5 replies to this topic

[jamesbeebop]

Hello all. I've been trolling for some time now, and thought I'd post my proposed regimen. 'Stack' I believe it is. I feel pretty confident I'll leave out plenty of relevant information ... seems hard to do this topic justice without writing a book.

I am a 37yo male. 5'8", 137 pounds. My last blood tests were just over a year ago, I'm scheduled to update that next month. I didn't test hormone levels last time, but will this time. Some bits from those blood tests were:
HDL - 27
Total cholesterol 142
LDL - 96
triglycerides - 91
homocystein - 9.6
insulin - 4.3
glucose - 99
iron - 149

A question which I have regarding lipids. There was dramatic change between March of 2005 and August of the same year. The figured I just listed were from August. In comparison, those same numbers for March were:
HDL - 39
Total - 125
LDL - 59
triglycerides - 136

Those are all fasting numbers, and I wasn't really aware of any significant changes in my lifestyle, etc. Don't know what could cause such a change. Any thoughts?

In addition to the normal aging concerns (are those really 'normal'?), my concerns are, lipids, of course ... those numbers are all out of whack. Glucose. I have an aunt with type II diabetes, and my grandfather died from what were (probably) diabetic complications, though he was never diagnosed with such. Brain aging. I just am not as quick as I used to be, and often feel 'fuzzy headed' or lacking in motivation. Hair loss. It doesn't really run in my family, but it seems I go through periods where there is more hair than normal in the shower ... and I'd like to avoid that particular fate as long as possible. Prostate and sexual health. Things still seem to work fine, but with perhaps less ... efficiency or ... enthusiasm as once I had.

I am not vegetarian, but do eat a lot of veggies, with chicken, turkey or fish thrown in. I avoid sweets for the most part, having dessert after a nice dinner once a week. Have the occasional glass of wine, or Guiness. Once or twice a month maybe. Fats are mostly olive oil, flax occasionally, dark chocolate (pretty regular), almonds or other mixed nuts. I eat fruit about every day, usually berries or an apple or something interesting looking from the produce aisles. Breakfast is either a bowel of "old fashioned" oatmeal with raisins or blueberries, cinnamon and sometimes "Smart Balance" and a little honey ... or a smoothie made with water, frozen blueberries or berry mix, whey powder, flax oil, wheat germ, sometimes a dash of OJ.

My exercise schedule varies ... but right now consists almost entirely of 2 hours of soccer twice a week.

I've been using LEF products for about 15 months now, but figured it was time for a major overhaul. So, here is my proposed supplement regimen ... and I welcome critiques or suggestions, especially as regards my specific circumstances.

LEF Mix, tablets (9 per day) @ roughly $35/month
LEF Super Booster (1 per day) @ about $13/month
3gr/day LEF Super EPA/DHA @ $14/month
LEF Mitochondrial Energy Optimizer (4 per day) @ about $48/month
LEF Super Bioactive CoQ10 ubiquinol (100mg per day) @ $28/month
Saw Palmetto with beta sitosterol (320mg/day) @ $8/month
Sensoril Ashwagandha (125mg/day) @ $3/month
BioSil (Not sure the amount or cost, but want to improve skin and hair with this)
Kyolic Aged Garlic
Additional Biotin - 6000mcg/day in divided doses (for a total of 9000mcg/day total)
Additional B vitamins - 1-2 tabs from LEF at bedtime
Additional magnesium - 500mg at bedtime (for a total of 900mg/day total)
Additional calcium - 600mg/day (for a total of 800mg/day total)
Additional D3 - 1200IU/day (for a total of 2000IU/day supplemental)


Doesn't seem like a lot to me, and I'm certain there are holes. Hence, posting it as a *proposed* regimen and opening myself to criticism.

A question that has been on my mind is the mitochondrial energy optimizer from LEF. I priced the separate ingredients at BAC and came up with about the same price. I wonder though if I prioritized the ingredients, and left some of them out ... would anyone suggest going that route? I'm not wealthy like some here appear to be ... and this supplement is pricey.

Thanks for having a look!

[health_nutty]

Nice stack.
Here are a few suggestions:
1) Pomegranate extract (reduced plaque by 34% in one year in a human study):
http://search.lef.or.....0pomegranate
It's important to take the water based extract so you get the same phytonutrient ratio as pomegranate juice.
2) Green Tea Extract (very well researched, cardioprotective and anticancer)
3) Melatonin

One suggestion on the smoothie. Try cottage cheese instead of whey. It tastes better and is absorbed slower for a sustained supply of aminos.

[william7]

I am not vegetarian

Try upgrading to a vegan diet for better health and environmental effects. The Hallelujah Diet people provide a lot of interesting information in this area.

[jamesbeebop]

Thanks for the replies so far.

The LEF Mix does have pomegranate extract in it ... but only 85mg. They do offer a product with 500mg per cap. I guess, given my concerns with lipids and prostate, the higher amount would be better.

There is also green tea extract in the LEF Mix ... 325mg worth. I also steep 4 green tea bags each morning, and mix that into about 2 liters of water, which I drink throughout the day. Do you think more is warranted? Do you have concerns about the flouride with that much green tea?

Lastly ... I forgot to include it, but I've been taking melatonin for the past few weeks, based on plenty of good stuff I've read here about it. I had some 1mg tabs from Now Foods, which are 25% immediate release and 75% timed release. I combine that with some 300mcg tabs I bought at Wal-Mart, to work out to just at 2.5mg immediate release, and 2.5mg timed release. I have to say though, that I don't notice any especial drowsiness after taking this, and don't really sleep any better than I did before I started taking it.

Thanks for the smoothie suggestion, I'll give that a try.

Also thanks to elijah for the diet upgrade advice. I'm not sure I'm ready to go vegan yet, though I keep leaning further and further in that direction.

[health_nutty]

Your green tea intake is combined with the LEF mix should be enough. I wouldn't worry about the flouride in that amount of green tea because of the lack of problems in Asian cultures that typically drink that much or more. I'm taking about 8 cups worth so I've switched to flouride free toothpaste mostly out of prudence rather than solid evidence.

I would highly recommend taking more pomegranate. It's definitely a top supplement in my book.

One other thing: resveratrol has become a lot cheaper so that might also be an option (if price was reason you left it out before).

[brainengineer]

I would suggest looking into Niacin as a way to increase your HDL score. One gram per day would probably do wonders for your HDL score. Id recommend staying away from the no-flush variety, Im in the process of switching to standard niacin away from no-flush because it was no-workie...

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BrainEngineer