AnUser
#660
I presume you mean in the typical period where others develop plaque. Because we see pretty much everyone having a CAC score above 0 eventually depending on age. So if we don’t know what the reason is it doesn’t mean anything now.
It doesn’t matter, it’s expected to be a net negative now if lipids are suboptimal.
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Gonna hit 67 years on April 19th… I am one of those with high LDL-C . My high LDL-C is genetic no heart issues in my lineage… none. And, so a score of zero for the past 4 years… latest test was in June 2024. I am below the 25 percentile.
Will see when I finally move past zero.
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You are probably fine but one of the principal stuff that I recall from the book of Dr Alo Cholesterol Truths is that a score of zero doesn’t mean you don’t have plaque, and a clean Doppler of your arteries doesn’t mean you don’t have plaque either… For people who reads us, It is important to know that keeping LDL-C low is the only to don’t get plaque (if Lp(a) level are protective).
Finasteride probably helped you here 
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Exactly on the finasteride. The recent research that finasteride clears cholesterol from the blood … might mean that I have overly benefited as an early adopter of it 30 + years ago as a daily supplement (for hair retention and smaller prostate). No family heart problems generationally builds my confidence in the Coronary Calcium Score.
In closing… the typical person with high LDL-C and without the unique traits if my genetics… and dumb luck use of finasteride in my youth - should be very concerned. I totally agree.
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Go get him Brad!!
A great counter point to Bryan’s hyperbolic statements on rapamycin.
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Does anyone know if dutasteride has the same effect on lipids as finasteride?
Looks like he started a PCSK9-inhibitor. I’m glad to see this given his ApoB levels. One of the most evidence based interventions for extending his lifespan.
https://x.com/bryan_johnson/status/1907170002970779695?s=46
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Yes - its been discussed. See these thread:
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I find it a little strange that he harps so much on this… he made his decision many months ago and posted a bunch on this on his thought process, which seemed rather poorly thought out as we discussed in this thread:
Is there anything new? I’ll try to check the video next week when I have time. Why revisit his decision 6 months later and make a video? Me thinks he doth protest too much…
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I think it might be an engagement tactic. If he announces that “there’s this one drug” that he took which made him “older” and is “BAD😬!!!”, he gets a lot of clicks and engagement.
I mean, he’s discussed his rapamycin decision many times over the months, so it must be working for him. Regardless, the more memorably he disassociates himself from rapamycin, the better.
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Reading through the first 50 posts in the thread, and honestly my take is the users experiencing this are just taking too high of a dose. For example
6mg + GFJ for a 134lb woman… could be ok, but sure seems like a high dose. She also reduced her dose and found it no longer increased RHR.
I feel like this points to a side effect that indicates dosing too high. And again, as I’ve stated elsewhere, people should measure their levels given the extreme variability we’ve seen anecdotally on this forum.
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medaura
#672
I get your thinking completely BUT I was taking Siroboon so my dose was much lower effectively.
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Even if I am wrong about mtDNA being at the core of aging I think everyone would accept that there is some form of system or systems in the body for tracking aging/biological health.
Those systems are not necessarily reported by the value of one particular biomarker at one time. When people are exercising this will push their heart rate up. Hence although I think it is arguable that a lower resting heart rate is an indicator of better heatlh, it is not necessarily the lower heart rate that causes better health downstream.
There are exceptions with things like blood pressure where a high blood pressure can be the cause of further damage.
Hence when I intermittently take Rapamycin or have other interventions I don’t worry that my RHR goes up. It is now a good few weeks since I last took it and my figures from this morning are a RHR of 50, an average sleeping HR of 50 and an HRV of 82ms.
I will take Rapamycin again (I have not worked out when yet as I am continually experimenting with various molecules and I have to fit it in with the other interventions) and my RHR, HbA1c, HRV etc are likely to become worse, but this is a temporary thing and not an indicator of underlying health whereas when I remove all the interventions I get the underlying values of these biomarkers.
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He’s not a doctor; he runs a health business. He simply cannot promote a regulated substance. If he were taking it, even with a prescription, there would be constant questions and one wrong word could tank his entire business. I can see why he dumped it. Similar to the anatomy kerfuffle, he has doubled down to answer any questions once and for all, allowing him to carry on with his business and health mission. I look forward to using his hyperbaric chambers but also to continuing my E3 experimentation and periodic rapamycin dosing.
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AnUser
#675
He’s still taking metformin, acarbose, tadalafil, minoxidil, etc, so it’s not because he doesn’t want to be taking a prescription substance, unless you believe there’s something specific about taking rapamycin that differentiates from the rest.
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Rapa’s different—it’s an immunosuppressant tied to insurance denials for off-label use, and my own tests sparked insurer questions. Metformin’s just boring, tadalafil and minoxidil are TV darlings, acarbose is rare in the U.S. and mainly causes diarrhea. Rapa’s risks stand out; it’s not just about prescriptions. (AI-drafted for conciseness—my ramblings were longer!)
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LukeMV
#677
Prior to the success of GLP1’s, I would have vehemently argued this point. But now? I think it’s a very real conversation.
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Bryan’s young fans shift the game. No responsible doc is prescribing rapa to a 25-year-old—the lifetime immune risks are just too much. By 40s, it’s just viewed as quirky, not that big a deal. Dying-out boomers like me? We’re just viewed as harmless eccentrics, and as long as we stay on the backwaters of the internet, we should be fine. So by that analysis it’s better that Brian has left us in peace.
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OK why do you think a lower heart rate has material downstream effects?
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