In earlier posts, I reported year-over-year improvements for my resting heart rate (RHR), from 51.5 (bpm) when I first started tracking in August 2018 to 48 bpm in November 2019 (https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/12/05/resting-heart-rate-heart-rate-variability-still-making-progress/). Did my year-over-year RHR improvement continue in December 2019? As shown below, in December 2018, my average RHR was […]
Quantified Self
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 […]
The percentage of lymphocytes is one of the 9 blood test variables included in the biological age calculator, Phenotypic Age (https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/09/09/quantifying-biological-age/). The reference range for lymphocyte % is 20 – 40% of the total amount of white blood cells (WBCs), but are higher or lower values optimal for health and […]
My average biological age in 2019 is 12 years younger than my chronological age (46y) based on the Phenotypic Age calculator (https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/11/01/biological-age-31-3y-chronological-age-46y/), and 16y younger based on aging.ai (https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/11/04/years-of-biological-aging-in-the-past-4-years/). One factor that likely contributes to my relatively youthful biological age is my diet. Shown below is my average daily dietary […]
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, […]
A few months ago, I presented data that a resting heart rate (RHR) ~40 beats per min is associated with maximally reduced risk of death from all causes (https://michaellustgarten.com/2019/02/02/resting-heart-rate-whats-optimal/). I started tracking my RHR data in August 2018, and I now have more than a full year of data. RHR […]
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? […]
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 […]
Deep sleep, the stage of sleep also known as “slow wave sleep” declines during aging. Based on a meta-analysis of 65 studies representing 3,577 subjects (aged 5 years to 102 years; Ohayon et al. 2004), slow wave sleep, expressed as a percentage of total sleep time decreases during aging from 25% […]
With use of a food scale, I’ve been tracking my daily macro- and micronutrient intake every day since April 2015. In addition, I have 15 blood test measurements during that period, and accordingly, I’m able to examine correlations between my dietary intake with my circulating biomarkers. In this post, I’ll […]
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 […]
Dr. Michael Lustgarten – Using an Evidence Based Approach for Optimal Health and Longevity 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%) […]
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 […]
Consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been linked to a variety of adverse health conditions, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, type II diabetes, increased blood pressure, dislipidemia (i.e. decreased good cholesterol, HDL), and obesity (Nseir et al. 2010). So, consumption HFCS is not good for health. But, I’d […]