The Key to Robust Health
I'm 68 years old. My fasting insulin is 3.6. My hs-CRP is 0.41. I take no regular prescriptions.
I'll return to those numbers and I how I got there. But, I want you to see them upfront because everything else that follows in this issue rests on this proclamation:
The decline most adults in midlife accept as aging is not aging. It's metabolic. It's environmental. And, most of it is reversible and almost all of it is improvable.
Now, let me show you the importance of all that.
Human health is regressing.
You can exercise regularly, eat what most people consider a healthy diet, look reasonably fit—and still have poor metabolic health.
I know because at 68, I've become increasingly convinced that metabolic health is one of the most important factors behind how well we age.
And most people have never measured it.
Rather than evolution that represents a species better adapting to their environment and improving the chances of survival and procreation we are witnessing what might very well be de-evolution.
For perhaps the first time in human history and definitely the first time in many hundreds of years our health is on the decline. I believe it is related to our arrogance in our belief that we can drastically alter our environment and how we live without any consequences.
The consequences are clear and we seem to be doubling down on the same practices that have brought us to this dangerous precipice of disaster.
The saving grace here is that this isn't environmental change that you have to be victim to.
This isn't genetics.
And, the individual and population decline in health doesn't have to be your story.
I don't know about you but sometimes I need to hear a message many times before it resonates and I pause to take a deep look. I will revisit Metabolic Health frequently in this newsletter.
Why?
Because there is no other single concept or metric that is more important to how and whether you express health. How well you perform in every aspect of your life.
And, maybe most important, how you age and your capacity to function in your last decades.
We are living in strange times. For many decades human health was on the upswing. We made tremendous advancements in public health and sanitation, and medicine has excelled at the treatment of trauma that in the past would have meant death. Advances in childbirth have all but eliminated deaths of mother and child. And, antibiotics at least for a time drastically reduced deaths from infection.
While medicine made all these advancements our standard of living improved dramatically. Quality food was readily available. And, I could mention many other contributors to improving human health.
But, now... dddddddd
We are witnessing an increasing decline in health. Yes, people point to increased lifespan but that isn't translating into an increasing healthspan.
The decline in health is so ubiquitous that it is easy to convince oneself that we are "normal" if not "healthy".
That's the gap. "Normal" is calculated from the population. Look at how people are getting sicker by the year. That is the group from which "normal" is taken. You're being judged against a sicker and sicker population.
When I go to the gym and see middle-aged men lifting weights I can't help but notice that the majority of them are walking around with a belly they could not train away.. Because they can move some heavy weights they might be inclined to assume that translates into better health.
And, yes they might be better off than someone not exercising but they are ignoring the single most important factor in their health...their metabolic health.
Metabolic Health Decline
Are you aware that about one-third of adults in the U.S. have metabolic syndrome? (NHANES data — and it climbs above 50% in adults over 60.)
This is a condition of 5 factors – abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides (> 150), low HDL cholesterol (<40-50), elevated blood pressure, elevated fasting blood glucose (>100-110 mg/dL). You need three of those five to be categorized as having metabolic syndrome.
Even before you reach the numbers that qualify for the label of Metabolic Syndrome you are far from healthy.
What's the risk?
Metabolic Syndrome raises your risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes as well as creating an environment of chronic inflammation associated with every chronic noncommunicable disease.
Metabolic Syndrome is a reliable indicator of declining health, reduced function, and a shorter lifespan even if you successfully treat these with a host of medications.
This dramatic decline in health isn't limited to adults!
In the U.S. prediabetes is now seen in 1 in 3 (30-33%) youth aged 12-17.
These are children who are unable to choose the food in their schools, the light at school and home, or the world they live in. This is an environmentally induced disease.
We're led to believe there is no answer outside of the medical model of prescribing a drug for every condition and an ever-increasing load of medications as the conditions worsen over time.
Here's what you haven't been told...
Metabolic health can be measured, it often responds quickly to steps that have zero cost. None of the numbers I'm going to show you came from a prescription.
The good news...
...is that understanding metabolism and metabolic health and the conditions and signals that support robust metabolic health can help you regain the ability to regulate your biology and take back control of your long-term health and well-being.
I've lived what most everyone would consider a healthy lifestyle for decades. I ate a relatively whole food, fresh diet. I exercised. I never consumed much alcohol. And, I was considered healthy.
