#01: 13/05/2024 What supplements I take: This group has been started because there are some themes that apply to a whole bunch of us. I get asked occasionally what supplements I take, how much, and why, and could I keep this list really concise. The most important supplement I take is vitamin C. I use ascorbic acid powder. I put one or two teaspoons in a glass of water. One could add a flavouring one wanted. I found vitamin C helped me with a general move in the right direction. My body seemed to like it. Also some old injuries seemed to fade a little. Like bruising and my back seemed to be more resilient to injury. Here is a link to more on vitamin C. /A1-Health/what-mega-supplements-did-for-me.html#badback The next most important vitamins that made a significant contribution to my health and brain function was the B Vitamins. These can be bought as a complex containing B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12. There is also a B8 (inositol) that may contribute to better mental health in its own right. I took a B complex plus an extra B1, B3 along with a type of amino acid called Tyrosine. This helped me focus and concentrate. /A1-Health/what-mega-supplements-did-for-me.html#vitaminc I personally found these two basic contributions to my daily routine helped me. But I would not trust any marketing company words. After all they are trying to sell their product. Evidence is building that some supplements may benefit some people Here is an article that has found some positive signs that there may be a scientific basis for the good that supplements might do. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/evidence-suggests-multivitamin-may-help-slow-memory-loss-rcna134391 So in a nutshell I take one or two B complex a day, and one or two teaspoons of powdered vitamin C a day in a glass of water. #02 Question: Morning Mark you still on the powdered calcium? Image: Green bottle. Yes indeed. I've got it right here with me now! This one also has vit c and some Potassium and BCAAs (branch chain amino acids). You can just make out the deposits of calcium settling at the bottom here in the pic #03 13/05/2024 Question: I was just asked if it is a good idea to take collogen? I was just asked if it's a good idea to take some collagen. It can be especially useful in the opinion of David Asprey in his book "Super Human", where he says, I paraphrase, that collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and if it is lacking for any reason, then one may almost literally begin falling apart. Some post people, that work for the post office, have told me of pain on the soles of their feet. According to David Asprey this is a good example for the need of a boost! But collagen needs support. Zinc and vitamin C are essential cofactors, and often you'll see in beauty care products the addition of copper. These all may conspire to help relieve some sole pain and improve complexion. Minerals in general may also contribute, see the link below. Here are ones I take in addition to Potassium, Calcium, Vitamin C, Selenium, Boron and K2. Image: FourSupplementsForCollogen https://ancientnutrition.com/blogs/all/nutrient-to-pair-with-collagen /A1-Health/what-mega-supplements-did-for-me.html#cartilage Image: VitaminCblend Image: VitaminCAscorbate Both of these vitamin C powders are available on amazon. I've not found any vitamin C at H&B to be any good. Often mixed with other impurities or preservatives. One of these is mixed with Calcium Ascorbate. This is the milder form of vitamin C and would be the choice of anyone with a sensitive stomach. But both work as well as each other. #04 13/05/2024 Question: What’s in that green drink you was having mark? Hi Dan, what made the drink green and gave it a nice taste was the BCAA's (branch chain amino acids), these were particularly useful for me on the bike trip to Golspie Scotland. Where I needed a rest, my legs were not recovering. So I stayed at a hotel for an extra day to rest my legs. So I set off the next day only to realise that the rest day did not achieve much for my leg recovery. So at the next town I stopped at either Edinburg or Inverness, I'm not sure which now. I bought some BCAAs from H&B and took it immediately and had another early night. The next day my legs felt completely recovered. BCAAs have continued to contribute to my various needs of recovery like mental fatigue and physical tiredness. The other stuff in my daily drink is Potassium, Vit C, Coral Calcium, Magnesium Citrate (H&B), Sodium Bicarb, and Lysine. /A1-Health/my-bike-trip-to-golspie.html Tony says: Hi, ref the collagen. If buying collagen supplements, it is a waste of money unless vit c levels are good, as vit c prevents the auto-inactivation of lysyl and prolyl hyroxylase, key enzymes in collagen biosynthesis. This company have a good range. Image: TripleVitaminC #05 Question: My basic list of supplements. So the very basic list of supplements I take each day are:- Vit C, 10gramms which is two teaspoons of the powdered vit c , B complex and most days extra b12 (adenosyl/hydroxy), b6 in the form P5P 50, and B9 Folate (L-Methylfolate). These are even sometimes further supplemented with 500mg - 1000mg of B1 if I've drank too much alcohol, and anywhere from 500mg to 3g of B3! As recommended by Bill Wilson (founder of AA (Alcoholic Anonymous) and Abram Hoffer a research scientist and founder of Orthomolecular Medicine and writer with many scientific papers written and published). Plus the big five minerals.. Image:B12-B9-B6 B12 (Cobalamin and Adenosylcobalamin), B6 (Pyridoxine), B9 (Folate). Tony says: P5P is the best to activate/bond collagen. #06 Question: Why might one feel tired all the time? First of all I'm not going to try and diagnose anyone. And ofcourse this goes without saying. A visit to your local GP or Health professional is always the first port of call. And ofcourse I'm am not a qualified physician! And none of my suggestions are any attempt at diagnosis or treatment. Ans:- It is true to say that children have something special going on here! They seem to have an abundance of energy. What children have over us oldies in my opinion is excellent absorbtion. They seem to be able to extract the last piece of nutrients and minerals from their food. Also they have great mitochondrial health and ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) production. So what happens as we get older to our digestion/absorption capabilities and our mitochondrial health and how does this all relate to taking B vitamins? Ans:- Well we see here in this NIH (National Institute of Health) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4088037/ that there is some evidence suggesting that our intestines might work less well as we age. Also in this NIH article https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003832/#:~:text=Age%2Drelated%20changes%20in%20mitochondria,reactive%20oxygen%20species%20(ROS). We can see some evidence that mitochondrial health may also become a little impaired with age. So in my opinion the two main things that give children their abundance of energy are conspiring against us. So what can we do about this? Well in my opinion, just like a mechanic working on your car, I would consider swapping parts out with newer parts! In our case I would start with more nutritious foods and I would consider a good B complex supplement. And run this experiment for a few weeks and see if there is a rise in energy. After a chatgpt search on tiredness and keto diet.. The reason I chose a keto focus is because the keto diet has been put forward as a friendly mitochondrial diet. Lots of images on tiredness. There is a suggestion that poor nutrition could be a contributing factor: Image: A01-Chatgpt-Tiredness-PoorNutrientAbsorption Image: A02-Chatgpt-Tiredness-PoorNutrientAbsorption-GutHealth Image: A03-Chatgpt-Tiredness-MitochondrialHealth Image: A04-Chatgpt-Tiredness-MitochondrialHealth-CoEnzymeQ10 Image: A05-Chatgpt-Tiredness-AdaptionToKetosis Image: A06-Chatgpt-Tiredness-Keto-HydrationAndElectrolytes There are other very good diets being touted as useful in the fight against tiredness available. Image: A07-Chatgpt-Tiredness-Diets-Mediterranean Image: A08-Chatgpt-Tiredness-Diets-Mediterranean-2 Image: A09-Chatgpt-Tiredness-Diets-Whole-Food-Plant-Based-Diet Image: A09-01-Chatgpt-Tiredness-Diets-Low-glycemic-Diet Image: A09-02-Chatgpt-Tiredness-Diets-Paleo-Diet Image: A09-03-Chatgpt-Tiredness-Diets-Ketogenic-Diet Image: A09-04-Chatgpt-Tiredness-Diets-Optimal-Choice-For-Energy-And-Less-Tiredness