I've just spent a while on sirolimus, specifically, 3 mg once per week of Dr. Reddy's (Indian stuff from Walmart). I took the first blood test below just before my first dose, and the second just before my 11th. Diet was stable for a month before the experiment, and remained essentially the same throughout. In particular, I've been eating high carbs, moderate fat (mostly olive oil with some coconut meat, eggs, and MCT oil). Protein intake has been kept relatively low, with about 2-4 eggs per day plus the small additional amount in unlimited fruits and vegetables. Grain intake has been negligible, and I probably consumed a can of beans a week.
The first test was remarkable in that it showed my HbA1c at 4.9%, which is at the low end of its range since 2009 (4.8% to 5.5%). Notably, after 3 months of hard keto, it was 4.8% in 3/2015. But after 6 months of low carb (still generally in ketosis, verified by urine test strips, but with a bit more carbs), it had risen to 5.1% by 3/2018. The reason all this is remarkable is because the 4.9% reading was obtained after a month of carbosis, including generous olive oil intake, some avocados, and a bit of MCT oil; I had only restricted protein -- not calories, fat, or carbohydrate. Moreover, I was drinking a lot of juice, probably around a liter per day, on average. I'm not sure what all this means, except that it seems to suggest that while keto is still king for controlling blood sugar, carbosis might be superior to low-carb.
Anyway, on to the sirolimus experiment...
Subjectively, on the first day or two after dosing each week, I would feel bloated and nauseous and get a headache if I ate too much protein. And in general, I've found myself less able to eat so much without feeling full. I didn't notice much of an energy burst that others have reported, although that has now changed since switching to Swiss Garnier (India, sometimes advertised as Biocon) after my second blood test.
As I posted earlier, I had LC/MS tests done which were inconclusive, but were at least consistent with the pills being real. In any event, significant changes do appear to have occurred. I should also note that I started Turnbuckle's Alzheimer's protocol about halfway through the experiment (HEPPS, Longvida, and olive leaf extract, without taurine), but it should have little to no effect on the results, apart from some HDL contribution due to the olive leaf. The only other difference is that I consumed more potatoes and less juice during the experiment, relative to the prior period. Here's what happened, along with an increase in weight from 160 to 163 pounds:
cholesterol total 181 > 194
cholesterol HDL 84 > 69
cholesterol LDL 83 > 110
triglycerides 60 > 67
glucose (fasting) 94 > 81
HbA1c 4.9 > 4.9
vitamin D 25-hydroxy 37 > 46
blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 4 > 7
creatinine 0.97 > 1.02
eGFR nonafrican CKD-EPI 95 > 89
sodium 142 > 140
potassium 3.9 > 4.0
chloride 109 > 105
carbon dioxide 24 > 26
calcium 9.5 > 9.0
protein, total 7.0 > 7.0
albumin 4.7 > 4.5
globulin 2.3 > 2.5
bilirubin, total 0.7 > 0.6
ALP 68 > 72
AST 15 > 19
ALT 17 > 12
WBC 4.0 > 4.0
RBC 4.76 > 5.21
hemoglobin 14.9 > 16.4
hematocrit 42.9 > 47.7
MCV 90.1 > 91.6
MCH 31.3 > 31.5
MCHC 34.7 > 34.4
RDW 14.2 > 12.7
platelets 216 > 201
mean platelet volume 9.7 > 9.9
neutrophils 66.1 > 61.3
lymphs 25.1 > 28.8
monocytes 8.0 > 7.8
eosinophils 0.3 > 1.3
TSH 1.32 > 1.64
testosterone 1109 > 767
free testosterone 103.1 > 53.7
uric acid 6.0 > 5.7
C-reactive protein (CRP) "< 0.2" > "< 0.2"
homocysteine 15.2 > 13.7
IGF1 167 > 157
insulin 4.3 > 6.9
phosphate (as phosphorus) 3.8 > 3.9
LD 146 > 141
GGT 14 > 11
iron 135 > 100
ferritin 53 > 27
DHEA sulphate 115 > 131
estradiol 30 > 28
I've been drinking a lot of grapefruit juice lately, which might account for the slight decline in kidney function. This is particularly disappointing because sirolimus is supposed to rejuvenate the kidneys. Perhaps I need to back off a bit, although I'd prefer not to because it seems to me that this juice is neurologically supportive.
The collapse in testosterone would certainly be consistent with throttling of the growth program. Reduced sex drive reflects this.
The collapse in RDW to its record low since recording started in 2009 is impressive, if puzzling. (It equals the same 12.7 obtained in 10/2009.) It basically means that the distribution of widths of red blood cells is narrower. This sounds like the body is producing more new red cells from the marrow, which would make for a more uniform distribution. (The opposite would be something like leukemia, in which all manner of pathological cells of various sizes might be produced.) Indeed, RBC increased from 4.76 to 5.21. At the same time, iron and ferritin simultaneously dropped, while hemoglobin increased, so if would seem that I'm producing more hemoglobin in order to support those new red cells, which would require the conversion of bioavailable iron. All in all, this points to stem cell release, and might account for the added energy that others experience.
The modest drop in homocysteine is nice to have, and reflects lower inflammation. CRP remains below the threshold of detection despite ingesting terrifying amounts of sugar. Moreso, any drop in IGF1 is welcome, and reflective of putting the breaks on excessive growth. Granted, I don't want to be too hard on either IGF1 or estradiol, both of which being essential to neurogenesis.
But speaking of sugar, insulin has exploded! This is bad by any measure. I'm not sure why it occurred, though. Perhaps it has something to do with the switch in emphasis from fast carbs (juice) to slow carbs (potatoes), so we need insulin hanging around 24/7. This might also be (benign) type 0 diabetes, but my impression is that in that case, we should see elevated glucose with low insulin. BTW fasting was the same in each case, namely between 14 and 16 hours.
The improvement in vitamin D probably has more to do with summer than sirolimus.
All in all, I don't really know what to make of these results. Perhaps I ought to get back to more juices and less complex carbs, or perhaps try it with keto.
Edited by resveratrol_guy, 23 August 2018 - 11:50 PM.
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