And I still had changes to make that I really had no idea about. I was starting from a place where most "mature" adults are starting from, feeling "fine".
I'm a student of health and I've continued to learn throughout my life. As I've learned more and more about the environment and signals the human body requires for robust health, I've made a number of subtle shifts in how I live day to day.
These are shifts in my environment and the signals I provide my body that I now recognize as essential to offer the body.
These are the conditions conducive to the expression of great health.
The results...
I plan on a deep dive on my results as I continue to gather more data. I will dedicate an issue to discussing and showing my results. I am doing blood chemistry testing and DEXA scans on a regular basis. There's a story behind some of these results that makes them even more unusual. I'll save that for my deep dive.
My results at age 68 are...
- Visceral fat well below 1 pound and dropping.
- Systemic inflammation as measured by hsCRP (C-Reactive Protein) extremely low at 0.41 (normal considered up to 3.0)
- Total Testosterone above 700 ng/dL
- Fasting Glucose of 83 (under 100 considered ideal)
- Fasting Insulin of 3.6 (normal considered up to 24.9)
- HOMA-IR as a measurement to assess insulin resistance 0.738 (less than 1.0 considered very insulin sensitive and 1.0-1.5 considered normal
- Omega-6:Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio of <5:1. The typical is 15:1 to 20:1 with ancestral ratios estimated to be 1:1 to 4:1.
Take a look at my insulin number against the reference range. Mine is 3.6. Labs often call anything up to 24.9 "normal" with no recommendations.
That is a huge gap between optimal and the high end of "normal". That is the gap between where most adults live and where they could and should be. But, nobody is going to address that because the system says nothing is off.
These are all indicative of what would be considered robust metabolic health. And, the trend is ongoing improvement. Right now I am set on improving my Omega 6:3 ratio to below 4:1.
And, I take no routine prescription medications.
These results have surprised me. While I hoped for such changes I had no expectation of such robust improvements in such a short time.
In the past 12 months I have made shifts in my daily routine, my diet, and my exercise with the hope that they would translate into improvements.
And, the improvements have been greater than I would have hoped for.
I'm guessing that you're asking what did I change.
Nothing extreme and nothing that you can't get started on today or tomorrow.
Morning light from the sun within thirty minutes of waking or at sunrise. Real darkness at night. A gap of at least 2 hours between my last meal and sleep. Daily breathwork. Resistance training, Zone 2 aerobic, and interval training. And, an avoidance of omega-6 in my food.
Those were the basics. No prescriptions and no need for physician oversight.
Not a single complicated change. That however doesn't make them easy as change rarely is.
Let's discuss what you need to know and how you can evaluate your metabolic health.
Metabolism and Metabolic Health
Metabolism is the basis of everything critical to your health and ability to function at your best. Metabolism is the complex processes your body uses to turn food into energy.
It's much more than burning calories; it's an extremely complex system of chemical reactions critical to supporting every body function.
Metabolic health is about how effective and efficient your metabolism is.
As your metabolic health declines so goes your overall health and vitality. If you want to improve and increase your healthspan then optimizing metabolic health is the most valuable area to focus on.
We can evaluate metabolic health with a number of blood and other markers such as blood glucose, inflammatory markers, hormones, blood lipids, and DEXA scans for visceral fat, body composition and more.
The average adult's metabolic health is unhealthy
As I mentioned earlier the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says about 1 in 3 U.S. adults have metabolic syndrome. This is a group of conditions that are
indicative of declining metabolic health that carries with it increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and more.
If you desire robust health and all that comes with it...energy, focus, healthy immune function, great digestion, restorative sleep, healthy libido and more...
Then, you need to understand your metabolism and metabolic health so that you can choose the habits, rhythms, and environment that give you the greatest opportunity for health.
Metabolism plays a primary role in generating energy to fuel every single body function as well as the building and repair of body tissues.
But, it also plays a role in every single body function.
The coordination of the thousands of processes of your body is critical to being able to express health. Metabolism is involved in the regulation of body temperature, hormonal balance, digestion, sleep/wake cycles, and so much more.
Your level of metabolic health is equivalent to your overall level of health.
How Do We Measure and Assess Metabolic Health?
Declining metabolic health often carries with it few if any obvious symptoms. It is most often a slow but consistent decline that often escapes our awareness as our health declines.