So I followed this with a question for chatgpt: What do b vitamins do for you in a ketogenic state? Here are its answers on what b vitamins do: Image: B01-Chatgpt-Thiamine Image: B02-Chatgpt-Riboflavin Image: B03-Chatgpt-Pantothenic-Acid Image: B04-Chatgpt-Biotin Image: B05-Chatgpt-B12 I agree with what Chatgpt has had to say about these insights. And in particular I noticed in myself a significant rise in energy when along with the B complex I took additional B6(p5p), B9(folate) and B12(adenosyl/hydroxy). And in particular I noticed in myself a significant rise in energy when along with the B complex I took additional B6(p5p), B9(folate) and B12(adenosyl/hydroxy). Image: CloseUpB12adenosyl-hydroxy #07 All becoming a little confusing. I recognise this is all becoming a little confusing. In a nutshell there are two things to begin with: vitamin C 2-10g and B complex 3 times a day. That's it. These two things taken in sufficient quantities will let you know in a short space of time whether or not vitamins are playing a small role in your well being. There are five minerals that will do the same. Boron 20mg, Zinc 10-80mg, Magnesium 600-800mg, Potassium 200-400mg and Coral Calcium 400-800mg! I take these everyday and have done for a while. I have experienced a general upturn in my health and strength. I then added a calorie restricted keto diet, and then I added mild exercise to begin with and now I'm training 3 times a week! I feel young again. I believe many of the symptoms we associate with aging are actually signs of mild malnutrition. There is more to know about virus. If anyone is having cold after cold or worse, then let me know. Quite by accident I discovered something that has helped me a lot. #08 Water Book: The brain is about 2 per cent of the total body weight, but it receives 18 to 20 per cent of blood circulation. When the 'ration masters' in charge of body water reserve regulation and distribution become more and more active, they also give their own alarm signals to show that the area in question is short of water, very much like the radiator of a car giving out steam when the cooling system is not adequate to drive up hill. In advanced societies, thinking that tea, coffee, alcohol, and manufactured beverages are desirable substitutes for the natural water needs of the daily 'stressed' body is an elementary - but catastrophic - mistake. This is an excerpt from a book called "Your Body's Many Cries For Water". by Dr F Batmanghelidj. Yes a book on water! Nearly 200 pages on water!! I'm amazed that there has been a book with nearly 200 pages written on water for the body's health.. I'm still amazed.. I'll keep posting excerpts for the book. Over time. https://youtube.com/shorts/y9IQgxhyub4?si=YxMVIKfG3a1yeEfU This link is to Barbra O'neills video talking about this book. https://youtube.com/shorts/7bWBLGhI_YM?si=IKjNGFm1_EGo-g6R And this link is also Barbra talking about caffeine, water and magnesium. Eddy says: Barbara is absolutely brilliant about so many things....that's why they keep trying to close her down!🤔 Tony says: I think we are all in agreement here. 💯 Didn't know that she was getting silenced. She is wonderful! #09 Water Book: Here is another excerpt from this water book "Your Body's Many Cries for Water". I have already published an account of my clinical observations when I treated more than 3,000 peptic ulcer sufferers with water alone. I discovered for the first time in medicine that this 'classical disease' of the body responds to water by itself. Clinically, it became obvious that this condition resembled a thirst 'disease'.Under the same environmental and clinical settings, other 'disease' conditions seemed to respond to water by itself. Extensive research has proven my clinical observations that the body has a variety of most sophisticated thirst signals - integrated signal systems during regulation of the available water at times of dehydration. #10 Glucose spike: My Glucose Spike!! It seems I had a high blood sugar spike yesterday of 12mmols. This was at first concerning. Because I also had 0.6mmols of ketones in my blood stream at the same time. These signs together tell a story. Doctors refer to this as Kenotic hyperglycaemia! Saturday I ran for 60 minutes and on the Wednesday before cycled for about the same duration of time, which goes someway to illuminate that lack of exercise might be the cause. Also my ketones have been between 0.6mmols and 1.7mmols for two weeks, and my blood sugar levels have been between 4.8mmols and 6.4mmols for two weeks too. Image: MyketoGlucoseReadings01 Reasonably good results. Also one wants to be sure they do not have keto acidosis (kenotic hyperglycaemia), because it is a very serious life threatening condition. One can see from this image that glucose levels might be much higher 13.9mmols, along with higher ketone readings 7.8-10.0mmols. Image: KetoicHyperglycemia.jpg Very high levels seen here. So to find my blood sugar up at 12.4mmols last night was inexplicable at first. Until I looked up what was in the only food I had eaten whilst out with my dad at Southend. An innocent meal with my dad turned into a silent killer. The eggs I had were fine. The bacon questionable. How about Coronation Chicken Salad? Well... It turns out that commercially bought meats need to meet certain health standards in the public domain. So therefore they are often treated with preservatives. The common ones are: Sorbic Acid and Sorbates (E200-E203) and Benzoic Acid and Benzoates (E210-E213) and Citric Acid (E330) and Sulphites (E220-E228) of these Benzoic Acid jumped out at me. Image: Chatgpt-BenzoicAcid Just a list of common preservatives used to stop meat etc killing us. Coronation Chicken ingredients only need to be: Boneless chicken traditionally seasoned with bay leaf, thyme, parsley, cumin, turmeric, ginger and peppercorns mixed with cream or mayonnaise, and dried apricots (or sultanas)-which I picked out. Image: SearchIngredientsCoronationChickenBuyingInBulk Image: SearchIngredientsCoronationChickenSimple But further chatgpt research showed nothing on whether any of these preservatives could cause a blood sugar spike! Image: Chatgpt-Preservatives-Benzoic-Acid This looks similar to the other pic, but it is saying there is no carbohydrates in these preservatives! At this stage I can only assume, that they do not know about this anywhere yet! Or I'm allergic to all or one of these preservatives. So I checked to see if having an allergic reaction could cause a glucose spike? And yes it can! Image: Chatgpt-Allergic-Reaction-Glucose-Spike Here we can see that glucose can jump rather high if one is allergic to one or more of these preservatives.. Image: Chatgpt-Allergic-Reaction-Glucose-Spike-How-High Image: Chatgpt-Allergic-Reaction-Glucose-Spike-How-High-2 How many people might be allergic to benzoate? Here is small study by pubmed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15491435/ suggesting that just 2% might be affected. I use the word 'just'! But isn't this a little high? Especially if we are eating processed foods? I've experienced these sugar spikes before. I've also noticed that some processed foods like MS boiled eggs have some preservative too. Probably sulphites (because they help keep it looking fresh), and following eating these two boiled eggs, I was hit with an over whelming desire for sugar! I almost feel lucky that my body over reacts to these poisons. It makes it much easier to justify eating healthy home cooked foods. I'll just have to invite my dad over for a barbecue at a campsite in future! Two other things were affected in me. Just msg me if we are on the same page about some of this and you might like to know more or discuss this further. #11 Ultra Processed Foods/People: There are many diets out there, some of them are: The Mediterranean Diet; The Whole Food Plant-Based Diet; The Low-Glycemic Diet; The Paleo Diet; And The Ketogenic Diet! I guess any diet avoiding processed foods is always going to be a plus. Image: Search-Ultra-Processed-People.jpg This excellent book provides some details as how this happened; why this has happened; who is profiting; and what this may be doing to the environment and us. Written by Chris van Tulleken 2023. