Ron Put

While it is true that thinner people have lower bone density on average, I have not seen convincing evidence of statistically significant increase in bone fractures, especially when accounting for confounding factors. Some of it is likely genetic Similarly, vegetarianism does not appear to play a significant role either: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21811293/

Yes, I agree. And frankly I am not worried, since my plasma potassium is 5.3 mol/L, with "normal" upper limit at 5.2, and issues arising at 6.2-6.5 mol/L concentrations. I have the potassium chloride in a salt shaker and had been adding it liberally to my starchy foods, like purple Stokes potatoes, So, I may have been adding 4-5 grams on many days, in addition to my average potassium intake of approximately 5600 mg from diet, according to Chronometer (top 3 foods are tomatoes, squash and lentils). I've tapered it down a bit on the potassium chloride, will probably test again in a month to see if it leveled off. If it does, I will likely continue adding some potassium chloride, mostly because there is significant benefit to arterial flexibility, as measured by PWV.

Bombastic, and poorly argued. Plus, it was retracted, in part because the author is a promoter of patented PUFA supplements and in part because he lacks the credentials he claims. Having said that, I have also come to the general conclusion that the mostly industry-sponsored marine oil research is poor and that it makes little sense once one peeks behind the headlines, in my opinion, at least. I have posted some of my thoughts on the subject of marine Omega-3 supplementation in another thread here: Omega-3 to Omega-6 Ratio Experiment - General Health and Longevity - CR Society Forum P.S. Here is a link to the original retracted article, which I am posting because some of the references are valid and may be interesting to some here: Why Fish Oil Fails: A Comprehensive 21st Century Lipids-Based Physiologic Analysis - PMC (nih.gov)

As if the trust in US agencies like the CDC and FDA was not already at an all time low due to partisan propaganda and misinformation related to Covid, and corporate regulatory capture, now they are exploring dietary guideline to provide comfort to the stupid, and profits to the corporate "partners" of these agencies: Dietary Guidelines Meet NOVA: Developing a Menu for A Healthy Dietary Pattern Using Ultra-Processed Foods

Interesting, I thought the intake of hunter-gatherers was as low as 500 mg of sodium per day, but according to this report the Yanomamo are at 230 mg (I calculate this based on 10 mEq). My own sodium intake during the last year is around 1150 mg according to Chronometer and plasma values are low according to lab ranges. My blood pressure generally varied from a peak of around 120/70 to 105/60 depending on time of day, and the systolic has dropped to a peak of around 115 since I started using potassium chloride. As I am entering my sixth decade, this seems to confirm that BP does not have to significantly increase with age. I am watching my kidney values, as my plasma potassium has moved above normal (5.3 mol/L). My BUN is currently at 7 mg/d, creatinine is below normal at 0.65 mg/dL, BUN/creatinine ratio is 11:1, and eGFR is at 108. The most interesting bit is the drop in Pulse Wave Velocity by about 0.5 second, to about 6.3-6.4 m/s average these days. It appears that higher potassium intake reliable lowers PWV, based on a quick search I did. Here is one study, although it's in close to obese subjects with rather poor PWV values of around 11 m/s, showing significant arterial stiffness, normally seen in those in their 70s: Effects of Potassium Chloride and Potassium Bicarbonate on Endothelial Function, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Bone Turnover in Mild Hypertensives

Any concern about liver damage or other issues relating to Niacin?

Thanks for posting this, it was a nice recap. Ioannidis has shied away from the limelight for a while, after the woke mobs attacked him, and anyone else who dared to doubt their party line. He seems to be self-censoring by being way too generous to those who tried to destroy him, and who successfully destroyed the careers and lives of many others, literally and figuratively. The Covid repression that swept the world did not emerge in a vacuum, similar repression has been and is evident in other spheres of Western societies. There has always been a religious zealousness in the Left: they are true believers and are never satisfied with mere obedience, but demand to see their beliefs in others, by propaganda, peer pressure, by control of life choices and livelihood, and if these fail, by force. It has been so in the USSR, in China, In North Korea, and now it reared its head in the US, and it spread to the other liberal democracies. The Left's ideology corrupts state institutions, corrupts business entities, and yes, it corrupts science. I hope that the pendulum does not break in my lifetime. The problem too is that on the other side there is Trump, and similarly religious conservatism (although I do not see it as a significant immediate threat to liberal democracies).

