Most doctors would consider an A1c of 5.2 to be fine. Anti-aging enthusiasts would like to see it in the 4's, but I haven't managed to pull off that trick just yet... I don't think I'd mess with T if he's not having problems. With his lipid numbers, I'd skip the statins. If you want to get a better picture of what's going on lipid-wise, you could get a VAP analysis from Atherotech, or a similar one from Berkeley. I think everyone should do that, at least once. They aren't particularly expensive. It would be good to know his ApoE genotype. The cheapest way to get that is through a 23andMe genome scan. That gets you a lot of other data at the same time. I like to know ApoE because it's actionable-- your genotype tells you which diet and medication strategies will help or harm you.
niner thanks for your reply. are you implying that you have not been able to achieve your level to 4 as of yet? Do you recommend metformin as well as Dolph suggests?
I will look into the other tests and perhaps have both my parents undergo them as suggested.
What benefit does finding the ApoE really provide? Just curious.
Yeah, I wish I could get it into the 4's... I wouldn't give him metformin, unless he's into it for the life extension angle, but I wouldn't push it on him. I don't use it, although it's crossed my mind. I like knowing about ApoE genotype because it tells you what diet, supplements, and drugs will work for you, and it lets you know how much effort you should put into cardiovascular health. If you are ApoE 4, you should know it so you can steer yourself away from the Alzheimer's or CVD that you'll probably get if you ignore it.
I looked at the ApoE genotype and it shows this on the 23 and me webpage: https://www.23andme.com/health/
Does this mean they don't do the test anymore?
I also looked at Atherotech, but am not sure how to go about getting the VAP test done....
BTW, I got him on ALCAR from Doctor's Best - he takes 500mg 2tabs QD.
I also have him exercising a bit more on the weekend.
Any other supplements that are recommended for someone his age? Just looking for stuff for overall health benefit.
23andMe still does the same SNP scan that they always have, but now they don't tell you what it means. Instead you have to download your data and upload it into Promethease, which is on a different site. You can also just tell Promethease to go get the data from 23andMe, if you don't mind letting them know your account info (identity). You can also look up the values of individual SNPs using 23andMe's tools. The way I get my VAP tests is just ask my doctor. My health system has a labwork form with all the typical stuff on it, and some blank spaces for more unusual tests. VAP is sufficiently unusual that he has to write it in, but then I just go get a blood draw at the usual place.
Alcar and exercise are great. You mentioned that he's osteopenic, though. Calcium probably won't hurt, but I would get him on Actonel, which is a prescription drug. I've used it myself; it's very well tolerated and has a significant life-extending effect beyond what you get from not getting a fracture or bone break. A vertebral fracture or broken hip would really mess up his life, possibly even end it. There is some ignorant chatter on the Internet that makes it sound scary; it's not. Instead of calcium or BoneUp, you could look at Swanson's Boneology. It's a pretty good value and is better than just calcium. I used to use BoneUp, but dropped it because I don't want to take supplemental copper.