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultra-Processed-People-Stuff-That-Isnt/dp/B0BL1VYBXK/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PQ2EUWKIfTieTLbdAqJuj6k5FkcoDGOTeqR4iXGt1AnII5i0i_Z5_lG4CZ7BipSOdJ1E4QysMIvagw4_-9wu1EuYQdH0RAD6dy0XUPo-R629fdr3xvYfc7BvCljyR1oUs5pjv_9vQNbz-9ksm7aEWIc-mDeN_OMaMItZhcN5PU1-l8RTNCaaUsK-2oINvHun6AH_EHODymrAL6q45-qfeGuSK5vsllq_QQyzwqDaj-I.JmV6uE8BhdfV-zRh8rMMAXJyXk04m3aMUhfeL85f0pk&dib_tag=se&keywords=ultra+processed+people&qid=1716269953&sr=8-1 My choice of diet is an exercised intermittent fasted calorie restricted ketogenic diet and I have some small anecdotal evidence of the benefits I feel I have experienced and perhaps some advantages and disadvantages of this diet. Ofcourse making changes to our eating habits will very likely change us in some way. If anyone is on medication, these changes could be catastrophic. Please seek medical advice/supervision before embarking on a new eating/exercise program. This information is purely from my own experience and is unique to me. I am not a healthcare practitioner. My friend took my story of exercising in a fasted state as an example of what he could do and he passed out during an exercise session whilst exercising in a fasted state. The ambulance was called whilst he was unconscious. He made a full recovery, and then passed out again. I think messing with diet and food is a serious business and sometimes one needs very personal supervision. Someone else followed my lead on taking some sodium bicarb everyday and probably because of his age got constipated for 5 days and needed a visit to A&E to help resolve the issue. So please I am not advocating doing any of this. This is only what I do and what I have benefited from doing. These are extreme measures. But I don't mind sharing what I feel has made major/minor contributions to my well being. 22/05/2024 #12 The list of eight topics. To any new comers. I'll be broadly running through a list of eight subjects and then going back to the beginning, so wherever one joins the group doesn't matter, because after a short while you will have gone through all eight subjects if you wanted to: 1st Virus & Tiredness & Sodium Bicarb. 2nd Strength & Bones & PH. 3rd Food & Diets & Fasting. 4th Optimal Brain Function & B Complex. 5th Exercise Performance & Recovery & Trimethyl glycine etc. 6th Life Extension/Longevity & Methylation. 7th Cancer Prevention & Some Big Thinkers. 8th Poisons & Processed Foods & Addictions. I will also provide links regularly on previous conversations for any new members wishing to check them out. #13 What diet am I following? Why I am following a ketogenic diet. At the moment I'm following an exercised, calorie restricted, ketogenic diet, in an intermittent fasted state. I am still drinking some alcohol too. Because my previous 6 months of not doing much in the way of exercise or being too careful with my food intake, lead to my body gaining some weight. My motivation rose when I recently took a bike ride and noticed a bump/lump on my saddle, that was not there before. I've heard of these bike seats that have cut outs in them probably for this reason. But that bump, I was feeling was not there six months ago! There are reports that there is a relationship between cycling and prostate issues. This is measured by prostate specific antigen (PSA) level test. But rather than go down this road. I chose this strict (medical) diet. More on this later. After being on the diet for 4 weeks I went back out on the bike and noticed hardly any bump! (this is purely anecdotal). Here is a link to a piece of research suggesting there may be a link between tumour suppression and the keto diet. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6544614/ #14 Question: How is it possible that the ketogenic diet could possibly be considered medical? How is it possible that the ketogenic diet could possibly be considered medical? The ketogenic diet was discovered in the 1920's by Russell Wilder and it was used to treat three patients with epilepsy. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S152550501930914X#:~:text=Wilder%20published%20two%20papers%20on,rapidly%20spread%20in%20the%201920s. Since then the diet rapidly spread and it became a relatively common prescription for epilepsy. At about the same time in 1920 Otto Warburg discovered the Ketogenic Diet and thought it might be useful in fighting cancer. Although today this is not a main stream practice. It is used by many to enhance their Chemotherapy. Here is a link to the Cancer Care Manitoba: https://www.cancercare.mb.ca/export/sites/default/Research/.galleries/files/cancer-day-for-primary-care-files/cancer-day-presentations-2017/Ketogenic_diets_The_next_anticancer_therapy_A_Martens.pdf The Ketogenic diet has also been used by USA Navy Seals. They use rebreathe air supply when on missions under water on approach to enemy ships/land etc. Bubbles from normal air tanks when diving would give away their position. The rebreathe apparatus had some complications though. I think it was 1 in 6 divers would suffer fits and or black out under water. This was obviously dangerous. Here's the link to a small Harvard Review that talks about how being in a Ketogenic state reduces the need to breath on a ketogenic diet: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/keto-diet-navy-seals/ and this link mentions the work done by Dr Dom'Agostino and his research into the Ketogenic diet and the Navy Seals. https://bigthink.com/health/keto-navy/ What else could be great about the Ketogenic Diet? Well some athletes are using it to enhance their performance too. Chris Froome went on to win three Tour De France victories after beginning a ketogenic Diet! Here is a link to the British Diabetic website page on Froome: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blog/2016/07/low-carb-diet-propelled-chris-froome-three-tour-de-france-titles/ The Ketogenic Diet also helps stabilise sugars, which is great news for diabetics. It is also great for weight loss. It is also great at increasing metabolic health, which includes heart disease. There's more! The Ketogenic Diet may also be used to help with Alzheimers according to the NIH (National Institute of Health). Here's the link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8755961/ So I think it is not too outrageous to call the ketogenic Diet a medical diet, because of it's extraordinary potential benefits. Whilst I was doing a little searching, I saw this link: "Which actress died of keto diet? The nation is left shocked after the death of actress Mishti Mukherjee due to renal failure as a result of 'Keto diet' . Keto diet leads to an overload consumption of protein and burdens the kidney function and should not be made a permanent diet schedule.5 Oct 2020". This is unfortunately a little miss leading. The keto diet is not a high protein diet. Paleo may be and Atkins could be. But the Ketogenic diet is a high fat: coconut fat, olive oil, butter, diet, with very little protein. So please do not worry about this article. And always seek medical advice before embarking on any major changes to your lifestyle. #15 What do I take everyday? I've been asked what do I take each day when and why? I take these on most mornings on an empty stomach. 01) B complex capsule from pure once or twice a day (variable amounts) If I only took one this is it. 02) B12 from pure on busy days I will take this 3 times a day (1000mcg) 03) B9 Folate from Health Leads again on busy days 3 times a day otherwise just one (1000ug) 04) B6 p5p from pure again on busy days 3 times a day otherwise just one (50mg) 05) B1 Thiamine from G & G once a day especially after drinking or exercise (500mg) 06) B3 Nicotinamide once a day especially after drinking alcohol or exercise (500mg) I also take a drink with me into work on an empty stomach: Half a bottle of mineral water with added: 07) Half "a teaspoon of" (ato) Coral Calcium from Sango 08) Half (ato) Sodium Bicarbonate 09) 3/4 (ato) magnesium citrate from Holland and Barret (powder) or magnesium threonate in capsules 400mg - 800mg 10) Half (ato) trace minerals 11) Half (ato) Lysine 12) 1/4 to a half (ato) resveratrol 13) Half (ato) of BCAA Branch Chain Amino Acids especially after a heavy day at work or following training 14) Two teaspoons of vitamin C And I might fast all day or eat some berry's or a couple of bananas or some celery @ 10am when working and later in the day a teaspoon of coconut fat or two. In the evening I take, but only after I've eaten. (some of these minerals taken on an empty stomach might make you feel sick): 15) 15mg t0 25mg of Boron 16) 60mg to 100mg of zinc from pure 17) Copper 18) Manganese 19) Selenium 20) D3 40,000iu upto 100,000iu's 21) Gingko Biloba Oh and I eat