This is why in my Metabolic Resilience coaching program we start by getting an objective assessment of a number of markers that can offer a picture of your metabolic health.
The more comprehensive the initial testing the better an idea you have of your metabolic health and starting point. If you are taking any journey you need to know where you are starting from in addition to where you want to go.
These are the tests to start with to get a comprehensive sense of metabolic health:
Before we get to the list, it is fairly long. And, you don't need it all to get started. The more data in general the better. You can start with four key tests: fasting insulin, fasting glucose, HbA1c, and hsCRP.
With those four you can get insights into energy management and inflammation.
Initial Bloodwork
- CBC with differential and platelet count
- Chem 20
- Liver Function Testing
- Serum Iron, TIBC, Serum Ferritin, Iron % Saturation
- Lipid Panel: NMR Analysis, ApoB, LPa, Triglycerides, HDL
- Homocysteine: reflects cardiovascular risk
- Thyroid Panel: TSH, T3, T4, Reverse T3, TPO Ab, Tg Ab
- Male Hormonal Panel: comprehensive Testosterone and hormone testing
- PSA (prostate test)
- hsCRP (inflammatory marker)
- Blood Glucose and Insulin Resistance: HbA1c, Fasting Insulin, Fasting Glucose
- HOMA-IR (using fasting insulin and glucose to assess Insulin Resistance)
- Vitamin D3
- Omega-3 Index Test / Fatty Acid Profile Test
- Leptin
Other Tests:
- DEXA Scan to assess body composition: body fat %, Lean Mass, Bone health, Visceral Fat
- Gives you great insight into what you are doing right and wrong
- Measures how changes affect your body
- Salivary Cortisol
- The Mirror Test: Waist Circumference. Do you carry belly fat? If so, you are almost surely Leptin and Insulin Resistant.
I firmly believe that the human body is engineered to express robust health given the appropriate environment and signals.
The trend of declining metabolic health is proof that we have created a mismatch between our biology and the environment in which we live.
What Affects Metabolic Health?
While there is a place and need for medications, they are all too often used to make up for imbalances in, and mismatches between, our environment and daily practices and our biology.
No medication can ever correct destructive habits and an environment that is a mismatch for your biology. At best it can mitigate the damage.
So, what impacts metabolic health?
In a word, everything.
I keep returning to habits, rhythms and environment but what am I referring to?
We have drastically changed how humans live in an incredibly short time. Things like:
- Our indoor lighting
- Our sleep rhythms
- Sleep time and quality
- The type of food we eat and when we eat it
- The amount of time spent outdoors
- Exposure to a wide range of manmade or what are called non-native EMFs
- Chemical exposure
- Activity level
- Obesity and the resultant Leptin and Insulin Resistance
- Age has an impact but it shouldn't be of the magnitude we see
All of these and more have an impact on our metabolic health. Simply track the development of technologies and the changes in human behavior with the declining human metabolic health and they are parallel.
This is absolutely correlation and not causation. And, things change that fast in different cultures we have to start thinking beyond correlation.
Why All This Matters
Think of metabolism as the engine that powers every body function and everything you do. Metabolic health is the best overall assessment we can perform that gives us the best idea of how well your engine is working.
Routinely evaluating your metabolic health helps to identify where you are, any potential problems early, and offers a metric by which to assess how whatever you are doing is working.
The changes aren't complicated, in fact they are relatively simple.
But, that doesn't necessarily make them easy.
Change rarely is.
They might not be easy but they aren't hard or difficult. This is about returning to some of the foundational practices that supported robust human health for generations.
The good news is the reward is amazing
I can't even begin to express how amazed I am at the dramatic changes I've experienced as a result of improved hormones like Testosterone, reduced inflammation, and improved body composition.
I feel better physically and emotionally. I have more consistent energy. My body is stronger and leaner. My libido is higher.
Take the next step
If you're curious about your own metabolic health, start with the mirror test and the four lab tests.
If you're motivated to make changes to your health and see the wisdom in avoiding or eliminating medications you can visit my website at www.MetabolicResilience.com and request an Discovery Call where we can discuss your situation and determine if my program might be a fit.
Next issue I'll dive into the topic of dysregulation and look into the role of the nervous system in managing stress and as the foundation for metabolic health.
To Your Health Sovereignty,
Bill MetabolicResilience.com