#102

There is a long thread (387 replies) on GDF11 at longecity started by Steve Perry on November 20, 2015, when he had been on it for 1.5 years.

He uploaded a Word file with his results. Some choice quotes below.

Cardiac

In the attached zip file named “GDF11 back up data.zip”, read the PDF entitled “SphygmoCor”. Note on page 2, my SphygmoCor Reference Age is between 28 and 34.

Also, note the bottom right of page 4: big improvements to the key cardiac biomarkers of injection duration (how hard the heart is pumping – lower is better) and Buckberg SEVR (oxygen supply to heart – higher is better).

In the zip file, note two CIMT PDFs taken 9 years apart. Carotid artery thickness is closely correlated to coronary artery thickness. Lower is better. Within 9 years, I went down from .681 mm to .633 on mean IMT. And down from .809 to .731 on Max IMT.

Gray Hair

Had some gray hair prior to GDF11 supplementation, now I have very little. This is probably due to GDF11 increasing melanocyte production.

Prostate issues

As most men in their late 50’s will tell you, getting up a few times in the middle of the night to urinate becomes the norm. However, after a couple of months on GDF11, I was able to sleep through the night. Big win for GDF11 right there.

Steve Perry pointed to papers by Amy Wagers, as one of his sources of info.

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#103

I’ve been curious about GDF11 and after seeing the quote from your post @JuanDaw, I’m now really curious.

“Had some gray hair prior to GDF11 supplementation, now I have very little. This is probably due to GDF11 increasing melanocyte production.”

Me: I dunno, it seems a little unproven and scary

Stranger on the interwebs: it might reverse gray hair

Me: where can I guy this in bulk?

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#104

My first step would be to go through the study to understand the dosing
Then look for an LD50 and…
any adverse reactions in the test subjects
And then half-life

The dose is definitely NOT picograms…

Four-week treatment

Zhang et al (2018) reported that twice daily treatment (totaling 0.1mg/kg) with rGDF11 in Alzheimer’s mice improved cognition, had little effect on amyloid, increased VEGF expression around brain blood vessels, increased blood vessel density and cerebral blood flow, reduced expression of inflammator proteins (GFAP and Iba-1) in the brain, and increased the expression of vascular-related proteins in the brain. Furthermore, treatment with rGDF (0.1mg/kg) in aged mice increased blood vessel density and increased neurogenesis in the subventricular zone

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#105

From Steve Perry:

I believe the risk of GDF11 is fairly low because it is an endogenous peptide. And my dose now, .01 ug/day is extremely low. On the other hand, circulating levels of GDF11, which are in the neighborhood of 1 ug, are very low also. Once again, if we had a good GDF11 assay, we could take blood samples from humans of various ages/weights and impute a proper dose.

The other reason I believe the risk is low is that I started out with relatively high doses of 50 ug. I felt fine for a few days, probably because I was in a deficit position of GDF11, but once the “tank was full”, I got the side effects of GERD and dyspnea. I was initially taking 5000 times the dose I am taking now and am still here to talk about it. Of course, you all get the benefit of patient zero’s work and you don’t have to go through what I did. I would start with .05/day ug to “fill the tank” and then work your way down to .01 ug/day.

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#106

https://www.science.org/content/article/doubts-cast-rejuvenating-protein

The Novartis group does not question that young blood renews old mice. But they say the Harvard group’s explanation is wrong. Their paper, published online today in Cell Metabolism, casts doubt on the assays used in the earlier research and suggests that GDF11 actually inhibits muscle regeneration. “The whole premise is incorrect,” says stem cell researcher Michael Rudnicki of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, who co-wrote a commentary accompanying the paper. Others are more cautious, but agree that the new work undermines part of the original GDF11 claim. "GDF11 does not go down with age," says Thomas Rando, a biologist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

Full paper below.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413115002223

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#107

Exciting. Both because strong is like the second of third largest killer in the world and the number 1 reason for disability in the developed world, and because the benefits seem relevant so so many other disease processes and aging itself: “ enhances neovascularization, reduces inflammation, promotes neurogenesis, and improves sensorimotor function”*

#108

All this confusion is yet another reminder that unless you urgently need one of these compounds for a hail mary acute need, it is best to ignore the hype around whatever brand new miracle drug pops up. If it’s legit, soon enough there will be research and trials, and you can then consider how it fits into your health and longevity regimen. Meanwhile you can avoid harm to health or wallet. Ask yourself, what exactly is known about this compound, what do you know about it, and why exactly do you need it, and need it this very second.

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#109

100% true… which is why I lost respect for Bryan Johnson after he started Folistatin.