I just did another quick search. I was close on the Dream 2's sleep detection accuracy, which according to a study led by the company provides 83.5 accuracy compared to polysomnography measurements. So, about 16.5% error for sleep detection. To me this is the by far more significant measurement and the Dreem 2 doesn't seem to perform better than some of the wrist-based trackers in the study posted earlier. And here is another study comparing 5 different trackers, including Dream 2 and the Fitbit Versa 3: Comparing consumer grade sleep trackers for research purposes: A field study

Hah, straps are accurate, more so than wrist-based opticals. But, I find it a pain to strap it for every walk, and after comparing it to the Garmin Venu 2+ and found it tracking mostly within literally 2-3 beats, even at higher rates. like 170+, I've kind of abandoned the strap. HRV fluctuates a lot, so I wish that the V2+ automatically measured it periodically (when at rest). But it's also close enough for me compared to the strap.what your experience is with it. The Inspire 3 gets good reviews, keep us posted on your experience with it.

Absolutely agree. I have started doing a DEXA scan yearly, and find it really useful. It also validated the fat, muscle and bone mass data I get daily from my Withings Body Cardia scale (the scale is very consistent at underestimating my body fat by 2%, so when I see 9% on the scale, it corresponds to 11% based on the DEXA scan. I think DEXA is also good enough for general bone density tracking.

A few months ago Dr. Gregger had a short video on potassium chloride salt substitutes that prompted me to get some and experiment. I don't normally use salt at home, although at times I would get cravings and salt my purple Stokes potatoes or pumpkin slices -- I switched to using potassium chloride and used it virtually every day for a month, or more. I've had a pretty high potassium intake according to Chronometer for the last few years (being vegan and all), but my lab results were generally in the low 4s (mmol/L) and my sodium was generally low. After the fairly liberal supplementation with potassium chloride, my lab result shot up to 5.3, a bit above normal. My blood pressure seems to be a bit lower since I started adding potassium, usually in the low 100s / 60s in the morning and low to mid 110s / 70 by early afternoon, when presumably is at its highest. Interestingly, my Pulse Wave Velocity has dropped to the very low 6 second/meter (today it was 6.2 s/m), while the average over the last year has been 6.9 m/s. PWV measures arterial stiffness and increases with age. It is predictive of CVD. My 5.3 potassium lab result is hight than normal and while I don't have kidney issues, I am wondering if adding potassium chloride and a total intake to the tune of 7 or 8 grams per day, according to Chronometer, may cause problems. Al had posted a study a while back that I found interesting, where the man intake was 78 mmil/L which I calculate to be just over 3 grams. I am consuming double that amount currently, if not more: "Results: Average age of subjects was 47 years. Estimated mean potassium intake was 74 mmol/day and remained similar during follow-up. The highest tertile of estimated potassium intake was associated with a significant 76% reduction in renal outcome, and 73% decrease of cerebrovascular events, while no effect for overall cardiovascular outcome was found. A 20-mmol increase in potassium intake during follow-up was associated with a 24% reduction in renal outcome." Are others here substituting potassium for salt, or supplementing with potassium. If so, what is your long-term experience?

McCoy, I really think you place way too much stock in the qualified scientist's videos. Some of his results are way out of whack with those of others, which I guess is what helps him surge and go viral. He does sound convincing, but his results do not always make sense. The Dream 2 is no longer sold, and no longer supported. If I remember, it had decent accuracy but still had about 15% error margins even in the amount of sleep, with most likely greater margins for sleep stages. Combined with aberrations due to factors such as placement, sweat, tightness on wrist and so on, I'd take his videos with a grain of salt, especially when they show results that are dramatically different than those seen in other reviews. I just searched for a "real" study I'd seen in the past, and I think this is it: "Compared with polysomnography, agreement (and Cohen's kappa) for two-state categorisation of sleep periods (as sleep or wake) was 88% (κ = 0.30) for Apple Watch; 89% (κ = 0.35) for Garmin; 87% (κ = 0.44) for Polar; 89% (κ = 0.51) for Oura; 86% (κ = 0.44) for WHOOP and 87% (κ = 0.48) for Somfit. Compared with polysomnography, agreement (and Cohen's kappa) for multi-state categorisation of sleep periods (as a specific sleep stage or wake) was 53% (κ = 0.20) for Apple Watch; 50% (κ = 0.25) for Garmin; 51% (κ = 0.28) for Polar; 61% (κ = 0.43) for Oura; 60% (κ = 0.44) for WHOOP and 65% (κ = 0.52) for Somfit. Analyses regarding the two-state categorisation of sleep indicate that all six devices are valid for the field-based assessment of the timing and duration of sleep. However, analyses regarding the multi-state categorisation of sleep indicate that all six devices require improvement for the assessment of specific sleep stages."