Keto with these! Every single supplement I take has proven itself, with maybe the exception of resveratrol and D3. But resveratrol is taken by David Sinclair and his Dad and he thinks it helps with some aspects of staying healthy into old age. So one might not feel the effects right away. I will explain this later. And D3 comes with a very high recommendation from Jeff T Bowles. More on him later. Each of these supplements will be explained. Why I take it. What it did for me. I will also make sure the brand I buy is listed for all the supplements and the amounts I take for all the supplements too. Also I will describe what all these supplements have done for me as a whole. I am also experimenting with new supplements. So there will be other supplements that might make the grade in the future. There are also mild alterations I would make to the list each day if I was trying to enhance concentration and focus or again if I was trying to enhance physical performance and again if I was sick with virus or sick with something more serious like cancer the list and concentrations would change quite a bit in some cases. #16 Niacin flush B3. Image: MarkWithNiacinFlush Here I am experiencing the harmless red flushed skin reaction to taking 100mg of niacin flush effect B3 supplement! Time Beginning affects Date 27/05 07:20 Just taken 1 50mg niacin B3 flush supplement 07:30 maybe feeling something 07:35 I might be feeling warmer (hardly noticable) 07:46am No noticable flush effects! 08:21 Just taken my second 50mg niacin flush! 08:34 Still no real reaction..Just warm head and cold hands. 08:38 I'm now feeling the flush effects of niacin flush effect. A tingling on my face. My face is probably turning red! 08:48 Now my face is red and my arms are beginning to feel the flush! Feeling warm and itchy! One may indeed be asking. Why O Why would anyone put themselves through this? B3 Brain! & B3 Through NAD, niacin (vitamin B3) is involved in the control of intracellular calcium release. Calcium signalling is strongly integrated with nucleotide metabolism and the energy status of the cell, which are both dependent on NAD. Knowing the role of calcium in generating action potential in neurons, this is of high relevance regarding the role of niacin in cerebral functions [95]. B3 flush In its therapeutic form, nicotinic acid, niacin can increase HDL as much as 35 percent when taken in high doses, usually about 2,000 milligrams per day. It also lowers LDL, though not as sharply as statins do, and it has been shown to reduce serum levels of artery-clogging triglycerides as much as 50 percent.23 Jan 2007 So what this means is that this supplement (mixed with a good B complex) might contribute to better healthy HDL levels in the blood. This is associated with heart disease. And some indications that brain function will improve! 09:08 The effects are beginning to wear off now! Phew! Image: MarkAfterNiacinFlush Frank deficiencies in most vitamins and minerals have been associated with lethargy or physical fatigue, which can also be observed in marginal deficiencies, but these symptoms are often missed because they are nonspecific. All the B vitamins except folate are involved in at least one and often in several steps of the energy-production system within the cell (Figure 1). Adequate supply of each B vitamin is required for appropriate functioning of the energy-production system and a shortfall in any one of them will be rate limiting for energy production, with potentially severe metabolic and health consequences. B vitamins.. There are some that help with energy. Some that help with brain function. And some that help with heart disease. And alcohol abuse. Living longer. More oxygen. Insomnia. Loss of appetite. Anaemia. Beriberi which includes ataxia (losing one's balance). Image of book courtesy of Tony Chiropractitioner Image: TheNiacinBook Tony says: "I became aware of the book from a patient. He swears that his intake of niacin has been the number one factor that reversed his "need/prescription" for statins. His vitals which I took periodically, were always within normal limits. I saw him at a clinic I worked at over a year ago and feel he would love to be in this group as very health conscious and curious. May I pass your number Mark?" PS after my run this afternoon I took another 50mg of B3 flush with very little flush. In fact I would say I did not notice it. However, that does not mean I got no benefit. B3 flush will always lower LDL (the bad fats) and encourage HDL (the good fats). I'm thinking of taking more because therapeutic levels are as much as 1500mg to 3000mg a day. #17 My story from college. Image: My6Bvitamins A leap of faith. It was B Vitamins and Vitamin C with a little tyrosine that helped me get my focus when at college four years ago whilst doing an access course to University. I think they are the equivalent of AS levels. I did physics, chemistry and biology. Failing on my course. I was only achieving passes for the first term. I needed distinctions for University. It was the B Complex supplement plus 1g of B1 and 3g of B3 and anywhere between 10g - 20g of vitamin C and the 500mg - 1500mg of tyrosine I took that switched on my brain. I would not recommend anyone take 1500mg of tyrosine. I found it unnecessary to take that much. But the 500mg of tyrosine was noticed. Increasing brain function with B vitamins. I'm not sure I had just brain fog, but a general malaise that affected my brain and body. But this combo switched on my brain for sure! And my grades went from passes to distinctions! Instead of only being able to study for a few hours a week. It jumped to being able to study 10 - 12 hours a day. This enabled me to catch up and get ahead. I kept up the supplements and therefore I was able to keep up the study right up to the end of the course some six months away! And I was offered two places at Universities to study Nutrition. Which I postponed, because covid had passed and work was picking up. For more back ground on this visit my web page that goes into more details../A1-Health/what-mega-supplements-did-for-me.html#failingatschool B1 (Brain Growth) Thiamine (vitamin B1) is involved in the formation of synapses, the growth of axons and myelin genesis, leading to the establishment of a functional neuroglia. It is also able to stabilize the membrane of newly generated neuronal cells during embryogenesis and may control apoptosis (programmed cell death); this may proceed through suspected thiamine-binding sites, present on biological membranes [82]. Link:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019700/ B5 85% of all human proteins need B5! Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) is an essential precursor in the synthesis of acetyl-CoA. Many soluble proteins are acetylated (i.e., an acetyl group is substituted for an active hydrogen atom) by acetyl-CoA at their N-termination. N-Acetylation is one of the most common covalent modifications of proteins, crucial for their regulation and function, and approximately 85% of all human proteins are acetylated [83]. These post-translation modifications are in particular present in nervous system structures: protein acetylation also appears important for neuronal development [84]. Same link as above. B5 Alcohol...!! Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is required for the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, as shown by experimental studies in rats in which pantothenic acid was depleted using chronic alcohol exposure that displayed a decreased synthesis of acetylcholine in the brain [91]. This means alcohol depletes B5 and therefore leaves less for brain function. Same link as above. #18 Can there really be more to say about B vitamins? Well, in my opinion, being mentally lethargic or unfocussed or being unable to sit down and do something for a reasonable amount of time, was the focus yesterday. Today I would like to highlight the difference between a brain fog like state (yesterday) and an energy state! Having energy to sit up straight or to work hard all day every day, be it in construction or be it in a stressed office environment, nutritionally, the antidote turns out to be very similar. This is all based on the problem not being a virus or illness. More on virus coming up soon. I experimented on myself after my sister got B12 injections from the doctor, because her haemoglobin was too low. After four days she said she had more energy. Well I'm nearly 60 years old, just a couple years away. And recently I transitioned to shuttering carpentry because of a small downturn in the construction industry. In my first week of work I noticed that I was feeling tired. For some people this would be expected and accepted, but for me it gave me the opportunity to do an experiment. So I started taking 1mg (1000mcg) of B12 3 times a day along with (B6 p5p) and (B9 folate) and a B complex, because B's rely on each other to work. The results of my experiment was that I did not feel tired anymore at work. This sustained energy has continued to serve me ever since. Now when ever I feel tired at work, I know it must be a virus. Because I have eliminated haemoglobin from being the cause. Some may think that a haemoglobin problem or feeling tired might also be an iron problem? In some cases this is true in about 30% of cases. And even less than 30% in men, especially if they eat red meat or shrimps etc. This is because men lose iron very slowly through sweat and exfoliation and when they bleed. So often iron builds up in men's systems. The NIH in this link say "Iron is essential for the body, but extremely toxic when excess amounts are present. As the body has no active excretion pathways for iron, a continuous load of iron exceeding 1–2 mg/day will result in iron overload, and organ failures including liver and heart." Here is the link:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2516548/#:~:text=Iron%20is%20essential%20for%20the,failures%20including%20liver%20and%20heart. And here we see evidence that B12, B6, B9 insufficiency are more likely to be the cause of an energy crisis than iron. According to the NIH. B Vitamins: The NIH here is saying: B9 B12 Folate and B12 (some 70-80%) more responsible for tiredness than Iron because of the interdependence of folate and cobalamin (vitamin B12) metabolism (Figure 2), megaloblastic anaemia is also a frequent clinical expression of cobalamin deficiency (present in 70–80% of cases of deficiency). Indeed, DNA synthesis is impaired by low vitamin B12, which hampers the activation of folate and, as a result, decreases normal red blood cell production, impairing oxygen delivery [62]. Iron: The NIH here is saying: Despite iron being mandatory for oxygen transport and other functions, excess iron may be toxic to cells because it can promote the generation of free radicals via the Fenton’s reaction (this is to do with ATP production), in which iron reacts with hydrogen peroxide and produces hydroxyl radicals, with potentially highly deleterious consequences [54], especially in the brain, where iron-induced oxidative stress may cause neurodegenerative processes [75,76]. Here's the link for the NIH (same as yesterday).. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019700/ Also one may also consider that when red blood cells die the iron is recycled! As is said here by NIH: The production of around 2.5 million red blood cells (RBCs) per second in erythropoiesis is one of the most intense activities in the body. It continuously consumes large amounts of iron, approximately 80% of which is recycled from aged erythrocytes. Link here:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8469827/#:~:text=The%20production%20of%20around%202.5,is%20recycled%20from%20aged%20erythrocytes. #19 I'm not sure it is virus season or whether now there is a non virus season at all.. The Basics Virus. Do we live in a world now that has become used to virus exposure? Could there possibly be anything else to say about B Complex? Again specifically B6, B9 and B12 are essential for our health during a period of viral attack. And I would take these with an extra B complex. Image: B1ThiamineB2RiboflavinB3NiacinHelpingFightViurs03.jpg Image: B6PyrdoxineP5PHelpingFightVirus01.jpg Image: B9FolateHelpingFightVirus02.jpg Viruses used to plague me. Every week or two I would get the tell tale signs of a virus. Hot head cold hands and a general malaise would come over me. This was noticed by my partner. She commented on it. "You seem to always be catching one virus or another!". She was right. I began to explore why I kept catching every virus that came round. One of the questions I asked was "Is it always just a question of catching it?". "Or is there something wrong with me?". These questions were not very sophisticated. And the truth was more mysterious than I could have imagined. One might assume that taking 10g of vitamin C a day would fix my virus problems. It probably helped a little and laid the foundation along with the B vitamins for what came next. The real breakthrough came in two stages: First I began to do home cooking. This ofcourse took me away from processed foods. And with this I noticed a small improvement with the frequency and intensity of the viruses I caught. Second improvement came when I began taking half a teaspoon of sodium bicarb in a glass of water along with the vitamin C. This was a real boost in my health. It seemed viruses had become a thing of the past for me. There's a whole book written on most of the benefits of Sodium Bicarb by Mark Circus. Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sodium-Bicarbonate-Natures-Unique-Remedy/dp/075700394X If I had a virus that was lingering, then I would often take my vitamin C and bicarb drink and go to bed and the next morning I often felt the virus had abated a bit by about 10% to 15%. This improvement would continue until the virus was gone, if I kept taking the drink. Why was this? There is some evidence as to why this was so. BiCarb raises the alkalinity of one's urine and therefore blood. Although there can be a difference between the PH of blood and urine, they do seem to follow similar trajectories. : image RaisingUrinePH01 And the immune system prefers a slightly more alkaline environment for proper function, something around 7.4ph. : image ImmuneSystemPH01 Respiratory viruses prefer a slightly acidic environment (pH 5.5 to 7.5). This ofcourse means that raising one's alkalinity is moving the dial in our favour. (More alkaline). : image RespiratoryVirusesPH01.jpg : image VirusPreferredPH01.jpg For viruses to multiply they need a slightly acidic environment too. (pH 5 - 6) This weakness of virus can be exploited by raising our alkalinity. Image: IntracellularVirusesPH-Reproduction01.jpg There is another way we can alkaline ourselves. Our lungs give us some control over the acidity of our lungs environment. Some of you have heard of Wim Hoff. He has discovered one main thing of significance worth mentioning here. And this is that when breathing in and out 36 times or until you notice the effects. And then breathing out all your air from your lungs and holding it out for as long as is comfortable and repeating this process three times, one has simultaneously alkalised our lungs by eliminating CO2 and one has activated our immune system. It is this activation of the immune system that allows one to have an ice bath and not feel the cold. And the expulsion of CO2 alkalises our lungs, therefore our bodies. Image: RespiratorySystemPH01.jpg Similarly the levels of D3 in our bodies seem to affect the frequency and intensity of viruses too. Here these images refer to double blind placebo-controlled trials. One is on D3 and the risk or frequency of getting influenza and asthma. One is on D3 and the intensity of influenza infections. One is on D3 and reducing the risk of respiratory tract infections by as much as 70%. One is on D3 and time in the ICU. Image: D3ReducingInfluenzaAsthmaAttacks01.jpb Image: D3ReducingNumberOfInfection02.jpg Image: D3ReducingRiskRespiratoryInfection70%01.jpg Image: D3VentilationICUTimeInHospital01.jpg D3 needs support in the body. In order of importance. Magnesium 400mg - 800mg, Zinc 20mg - 80mg, Boron 12mg - 24mg and K2 200mcg - 800mcg depending on who you talk to. Dr Mercola has written a lot on this and has his own K2 along with some other supplements on Amazon under the trading name Life Extension. They come in a blue bottle. Here is a study suggesting that zinc may play a role in shortening the effects of the common cold. But if zinc is only supporting D3 already in the body then zinc still has its role to play. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3273967/ However, if we are talking about SARS or Covid, that is a different matter. Zinc does help slow the development of these types of viruses. As is explained in this link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8955262/ I would say that taking any supplement to do with health needs a foundation of 5g - 10g of vitamin C a day. Or one may find that the results may be compromised. This also applies to B complex in my opinion. The first image shows how much vitamin c maybe needed to influence the outcome of particular infections.These are often administered via intravenous methods. The second image was taken with a screen grab of a book for sale on Amazon for an extra ordinary price, because it is out of print! Image: VitaminC&Viruss01.jpg Image: vit-c-controversy-01.png There is one more small mineral called iodine that will play a role in fighting virus. Here we can see it is an essential mineral for neutrophil health. One can take 3mg - 8mg a day without any worries about taking too much. Neutrophils are the first line of defence from invading pathogens. Image: IodineAndNeutrophils01.jpg The last but by no means least important action one can take to help your body fight virus is to not eat. This is an extract from this paper by the NIH (National Institute of Health). "Autophagy has been evolutionarily developed to be part of the host defence system as it contributes to the discarding of invading microorganisms by delivering them to the lyso-somal compartment. Such degradation activity against any non-self, rather than self, entities via an autophagy-related process is coined as “xenophagy” [22]. " Here is the link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3169181/ There's more: Home cooking does indeed take us away from additives like sodium met bisulphate (kills bacteria, fungus and virus) I always got ill after consuming this. And monosodium glutamate (neurotoxin), that I think contributed to my memory problems in my forties. But there are still poisons in the foods! Lectins are reasonably well understood these days, after Dr Gundry's fabulous book link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plant-Paradox-Dangers-Healthy-Disease/dp/006242713X However, lectins also play a role in virus distribution within our bodies. Here is the link to the NIH paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6272597/ I have personal experience of having a virus and eating lectins and becoming significantly more ill. This I unfortunately repeated many times because I could not believe that this was true. And then I read this paper. (in the link above). Lectins include white potato, tomatoes, beans, pulses, lentils, peanuts, wheat and peppers etc. Image from Tony of book the Iodine Crisis. Image: BookIodineCrisis #20 D3 Just a little update. I caught a virus just a little while before I wrote the piece on the virus. I uploaded the piece I wrote and posted it on the Friday the 31st May , this virus seemed more like a flu to me. Aching eyes, muscle ache, unable to work, I'm kind of used to it. Well I've read this book on D3 by Jeff T Bowles Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Miraculous-Results-Extremely-Sunshine-Experiment/dp/B00NBDVQ24 In this book he simply explains that high dosses of D3 might not hurt us and in fact may benefit us. So I began to up my doses of D3 randomly. Each time I topped up my daily dose, everything else remained the same (my other supplements and diet), I felt significantly better the next day. So yesterday, Saturday the 01/06/2024, feeling I was having a virus relapse. I took 25 D3 tablets of 4000iu's 3 times (total 300,000iu's), and followed this with taking 12 D3 tablets of 4000iu's 5 times late into the night (total 240,000iu's). So that's a total of 540,000iu's in one day. But you'll remember from the D3 studies above this was also done in one of the trials in an ICU. And despite drinking too much Tequila! I feel great this morning! Compared to yesterday morning. I need a couple more days with this high intake of D3 I think. This D3 book explains that in the 1920s taking 20mg of D was normal practice amongst some people that knew the benefits (D and D3 are slightly different. D3 is slightly stronger). Pharma petitioned the government to have this 20mg re classified into 1,000,000iu's which is why it seems I'm taking a lot. It is said that high doses of D3 might also help glaucoma and some auto immune diseases. If one visited the doctor whilst on this high dose, one might find them trying to talk you out of taking so much D3 too. It's not their fault. It is their training. It's also that no doctor could ever read all the science papers published each year, so they rely on journals and pharma to read through some of papers for them and pharma offer help in consolidating all the information and pass on their recommended reading list or even worse their findings. There is obviously something wrong with this. Conflict of interest! Link: https://booksfirst.in/2023/03/20/bad-medicine-the-7-books-that-took-on-big-pharma/ and another link: https://healthydebate.ca/2013/04/about-healthy-debate/opinions-about-healthy-debate/why-do-doctors-still-think-pharma-doesnt-influence-them/ and another link NIH: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9879663/ I wonder why this product is even on the market if the RDA (recommended daily allowance) is only 600iu's! Link to a 50,000iu D3: Amazon.com link to 50,000iu's D3 supplement per capsule: https://www.amazon.com/Vitamin-000-Weekly-Supplement-Strengthen/dp/B076JTQR66?th=1 I could not find info on what pharma did in the 1920s to get D2 20mg reclassified into 1 million iu's online. So when I read the book (Jeff T Bowles D3), again I'll take a pic of the page giving the evidence. Image: 50000-D3-IUs I think it is funny that one can buy a 50,000iu single capsule of D3, whilst simultaneously H&B are selling 400iu tablets like it is the right thing to buy. I seem to remember them offering a 25iu once on offer. I'm not sure that will be any use. Here is the link: https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/holland-barrett-vitamin-d3-tablets-10ug-6100155138 Image: 10000-D3-IUs Here it seems one can purchase in the UK 10,000iu supplements. #21 Virus and PH and D3 My experience with PH and Drinking alcohol and making My Virus Worse. A summary in relation to making one's virus worse: PH good. Ketones good. Exercise OK. Too much drinking alcohol bad! Here is the anecdotal evidence. Sometimes I notice a downturn in my virus-health-status (assuming I already have a virus). This is normally because I have introduced something or done something to excess. Normally this is exercising too soon. So I have some more information on PH, Keto, and making my virus symptoms worse and Alcohol. As we know from the discussion above, that PH might help me with the fight against virus. As will many things. This discussion today is more about what happens once one has already caught the virus. Also there is a thing called producing therapeutic ketones, which also help with everything including virus. Link NIH: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10326824/#:~:text=In%20this%20review%2C%20we%20summarized,entry%20into%20the%20host%20cell. And then there are things we can do to ourselves that do not help us. Here is the time line day by day with some info on my PH and Ketones and the state of my virus symptoms along the way and the two bombshells! Saturday 25th The first indications of a virus was a general malaise on the Sat 25th after a night drinking with my friend! On Sunday 26th I decided to do my weekly run anyway. Since I was not feeling too bad. And decided that I would run 60 minutes. This often helps tips the balance one way or another towards having a virus or not having a virus. A very small experiment to test the waters so to speak. Friday 31st May (virus bombshell No1 The virus returns) So it becomes clear I had a virus, and from Saturday 25th May onwards showed a slow rise in the symptoms of the virus and then a sudden decline in any symptoms of the virus by the evening of Friday 31st. (which gives some evidence that we know already that of how to beat a virus PH, D3, Iodine etc as mention in previous post). So I decided to go out drinking with friend Friday evening! My PH readings were good through this day around a PH of 7.5. Image: MyPhOver7 Saturday 1st (virus bombshell No2 The virus returns with force.) Woke up Saturday 1st June very ill again! Waking up this ill is very sudden compared to the effects on the virus after the run last Sunday 26th May. PH 6.5 is also a sudden drop. (The PH scale goes up in ranges similar to that of the Richter magnitude scale. As is explained here in this link: