#161

Then again, there is this 2006 study showing additive effects of both in combination. Go figure

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#162

This and @LukeMV first paper could be that a lot of people (including many diabetics) have been conditioned to only really burn glucose for energy and are not well adapted for fat oxidation as energy.

That is something you can train up to.

Once one becomes more metabolically flexible, fat based energy will be available when exercising.

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#163

Yes, low intensity training, but not HIT. And if you want to improve fat oxidation to total energy, you should do a lot of low-intensity training.

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#164

Ouch, not liking this at all. Iā€™ve started lately to think that this longevity journey is going to make us into some freckle, useless toothpicks pretty soon. lol.rapa seems to reduce strength, acarbose the same, metformin, same thing. Iā€™ve stopped rapa, metforin, and acarbose for now and iā€™ll see how it goes. I used to be a mighty beast before starting this longevity thing (just doing few supplements) and now i feel a 10 year old kid would beat the hell out of me. Donā€™t like that feeling.

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#165

Hahahaā€¦ you are on pointā€¦ but.

I was a bigger beast too almost 200 pounds. TRT and rapamycin shredded me down to more average sizeā€¦ but just as strong ā€¦ maybe even stronger.

Think of our sinewy ancestors 30,000 years agoā€¦ strong and wirery. Think chimpsā€¦ not really bigā€¦ but strong and can tear you apart.

I have adapted to my toned body and M sized shirts. Feels like I reversed a good bit and now am hovering in place with my age.

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#166

I hear you, that TRT is very tempting but am afraid Iā€™ll have to stay on it for life.
Itā€™s weird though because when I take rapa the first two days I have more energy (counter to what some people here report) and I even feel maybe stronger, but then I kind of crush and feel low energy for the rest of the week. so I donā€™t really know what to make of it. For now, decided to give my body a bit of a rest and see what happens in next 3-4 weeks. Then I might experiment, maybe Iā€™ll try half the dose of rapa but do it twice per week as opposed once per week, and do it in a schedule of maybe 4 weeks on and 2 weeks off. Iā€™m still a fan of RAPA though it is just the frequency and the dose that seems to be perhaps different for everyone and until one finds a comfortable schedule and dose, itā€™s a bit of a wild ride it seems.

btw, more than anything I envy you taking daily cialis (with no side effects). Holly cow for 2-3 days i took it (before it crippled me) I could have frigging impregnated 1/2 the woman of the planet on those three days aloneā€‹:joy::joy:. such an effing boost of confidence lol. Viagra doesnā€™t even have 1/3 of the effect.

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#167

@Agetron It seems youā€™re one of the few people reporting on rapamycin+TRT. I saw you mention your total T levels have been 1100+, was wondering if you knew what your free T is?

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#168

Hey John,
I will be getting my free ā€œTā€ numbers on my next blood panel in a few weeks. I will post it.

I definitely think rapamycin and TRT are a winning combination.

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#169

@Agetron Awesome, please do. Iā€™d also definitely like to know if TRT has raised your hematocrit, and if rapamycin affected that at all?

Glad to hear itā€™s working for you.

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#170

Personally, I couldnā€™t care less. Retrospective studies are only useful for hypothesis generation.
Wrong at least as often as correct, and even then, the magnitude of effect is massively overstated.

Confounding variables make them mostly useless otherwise.

Itā€™s like retrospective studies of Viagra (and other compounds) for longevity, and why nearly all ā€œnutritional scienceā€ is absolute rubbish.

They are also useful for detecting extremely rare harms of therapies, where actual experiments cannot be done because of the massive n required.

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#171

TRT has raised my hematocrit (and just about everyone elseā€™s) but itā€™s pretty evident now that high hematocrit without high platelets or genetic clotting factors like Factor V is of no concern at all. People on TRT arenā€™t at higher risk of strokes or blood clots, so I really wouldnā€™t worry. Itā€™s essentially the same as living at high altitude and having a high hematocrit. Those people arenā€™t at risk either, unless their platelets are also high.

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#172

You could be right on the acarbose muscle loss connection. Retrospective studies have their strong limitations. But I wouldnā€™t be certainā€¦ The authors did their best to control for confounders and the lower muscle mass and strength for acarbose users was strong and consistent.

The authors speculate that, if correct, the loss in muscle function could be caused by a reduction in energy absorption or by acarbose-caused altered gut microbiota acting as a mediator of the effects of nutrition on muscle cells. That gut microbiota can affect muscle cells seems to be clesr.

Notwithstanding possible confounders, for me the study is a bummer. My gut reaction is to try to limit my carb intake to reduce my need for acarbose.

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#173

Another idea is only taking Acarbose with high carb cheat meals

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#174

Ulf, I donā€™t see much light between our positions then.
That observational studies might be true (particularly if done well, and extraordinary efforts are made to limit confounding variables), I think we agree on.

Iā€™d also concur with the ā€œOh oh, if true, this might not be goodā€ response.

I currently take acarboseā€¦ because 10 h of endurance exercise, low carb intake, and really low total body-fat is insufficient to counteract 20 mg per day of prednisone (which I need to have any measure of strength due to an autoimmune neuro-muscular disorder).

My response to such an article would be ā€œhave I noticed any loss of strength in my 2 x per week resistance trainingā€? If not, (and I have not), Iā€™ll park it as interesting but only as an untested hypothesis.

Do you see any other disagreementsā€¦ or are we close enoughā€¦

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#175

Itā€™s a great idea, but be prepared for LOTS of gas that starts the next day and continues for at least a couple of days afterward. It works for me for Friday cheat meals as long as Iā€™m only doing OUTDOOR activities w/friends over the weekend.

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#176

Iā€™ll be alright. Iā€™ve been taking Acarbose for two years now. I donā€™t get much gas from it anymore.

At the beginning I definitely did though.

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#177

Are you able to just take it intermittently for cheat meals and still not have gas? Iā€™d expect the gas to only get better if the acarbose is taken regularly/frequently.

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#178

Fair question. I take it daily so I do not know. You might be right.

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#179

I take acarbose five times a day. For my first meal, a hefty breakfast smoothie, I chew half of a 50mg pill at the start and the other half midway through. I follow the same routine for my substantial brunch. For any evening snacks, like peanut butter and chocolate, I take a 25mg half.

I have a positive gut feeling about acarbose, as opposed to metformin, which sometimes didnā€™t sit well with my sensitive digestive system. Thankfully, acarbose doesnā€™t seem to cause me any bloating. I really hope it doesnā€™t turn out to blunt the benefits of exerciseā€”that would be disappointing.

The routine evolved without much thought but felt right. I really should get a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to find out mroe

Acarbose has been kind to my gut, which I suspect suffered from overuse of antibiotics during my youth. My stools are firmer and less frequent, which is a relief for me!

I have experimented with adding 25mg of empagliflozin but ended up waking up feeling drained and dizzy. I thought splitting them might work, but it apparently it reduces effectiveness, so Iā€™ve ordered 10mg to give it another shot. If I still experience fatigue and dizziness, I might pause the acarbose and test empagliflozin by itself to see how I fare.

5 Likes
#180

Steve, your position is fair enough, no disagreement. . For me, my 2 x per week all-out resistance training is maintaining or barely increasing my strength I would have wished for more improvement. Is it because of the acarbose? I have no idea. I will play it safe by reducing my carb and acarbose intake. To play it safe, with the added benefit of avoiding carbs.