Interesting, but not even close. Homes was promising far more, including cancer detection, if I recall correctly. This is not even close enough to proper lab result, at least IMO. And it's a single test, so based on the wide error margin, I'd be surprised if the results are consistent over multiple tests. Finally, this guy's lipids are in CVD territory.

I should add that any reputable tracker is better than none. IMO, having information is almost always better than not having it, and tracking data has caused me to change various aspects of my lifestyle, including drinking alcohol, eating deserts and how I exercise. I would again strongly recommend the Whithings Body Cardio scale, which provides key body composition information that on most points jives with my DEXA scans, plus it provides Pulse Wave Velocity measurement that seems fairly accurate too. The Pulse Wave Velocity bit is a big deal in a consumer device and it seems to make sense as far as validity goes: it measures arterial stiffness and it appears to be predictive of cardiovascular health. I've been trying to optimize my PWV with diet and lifestyle and today it was 6.3 m/s, not bad for a 60 year old 🙂

I think the Inspire 3 will be a good device to start with, although I seriously resent the monthly charge, and would never buy a Fitbit/Google tracker because of it. Here is a pretty reliable review of it, if you haven't seen it before: Fitbit Inspire 3 review - Wareable The quantified scientist's reviews methodology sounds good, but some of his results are outliers. Like those for Garmin Venu 2+. Huawei is the best of the Chinese brands in terms of accuracy, but it's middling compared to Western brands and it does not compete well. Apple does have stellar sensors and algorithms, on par with the best, and sleep tracking has improved, but rating it at the top for sleep is probably a stretch, based on other reviews and also on anecdotal evidence from the people I know who bitch about it 🙂 BTW, I tested sleep on my Venu 2+ against a Fitbit Sense, not Versa (I'll correct above). I keep forgetting the Sense, since I used it for a relatively short time before I switched to Garmin.

Geared for maximum effect to an extent, but otherwise accurate.

Based on what I have read, it's not worth it in healthy people. If there is a real concern about clotting, maybe explore nattokinase? Of course, consult a physician.

Yeah... His review of the V2+ (and of Huawei, and of Apple Watch, to an extent) is an outlier, and it doesn't comport with experience, at least mine and many others'. I saw that he has been repeatedly asked to rerun his test, but he never did, and since the Venu 3 is about to launch, I doubt that he will. Good credentials, but IMO a very flawed review, for whatever reason. All current devices have various strengths and weaknesses, but most are perfectly fit for casual use.

I base my opinion of his tests primarily on my own experience, and also on the experience of those whom I know that have some of these devices, as well as on other reviews from reputable testers that make sense to me. As I said, Garmin has not been the greatest for sleep tracking (neither is Apple). But a few years ago Garmin acquired Firstbeat and while my previous Garmins were not great at sleep tracking, although by no means bad, literally within a month after I bought the Venu 2 Plus a firmware update made the whole thing far more accurate. I wore my old Fitbit Sense on for several nights, and I tracked with the chest strap for close to a month, while comparing to the V2+. The Garmin's greatest weak spot was correctly detecting the time I went to sleep, or woke up, if I lingered in bed (which I often do). Fitbit was better at it (Samsung also sucked). But after the update the V2+ was suddenly spot on, and tracking my short wake times during the night also perfectly, while the Fitbit was not as accurate. Also, see for example this (DC RM is one of the more reliable testers, IMO): Garmin Venu 2 Plus In-Depth Review | DC Rainmaker