https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Acids_and_Bases/Acids_and_Bases_in_Aqueous_Solutions/The_pH_Scale#:~:text=The%20pH%20scale%20is%20logarithmic,than%20a%20pH%20of%205. The difference between a PH of 6.5 and a PH of 7.5 is 10*, yes 10 times). So I am more acidic. Not good whilst fighting a virus. However, my ketones and sugars were 0.3mm and 5.3mm. Very respectable! (more on this coming). From the discussion above on fighting virus D3 etc will definitely help me recover. Image: MyPhUnder7 Image above of PH on morning of virus. Image: MyKetonesSugarsOver5 Image above of ketones and sugars on same day of virus. The PH of 6.5 was not enough to explain my sudden acute decline in the symptoms of my viral health, (based on experience, it could explain poor recovery perhaps, but not solely why the sudden worsening of the virus). Even after the run last weekend my decline into a viral sickness was more subtle. There must be something I am missing. Well it turns out there was something I was missing. According to this study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590612/#:~:text=Alcohol%20disrupts%20communication%20between%20these,article%20by%20Hammer%20and%20colleagues). That says: "One of the most significant immediate effects of alcohol is that it affects the structure and integrity of the GI tract." and "These organisms affect the maturation and function of the immune system." and "Alcohol disrupts communication between these organisms and the intestinal immune system. Alcohol consumption also damages epithelial cells, T cells, and neutrophils in the GI system, disrupting gut barrier function and facilitating leakage of microbes into the circulation". This ofcourse means that one's immune system has likely been compromised. Whilst simultaneously possibly aiding in the spread of the virus. In my opinion this is just another external thing we can ingest either on purpose or by accident that can seriously mess up our health. I'm not even sure if there is anything else out there that can have such a huge acute immediate affect on one's health status? With perhaps the rare exception of doing HIIT (high intensity interval training) whilst in a stressed state and having not had enough sleep. Whilst harbouring a hidden virus that has not shown any symptoms yet! Like when over doing things. I was ill in bed for 3 days following this. To me it felt like I was having a sepsis kind of response. Way too acute! I was worried I would pass out! I didn't know about D3 then, just the rest of the stuff. Back to present times. My PH also dropped after a pork roast on Sunday 2nd June in the afternoon (excluding most of potatoes, keto). It went down to a PH of 6.00! (this often happens after exercise too, and just before my meal I had walked carrying 5kg to 15kg for 5 hours on this Sunday afternoon on the 2nd June). And my ketones and sugars were 0.5mm and 6.1mm respectively early this Monday morning. This is a further indication that probably nothing else has been at play except the alcohol and exercise in both these viral bombshells events over the last week. Image: ImageOfMyPhAt6 This image above is my PH following the roast taken early this morning. Image: ImageOfKetonesSugarsAfterWalk #22 question: Nick: What’s the sugars like in morning after a bottle of wine or gin? Hi Nick, that's a great question. What is particularly good about a glucose and keto reader is that one can keep track of one's health. No ketones and high sugars would be clearly going in the wrong direction. However, some ketones of 0.5 upto as high as 2 -4mmols and sugars around 5.0 - 5.5mmols are in the right direction, sugars below 5mmols are not always too desirable, because some people suffer light headedness on occasion. And again after a night drinking too much alcohol I often find ketones drop off to nothing, sugars rise as high as 7.0mmols and even higher and my pH often drops below 6pH. All signals that the health (metabolic health) dial is swinging in the wrong direction. However, if one is fighting a serious illness like cancer, Dr Bozz a chronic disease specialist has followed the advice of Dr Thomas Seyfried and recommends getting those sugars as low as possible. A book well worth reading. Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B079TCRXQW #23 Poisons This weeks title is part of the Poisons Processed Foods and Addictions section. However I feel one can add 'general well being and immunity' to this title because of todays topic. Following catching a virus and using all the techniques that helped in eradicating the virus (link coming). I then discovered how alcohol can temporarily disrupt the healing process by quite a bit (link coming), because it damages the microbiome, where most of our immunity comes from. This remains true about alcohol and the immune system in my opinion. Some 70% of our immune system is in our gut according to this link: https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/want-to-boost-immunity-look-to-the-gut#:~:text=70%25%20of%20the%20immune%20system,where%20diverse%20bacteria%20is%20best.&text=You%20likely%20know%20that%20what,diet%20affects%20the%20immune%20system. Also the NIH here is saying that infectious disease remains the leading killer. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33803407/ However, I am also finding that there might be a relationship between alcohol consumption and sepsis. Here is a link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17205003/ Here we are looking at the rates of sepsis among regular drinkers and the population as a whole. Where regular drinkers had almost third extra risk of suffering a bout of sepsis. Also along with alcohol I would like to mention Sodium Benzoate again. Because even in a paper trying to say how harmless Sodium Benzoate might be it has to mention the damage it might do in relation to it being mixed with vitamin C! Here is the link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9003278/#:~:text=Furthermore%2C%20sodium%20benzoate%20affects%20the,balance%20towards%20Th2%20%5B56%5D. "It is believed that benzoate can be transformed by decarboxylation into toxic benzene, especially in combination with vitamin C, and then become a compound of high toxicity, mutagenicity, and teratogenicity [17]. There are also reports that sodium benzoate has a weak genotoxic effect. Moreover, it was shown to increase the DNA damage in human lymphocytes in vitro. The compound did not affect the rate of replication, but it did reduce the mitotic rate [18]. Mutagenic and genotoxic effects were also demonstrated in another study on human lymphocytes [19]. This compound caused micronucleus formation and chromosome breakage. In addition, the research shows that sodium benzoate generates oxidative stress and has an adverse effect on the immune system, liver, kidneys, and fertility" My experience recently highlights how difficult it can be for people trying to avoid what's bad for them. I might be allergic to sodium benzoate as discussed previously on here. (Link to that content coming soon). It caused a sugar spike on my sugar reader. Recently I had some good results with taking high quantities of D3 some 540,000iu's in one day. As also discussed earlier. (Link coming). And this resulted in me successfully fighting off flu like symptoms in my opinion. However, after running out of this D3, I bought a different brand that purported to be clean-ish with no bad ingredients. But after taking just 80,000iu's twice I suffered kidney pain. I've had kidney pain before after taking too much of a desiccated liver supplement product that may have also been using sodium benzoate as a preservative! Again the list, written on the packaging, of ingredients did not include Sodium Benzoate! It is so hard to get these manufacturers to say anything that might be self incriminating for obvious reasons. I stopped taking the other D3 and the kidney pain disappeared. I've also found another D3 supplier and I've taken 200,000iu's in one day again for two days and no kidney pain! #24 Question: Nick: So red wine with orange is a no no? Well Nick it turns out you may be right! Some orange juices do have Benzoic Acid. And some wines have sodium benzoate. There are three types of Benzoate: Sodium Benzoate can become Benzoic acid and intern become Benzene! It only needs to be heated or mixed with vitamin C. Here's the link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9003278/ A quote from this site: "While sodium benzoate is commonly found in soft drinks, it can also be used in winemaking both to prevent spoilage and stop the