From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Mon May 12 2003 - 19:46:13 MDT
Brian Atkins wrote:
> So what's more important? Dietary content of glycotoxins, or
> glycotoxin-promoting substances? Is it possible to come up with a
> healthy diet that will minimize both, and also keep blood glucose and
> insulin levels low?
My answer to the last is of course a strict paleolithic diet (as if you
didn't already know.:-) Meats are never cooked over an open flame. Instead
they are broiled or boiled or cooked slowly over low heat with plenty of
moisture and/or oils, keeping the formation of Advanced Glycation
End-Products (AGE's) to a minimum. (LEF now calls AGE's "glycotoxins" but I
will continue to call them AGE's as I always have.)
Glucose and insulin are kept in check by eliminating non-paleolithic grains.
All grain products are high-glycemic index foods. In fact the glycemic value
of white bread is often used as the standard on the glycemic index against
which other foods measured, equaling 100 on a scale of 0 to 100. It is
roughly as glycemic as table sugar.
I have a close friend who injects insulin for anti-aging purposes. He
injects a small amount of insulin with each meal to help keep his insulin
and blood glucose low, even though he is not diabetic. He and I debate the
wisdom of this strategy constantly. In fact I visited him in Cancun in April
for a week (where we both own time-shares) and we spent almost the entire
week arguing about his theory about injecting insulin. :-) I am not yet
convinced that his idea is a good one for non-diabetics, but it's certainly
an interesting idea with a lot of potential. Insulin is very cheap and
available everywhere without a prescription. (Note to the casual reader:
don't try this at home without doing some research into proper dosages.
Insulin can be very dangerous if not used knowledgably.)
> Recent news says ACE inhibitor drugs help prevent glycotoxin formation,
> and Metformin in a CR-mimic (potentially add 15 years to your life or
> more... maybe). Anyone considering adding these into their health
> regimen?
Metformin (aka glucophage) has been part of my health regimen for years,
though I am not diabetic. I also take aminoguanidine and carnosine, both to
help prevent the formation of AGE's.
> Any doctors known to be proscribing them for these purposes?
Another friend of mine, Ward Dean, M.D., is an internationally known
anti-aging doctor who recommends metformin to almost all his patients over
age 40, mainly for purposes of enhancing insulin sensitivity. Dr. Dean is a
regular participant in an online discussion group I manage called
"Longevity." I do not know if he is aware of metformin's potential for
blocking AGE's. It was not until I received this month's copy of LEF
magazine that I even knew it had potential as an AGE inhibitor. My guess is
that it helps only indirectly, perhaps by helping to reduce blood glucose
and thus the glycation of hemoglobin.
-gts
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