Is low alkaline phosphatase bad?

[Todd Allen]

My latest blood test results look very good with one exception, alkaline phosphatase dropped to 29 ref range 40-115 U/L from a previous score of 42.  A low score suggests malnutrition/inadequate protein intake.

 

But I don't think I'm at a malnutrition low level of protein intake, I've been cyclng protein intake alternating between ~80 g/day and 20 g/day on roughly a weekly basis and at the higher level roughly 60% of the time for an average intake of 0.6*80 + 0.4*20 = 56 g/day which with a lean body mass of roughly 50 kg is significantly in excess of the rda of 0.8 g/day/kg lbm.

 

I searched the archives but didn't find a discussion of low alk phos although I'd expect some doing CR would also have encountered this and looked into whether it is an issue or how low one must drop before it is significant.

[Dean Pomerleau]

Todd,

 

I hope I'm not being too blunt but simply stating the obvious. Regardless of what the rest of us consider to be the problems (or benefits) of low alkaline phosphatase, you suffer from a disease whose main debilitating feature is muscle wasting. This alone would seem to me to be enough motivation for you to get significantly above the RDA of good quality protein. Your low alkaline phosphatase level would seem to reinforce the danger you are subjecting yourself too with such a relatively low protein intake. I know having too much testosterone is bad for your condition, but I don't think extra protein above your meager level will get you into trouble in this regard, particularly if it is vegetable protein :-). 

 

So regardless of what you might find in the archives, given your unique health challenges, it would seem prudent to bump up your protein intake to be on the safe side.

 

--Dean

[Sibiriak]

Todd Allen: I've been cyclng protein intake alternating between ~80 g/day and 20 g/day on roughly a weekly basis and at the higher level roughly 60% of the time for an average intake of 0.6*80 + 0.4*20 = 56 g/day

 

I'm curious why you are "cycling" protein, with  many days with an extremely low 20g.   It's by no means a given that a daily protein requirement is  equivalent to an averaged multi-day intake.

 

Protein containing all the essential amino acids in the correct amounts must be consumed every day; it cannot be stored in the body like fat.

Eat protein daily. You can’t store it up to use a couple of days later.

 

--Fred Kummerow (born October 4, 1914),  emeritus professor of comparative biosciences at the University of Illinois.

Edited May 27, 2017 by Sibiriak

[Todd Allen]

Sibiriak, I've been cycling protein inspired by Longo's fasting mimicking diet seeking to promote autophagy and to hopefully avoid potentially negative effects of chronically elevated mTOR and IGF-1 which I am trying to maximize through thermal stress, high intensity exercise, and increased leucine and methionine during my higher protein intake weeks.

 

During my higher protein weeks I have to be careful with carbs to stay in ketosis but when I restrict protein and fat during my fasting weeks I can eat some foods like eggplant, cucumbers and even prunes that I otherwise avoid and I've been enjoying the variety.  I look forward to eating my salads with a lot of fat and more protein for a few days and then I'm looking forward to switching and eating my salads with a little moderate carb fruit.

[Todd Allen]

Dean, I've been increasing strength and lean muscle mass for a year and the average rate of gain has increased with the change to cycling protein. Other than the low alk phos result I'm not yet seeing a pattern of anything going wrong.  I'm not even sure the low score is related to protein intake as there are other possibilities such as low zinc, low vit. B6, low vit. C, low phosphorus or too much vit. D3 but through cronometer, supplementation and other test results each of those seems less likely than low protein.

 

I think the reference range for blood tests is merely what is considered normal.   I haven't seen anything which suggests how risky it is to be abnormal and as I understand it CR can induce abnormalities that might be positive.  For example my body temperature has been nearly 2 F lower than normal for months which I believe is a desirable abnormality.

 

On the other hand one reason for the amount of near fasting is to achieve fat loss at a rate that used to come more easily.  My BF% is still in the upper teens and I want it a third lower for a variety of reasons other than health.  Maybe backing off on the fasting and giving it more time would be prudent although I don't see a preponderance of evidence for going either way.

[Sibiriak]

Todd Allen:  I've been cycling protein inspired by Longo's fasting mimicking diet...

 

 

Fasting for Longevity: 9 Questions for Dr. Valter D. Longo

https://bluezones.com/2016/04/fasting-for-longevity/

 

4.How often should the average person go on a fast?

 

It depends. Somebody that is very healthy, exercises, has a Blue Zones diet, and has a perfect weight may need it twice a year.

 

Somebody that has high fasting glucose, high blood pressure, abdominal adiposity (so they’re overweight or obese, etc.), or they have a high risk of cancer in the family, they probably need to do it once a month

Edited May 28, 2017 by Sibiriak

[Todd Allen]

Sibiriak, thanks for the note on the frequency of fasting Longo recommends.  I'll back off to once monthly for now.  It's funny that when my bodyfat % was more than twice what it is now before I began losing weight I didn't dwell very much on what my body composition was, I guess largely because it seemed like something beyond my control.  Now that I know how to change it I've become somewhat obsessed about it.  And perhaps too impatient to make it to my goal.

[Alex K Chen]

How about high alkaline phosphatase? 70? Is that bad?