McCoy, I've been traveling, or I would have responded sooner. My personal opinion is that the "quantified scientist" should largely be ignored, at least as far as Garmin Plus 2 and to an extent Huawei.On the Venu Plus 2, he is absolutely wrong, especially on Sleep. I know, because I own it, and bought it right after his review came out. It's because half the people I know own either Apples or Garmins, and a couple of them had already jumped on the Venu Plus 2. He may be sincere, but he may have had an early or a problematic device. Garmin has also dramatically improved its sleep tracking over the last year and when I worked it with my Versa a few months ago, it tracked better than the Versa over a three or so days. A few years ago, Fitbit was the king of wrist-based sleep tracking (but had issues with HR accuracy under higher loads). Fitbit was also too optimistic about VO2Max, to the tune of 5+ points. Fitbit has improved its HR tracking a bit, but still seems to lag behind Apple, Garmin or Suunto. Huawei seems to test similarly to Fitbit, if not a little worse, but it's still the most accurate among the Chinese brands (it's also incomparably with any other platforms). You will be happy with the Fitbit/chest strap combo.

From what I understand, this is still considered to be a BS test, especially in humans, at least according to Mayo as I remember. I would ignore it until there is better evidence. They market SDMA heavily for vets primarily, and even there it's more likely to be BS, and it has not been independently validated to the best of my knowledge. I just did a quick search and even in cats it's all over the place: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32228261/ Results: Mean ± SD measured GFR was 1.58 ± 0.39 mL/min/kg, and the calculated reference interval was 0.84 to 2.37 mL/min/kg. There were significant negative correlations between GFR and serum creatinine concentration (r = -0.499), BUN concentration (r = -0.592), and age (r = -0.463). Serum SDMA concentration was not significantly correlated with GFR (r = 0.385), BUN concentration (r = -0.281), or serum creatinine concentration (r = 0.165).

A good analysis of the Taurine Deficiency as a Driver of Aging study. I take about 500mg per day, which I feel is likely safe based on what I have read. But for me, some questions remain: - The longest living human populations generally consume less taurine in their diet. - There are some potentially significant red flags (too) briefly mentioned in relation to the graph at 59:25, showing how taurine supplementation correlates with lipids going the wrong way.

My experience with the Freestyle 1 was that it was rather random for the first few days at the beginning and the last week or so before the end of the recommended use period. My second one seemed to consistently lower by about 10 point than the first one, so I am not entirely confident about the granular accuracy of these things. I used it with the January AI app, which was next to useless, IMO, even though it's probably one of the better ones in the marketplace. Based on my use of two sensors, I decided that overall, my spikes and returns were normal. I also did the 75ml glucose challenge that January AI provided, and it sent me up to 170+, then crashed me in the 50s about 3+ hours later. I had fasted for maybe 18 hours, and it was not a pleasant experience. But I am really not sure that the challenge has much value without measuring insulin, which also goes for the regular measurements. I think the companies that sell these to non-diabetics oversell the validity of a flatline without the perspective of corresponding insulin secretion, and some use it to push keto marketing since that's all it lends itself to. Keto, based on what I know and understand, is detrimental to overall health and longevity in the long-term, and GCMs for non-diabetics are essentially a business model to push it and maintain subscriptions, as well as to sell aggregated data for additional monetization. McCoy, can you buy the Freestyle 3 without prescription in Italy? Did you just walk into a pharmacy, or did you have to order it from Freestyle?

I've had several Fitbits before I switched to Garmin, the last two were Versas. I liked the UI and the sleep tracking was probably the best at the time. I hear good things about the Charge 5. The reason I switched was because above about 140bps Fitbit's accuracy sucked and it deviated considerably from chest-strap data. It both lags and has spikes and dropouts that are incorrect. But if one is not using it for higher intensity workouts that get HR above 140, then Fitbit is actually fine. And maybe it has improved over the last couple of years. I also HATE having to pay Fitbit/Google a monthly fee just so that I can se my own data, which they also sell to third parties. Garmin Venu 2 Plus has been kind of the best combination so far between a smart watch, battery life, data provided and accuracy. It tracks relatively closely with the chest strap at the higher HR ranges and the sleep tracking in now on par with Fitbit, if not a little better, IMO.

Attia is not a healthy specimen, and neither is Dayspring. But they sell comfort through pharmaceuticals to those who refuse to change their (unhealthy) lifestyle. Glucose without insulin is largely meaningless, unless you are diabetic. CGMs for healthy people are becoming part of an industry, and yes, carb restriction will flatline glucose, but it may often mask insulin resistance. Misleading and far worse than normal spikes in metabolically healthy people, IMO.