Can biological age be optimized? The red blood cell (RBC) distribution width (RDW%) is one of the variables included in the PhenoAge biological age calculator (see https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/09/09/quantifying-biological-age/). Although the RDW% reference range is 11.5% – 14.5%, what values are optimal in terms a youthful biological age, and minimized disease risk? […]
Month: September 2019
In an earlier post, I showed published data that albumin levels decrease with aging, and that lower levels are associated with an increased all-cause mortality risk (https://michaellustgarten.com/2018/07/06/serum-albumin-and-acm/). I also showed my own blood test data (n=11), which included a strong correlation for albumin with my dietary intake of beta-carotene (r = […]
How much Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is optimal for health? To answer this question, I’ll examine the association between circulating levels of Vitamin C with all-cause mortality risk. Then, which dietary Vitamin C intake corresponds to optimal plasma levels? Let’s have a look! A variety of studies have investigated associations […]
Have a listen, I was on Generation Bold Radio yesterday, 9.14.2019! https://www.generationboldradio.us/
Is green tea consumption associated with reduced risk of death risk from all causes? To investigate this question, Tang et al. (2015) performed a meta-analysis of 5 studies, including 200,884 subjects. As shown below, drinking 2-3 cups (16-24 oz.) of green tea per day was associated with maximally decreased all-cause mortality risk, […]
In an earlier post, I wrote about quantifying my biological age with aging.ai (https://michaellustgarten.com/2018/06/26/maximizing-health-and-lifespan-is-calorie-restriction-essential/). The importance of that post is illustrated by the finding that based on data from 13 blood tests between 2016 – 2019, my average biological age is 29.2y, which is ~33% younger than my chronological age. […]
Muscle strength is increased in mice that are colonized with microbiota from high-functioning older adults https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556519304772
Circulating levels of calcium can deposit in the coronary arteries (and in other arterial sites), a process that is known as coronary artery calcification (CAC). Arterial calcification is associated with arterial stiffness, which increases risk for adverse cardiovascular events, including cardiovascular disease-related mortality (Allison et al. 2012). Can CAC accumulation be slowed/minimized/prevented? […]
Very low, low, and high-density lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL, HDL, respectively) are commonly measured on the standard blood chemistry panel as measures of cardiovascular disease risk. Not included on that panel is another lipoprotein, Lp(a), which is a modified form of LDL. What’s the relationship between Lp(a) with disease risk? A […]