, HDL 78, non-HDL 44, LDL direct 43, APOB 27
Positive antinuclear antibody, dense fine speckled (AC-2), +320, only DFS70 is positive, all other antibodies are negative
Medical History:
Diagnosed with narcolepsy type 1, managed with lifestyle, no medication needed except during hard exams
I’m a medical doctor, cardiologist, and lifestyle medicine specialist
The Question:
I started taking rapamycin this year. Sometimes I wonder if it’s too early, as I still want to build muscle and improve bone density. I also have a slight fear that it might be unnecessary since I’m already healthy.
Additional Concerns:
I also have a slight fear of activating something in my immune system due to my positive ANA. However, I’m also hoping it might actually help regulate my immune system. I rarely get sick, even with endurance exercise, strength training, and contact with sick people. I can’t remember the last time I needed antibiotics.
I’d love to hear your opinions. Thanks in advance for creating this great place, and talk soon!
40 is the perfect time to start taking Rapamycin IMHO. That’s when things start going south for many. Why not throw in some Rapamycin to slow down your aging even further? Preventing cells from going senescent and inducing autophagy will probably help to keep you in your physical condition for years to come.
Of course, if you do experience any side effects, you can always stop and the side effects should abate within a week or two.
You have the Rapamycin, so why not give it a shot? I take 4 mg + GFJ weekly and I can notice a difference. You may want to work up to that slowly though.
That’s an excellent lipid panel to understate it, well below the average even for your age, do you exhibit familial hypo-cholesterolemia?
I’m not taking rapamycin yet at 64. Waiting for more studies, and for the drug to become more available, hopefully, less costly.
My very personal and subjective thought about your question is that, in your outstanding health condition and at your age, it may be redundant to take this mTOR inhibitor. Unless you think it may be useful to optimize immunity for the specific purpose you cited.
I tend to argue for a less frequent dosing or rapamycin so that mTOR functions normally for much of the time.
If I were you I would find a more sensitive CRP test. I think CRP is one of the most important biomarkers and there are tests that get down to 0.15mg/L (assuming that is the unit being used sometimes if is mg/dL) At least get 0.3mg/L limit the normal limit for high sensitivity.
Well, my mother and one brother have normal cholesterol levels, but with very high HDL, which we now understand might not be as protective as we previously thought. My dad and sister have high cholesterol, but a heart CT scan showed a score of 0 when he was 75 years old.
My cholesterol used to be a bit higher, but the main change in the last 20 years is that my HDL was very low, around 35, and now it’s good.
In the back of my mind, I hope that it could help regulate my immune system better, potentially making my positive ANA disappear and maybe even reduce my IgG levels.
But I’m also a little concerned about my recovery from intense workouts.
And I think that’s why everyone is here, to try to share ideas and get a better understanding of what is possible or not.
I think a lot about the lifestyle of my family, originally from Brazil. They never used any supplements, just ordinary, but real food, moving, working hard…
, it’s a pleasure to be writing here.
