Here’s a link to a recent interview, https://biohackstack.com/posts/michael-lustgarten/?fbclid=IwAR059Jf6eT4SyvsqTxHaSir2hQuXKjV5R6kLg-7Df1Kc4c7ZKM6Tw-0qRwY Including: How (and why) did you get involved in research in aging and the human microbiome? How did you get started in health optimization / quantified-self? What are your thoughts on biological age testing? Which tests (epigenetic, blood biomarkers, telomere, etc) and […]
blood testing
The reference range for uric acid is 4.0 – 8 mg/dL for men, and 2.5 – 7 mg/dL for women. Are these values optimal for health? To answer that question, let’s have a look at how circulating levels of uric acid change during aging, and their association with risk of […]
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) is one of the 19 variables found on the biological age calculator, aging.ai. It measures the amount of nitrogen, as contained in urea (i.e., blood urea nitrogen, BUN) in your blood. The reference range for BUN is 5 – 20 mg/dL, but within that range, what’s […]
To make it easier to review the aging and all-cause mortality data for the circulating biomarkers that are contained within the biological age calculator, Phenotypic Age (see https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/09/09/quantifying-biological-age/), here’s a checklist! 1. Albumin: https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/09/22/optimizing-serum-levels-of-albumin-data-from-20-blood-tests/ 2. Creatinine: https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/11/18/optimizing-biologic-age-creatinine/ 3. Glucose: https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/10/04/blood-glucose-whats-optimal/ 4. C-reactive protein: https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/10/19/optimizing-biological-age-crp/ 5. Lymphocyte %: https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/11/16/lympho-mortal/ 6. Mean […]
Creatinine is one of the 9 blood test variables included on the biological age calculator, Phenotypic Age (https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/09/09/quantifying-biological-age/). The reference range for women and men is 0.5 – 1.1, and 0.6 – 1.2 mg/dL respectively, but within that range, what’s optimal for health and longevity? To answer that question, it’s […]
On June 10, 2019 (for the first time) I measured all of the blood test variables that are included in the biologic age calculator, Phenotypic Age, and ended up with a biological age = 35.39y (https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/09/09/quantifying-biological-age/). While that value is 23% younger than my chronological age (46y), I knew that […]
Platelets are one of the 19 variables that are included in the biological age calculator, aging.ai. The reference range is 150-400 platelets per nanoliter (*10^9/L), but within that range, what’s optimal? In a study of 21,635 adults older than 35y (average age wasn’t reported), platelets between 230-270 were associated with […]
High sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is one of the 10 variables included in the biological age calculator, PhenoAge (https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/09/09/quantifying-biological-age/). The reference range for CRP is 0 – 3 mg/L, but within that range, what’s optimal? To answer that question, it’s important to know how CRP changes during aging, and what […]
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is one of the 10 variables included in the biological age calculator, PhenoAge (see https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/09/09/quantifying-biological-age/). It’s calculated by dividing the fraction of the blood that contains RBCs (hematocrit) by RBCs (MCV = hematocrit/RBC), thereby identifying the average volume contained within red blood cells. Although the MCV reference […]
Circulating levels of white blood cells (WBCs) are one of the 10 variables used to quantify biological age with PhenoAge (https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/09/09/quantifying-biological-age). The reference range for WBCs is 4.5 – 11 *10^9 cells/L, but within that range, what’s optimal? Several studies have reported that WBCs greater than 5 are associated with an […]
In an earlier post, based on data from the Baltimore Longitidunal Study on Aging (BLSA), I suggested that total white blood cell (WBCs) counts between 3500 to 6000 cells per microliter of blood may be optimal for reducing disease risk and for maximizing longevity (https://michaellustgarten.com/2015/08/13/blood-testing-whats-optimal-for-wbc-levels/). However, within WBCs, neutrophils increase, […]
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is one of the 10 variables used to quantify biological age with PhenoAge (https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/09/09/quantifying-biological-age). The reference range for alkaline phosphatase is 20 – 140 IU/L*, but within that range, what’s optimal? Two separate meta-analyses have investigated the association between serum levels of ALP with risk of death […]
The reference range for circulating levels of glucose is 70-130 mg/dL. That’s a wide range, so what’s optimal, especially considering that glucose is one of the variables used to quantify of biological age (https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/09/09/quantifying-biological-age)? In the largest study published for this subject (12,455,361 adults), risk of death for all causes […]
In the first half of this presentation, I talk about my contribution to the gut-muscle axis in older adults, and in the second half, my personalized approach to optimal health! Also, here’s the article that corresponds to the presentation: https://www.leafscience.org/the-gut-microbiome-affects-muscle-strength-in-older-adults/ If you’re interested, please have a look at my book!
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? […]
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 = […]
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 […]
In an earlier post I wrote about the association between elevated circulating levels of homocysteine with an increased risk of death from all causes (https://michaellustgarten.com/2017/11/22/homocysteine-and-all-cause-mortality-risk/). I started to post updates in that link, but I’ve decided to move them to here. As of 6/2018, I now have tracked dietary data […]
On a recent blood test, my plasma level of homocysteine (Hcy) was 11.9 uMol. Is that optimal minimizing disease risk and maximizing longevity? Let’s have a look at the literature. A 2017 meta-analysis of 11 studies including 27,737 participants showed an increased risk of death from all causes (“all-cause mortality”; […]
If you’re interested, please have a look at my book!
https://vimeo.com/174783072 If you’re interested, please have a look at my book! https://www.amazon.com/Microbial-Burden-Major-Age-Related-Disease-ebook/dp/B01G48A88A
If you’re interested, please have a look at my book!
Video of my presentation starts at 14:28, and lasts until 1:29:00+! If you’re interested, please have a look at my book!
If you’re interested, please have a look at my book!
On my latest blood test (August 2015), my total cholesterol was 127 mg/dL-is that value optimal for health and longevity? Based on data for 1,104,294 men younger than 60y (median age, 40y) that were followed for up to 14 years (Fulks et al. 2009), my 127 mg/dL value (1 – 2.4%) […]
How much Vitamin D is optimal for health? To answer this question, today I’ll examine the association between a circulating marker of Vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, with all-cause mortality risk. Then, I’ll examine the literature to estimate a dietary intake that can achieve an optimal circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration. Circulating […]
In terms of all-cause mortality risk, is the reference range for circulating triglycerides (TG, <150 mg/dL) optimal? A meta-analysis of 38 studies in 360,556 subjects with a median age of 48y and a 12-year follow-up reported lowest all-cause mortality risk for subjects with TG values less than 90 mg/dL (equivalent to ~1 […]
Two blood markers of liver health are aspartate aminotransaminase (AST) and alanine aminotransaminase (ALT). AST and ALT are proteins that are usually found inside liver cells, but when there is liver cell damage, they’re released into the blood. It’s important to note that these proteins can also be elevated in the […]