Fasting Insulin.

[pca2004]

The latest Life Extension magazine has a lead article on fasting insulin.

With insulin resistance, the pancreas produces increased amounts of insulin (as long as the beta cells hold out.) This is refected in fasting insulin levels.

Glucose and A1c may look normal when the above strategy is working, which is why LEF contends that fasting insulin should also be tested.

I have always relied on a reliable surrogate for insulin resistance: the ratio of triglycerides to HDL-cholesterol. 1:1 excellent; 3:1 something must be done. (My simplifications.)

What is interesting about the LEF piece is that the reference range is crazy: 2.6 uIU/mL to 24.9 uIU/mL, and LEF says that optimal is <5 uIU/mL.

Other recommendations:

- fasting glucose between 80-86 mg/dL

- hemoglobin A1c between 5.0-5.4%

The LEF blood test sale is now on.

...

No mention of PCa, but the article states that:

"Insulin has direct and indirect effects on cancer cell progression, proliferation, and metastasis."

IMO this is particularly true for PCa, which is the only cancer where risk falls with the failure of beta cell insulin production.

-Patrick

[cujoe]

Thanks for the write-up, Patrick.

For those not on LEF's mailing list, here is a link for a PDF download of the June issue which includes the article Patrick references. Since the issue title is related to Boosting Fiber Intake, it is a 2-fer source of info for this K9's health.

lifeextension.com/magazine

For the past several years I've been using LEF's lab services via walk-in labs at Labcorp facilities within participating Walgreen stores. Order the labs via LEF and then schedule the blood draw at your local Walgreens. (I recommend early-to-mid morning draws for all hormone and other blood labs.) Prices from LEF are considerably less that direct from Labcorp. And with the current sale at LEF, you can purchase labs now and use them later in the year. They will even refresh the orders when the normal time for blood draw expires. I just did a Basic Male Hormone Panel and am about to order 2 more @ the current sale price for later in the year.

It would be nice if our MOs saw the benefit of monitoring hormones for all PCa patients, but since that is not the case, LEF offers us a reasonably price way to do it ourselves. (Note that some states do not allow or restrict self-ordered labs? I guess that is to once again protect us from our ourselves? Or maybe to protect the medical services labs run by docs and hospitals from outside competition?) Here is a link to LEF's info page on Lab Testing Services.

lifeextension.com/lab-testing

Disclaimer: I know for a fact that neither Patrick nor Kaptin K9 have any financial affiliations with LEF, Labcorp, or any other walk-in testing service.

Knowledge is power - and more of the first = more of the second.

Keep Safe and Well, Ciao - K9 terror

[marnieg46 in reply to cujoe]

Thanks K9 for the link to the magazine. An interesting publication. I note I can subscribe to a Pacific version.

Patrick's article adds further to the Chatterjee podcast with Jessie Inchauspe I listened to recently about controlling blood sugar.

Great information...appreciated.

[GreenStreet in reply to cujoe]

thanks to Patrick and thanks K9 for the link 👍