fermentation process.", and Sodium Benzoate is also added to some sweet wines: Here is the link: https://ingredi.com/blog/what-is-sodium-benzoate/#:~:text=Like%20potassium%20sorbate%2C%20sodium%20benzoate,when%20active%20fermentation%20has%20ceased. And ofcourse Sodium Benzoate is used in some orange juices. Here's the link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5629144/ And a warning from within this links pages: "Excessive consumption of these preservatives may be hazardous to human health.". Benzoic acid is used in vapes here's the link: https://vapegreen.co.uk/blog/vape-science-and-technology/the-role-of-benzoic-acid-in-nicotine-salts#::text=The%20presence%20of%20benzoic%20acid,elevating%20the%20entire%20vaping%20journey. It seems to mix well with nicotine and enhance the flavours. Here it seems to be saying that Benzoic acid in E-cigerettes may progress to Benzene, here is the quote and link: "According to a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, benzoic acid can react with other chemicals in e-liquids to form benzene, a known carcinogen. Benzene is a highly toxic substance that can cause cancer and other serious health problems." link: https://www.coloradoclassic.com/is-benzoic-acid-harmful-in-vapes/#::text=According%20to%20a%20study%20published,and%20other%20serious%20health%20problems. Benzoic acid has been banned in cosmetics in the UK and EU with this warning: "Despite Benzoic Acid’s popular demand, the hazards that come with it are not to be ignored. The Pub Chem database shows contact can cause; skin irritation, such as redness, burning and itching; serious eye damage and irritation; and damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.". Link: https://www.greenpeople.co.uk/blogs/the-beauty-hub/is-benzoic-acid-the-same-as-benzene Benzoate Acid is also being associated with the part of the problem with e-cigerettes: Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7320089/ As a result of the climbing rates of over exposure to Sodium Benzoate the New Jersey Department of Health has issued this guideline for the poisions units: https://www.nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/0209.pdf Benzene is a toxic and carcinogenic compound, that Sodium Benzoate can sometimes become whilst being used in the foods etc. Here is a link from the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA). https://cansa.org.za/files/2020/11/Fact-Sheet-and-Position-Statement-on-Sodium-Benzoate-and-Vitamin-C-Nov-2020.pdf #25 Weight Loss! So here is the list of subjects that I will work my way through and then start again. There'll be a link to each of the subjects covered in due course. 1st Virus & Tiredness & Sodium Bicarb. 2nd Strength & Bones & PH. 3rd Food & Diets & Fasting. 4th Optimal Brain Function & B Complex. 5th Exercise Performance & Recovery & Trimethyl glycine etc. 6th Life Extension/Longevity & Methylation. 7th Cancer Prevention & Some Big Thinkers. 8th Poisons & Processed Foods & Addictions. Some of these subjects have been covered a little bit already, including: 1st Virus & Tiredness & Sodium Bicarb. 4th Optimal Brain Function & B complex. I have also covered with some general notes "What supplements I take and why?". Todays topic is weight loss, which is numbre 3! (3rd Food & Diets & Fasting.) Weight loss! So I don't know how many people in this group are interested in losing a few extra pounds? And there are many diets and many ways to loose weight, but only one that uses numbers! (apart from the scales). And it does not care too much if you want to do it as a vegan; vegitarian or with dairy or meats. This is a very scientific way to loose weight. It uses a keto reader and a glucose reader. The way it works is: The first thing one has to do is to get oneself into ketosis! There are many books dedicated to this. None of the books explain just how difficult it can be. The difficulty I had was extreme. It took me three months before I produced my first ketones. My ex produced ketones without trying! She had the ketones in her blood stream on the first day I tested her. The blood test was taken before she eat anything and was taken before midday. So that is one extreme to another. I've never read of anyone taking longer then 3 months to produce ketones. It was so difficult, I was going to quit, but I kept reading that the longer it takes to produce ketones is an indication of just how much metabolic trouble I was in, and how important this process might be for my better health going forward. Looking back they were all right. I did need it. Things got slowly better from then on. My story into ketosis started with me reading many books on ketosis. Including Dr Terry Wahl's book called The Wahls Protocal. Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wahls-Protocol-Progressive-Principles-Functional/dp/1583335218 Although in this link she does not mention supplements or keto, upon reading the book it became clear that nutrition and keto principles were at hand. For example she mentions drinking a whole can of coconut milk/fat. And by this she means shaking and warming if necessary so it mixes properly, thus making it more consistant with a runny milkshake, and then drinking it all. Drinking a tin of coconut milk at the time seemed gross! I continued to just eat the white bit settled on top of the an for a long time. Other diets that seem close to keto is the Atkins Diet (It probably has higher levels of protein), and Paleo and Carnivore diets. I have to admit I have not read any books on Paleo or Carnivore. And Carnivore and Paleo has an awful lot of advocates. Including and not limited to Jordan Peterson and his daughter Mikhaila. She was the one that introduced the Carnivore diet to her father. He said "One steak a day, eaten within an one hour window, with a glass of water and a touch of salt, and nothing else! No carbs, or wine or anything!". Resulted in him losing 50lb in no time at all (under six months), and it also reversed a number of his auto immune conditions he was suffering from up untill then, and reversed his deppression and anxiety and Psoriasis and many more things like gum disease etc. Link to Jordan Peterson and Lex Fridman 5 mins long below: This is an image below of all the ailments he was suffering whilst eating carbs. Image: Jordan-Peterson-List-Of-Ailments.jpg This link below is an interview between Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan 30 mins where they again discuss the one steak a day diet in a little more detail. Jordan Peterson's wife Tammy Peterson has also followed in her daughters foot steps and has been relieved of some symptoms too. Image: Tammy-Peterson-List-Of-Ailments.jpg And this is a link to Mikhaila Peterson's story on her road to recovery from terrible arthritis on Joe Roagan. All the books talk about the difficulty of the adaption phase/period of the keto diet. This difficult phase of the diet happens because lots of our cells are used to, consuming sugar/carbohydrate, and have been for a long time. The more cells you have in your body that are used to, using sugar as an energy source the worse the adaption phase might be. (No one knows for sure how long the adaption phase might be, or whether one is likely to go through it at all?). When one is producing ketones, it means the liver is now converting fat into sugar. And it is this energy supply that is considered the cleanest. Which is why individuals on this diet talk about how clear their thinking has become and about how good they feel. Just as a useful piece of info: All human babies are born in ketosis, and if suckled on mother's milk stay in ketois the whole time they are breast feeding, be it 3 months or 9 months etc. Also when bears are hibernating they switch into ketosis for the duration of their hibernation. We have inherited the ability to burn fats as fuel, which was probably what kept our species alive through both ice ages. This article does not mention the ice age, but does discuss our evolutionary period and our brain growth and how meat and fats contributed to our larger brain size over time: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53561/ I think that if one is disiplined and is in great need of relief from any symptoms, and nothing else has worked for them so far. Then there maybe little choice about what one can try to gain some relief from their symptoms. She explained in her video (Mikhaila) that she had been in ketosis for 3 years and this had not helped her enough. So she moved onto the carnivore diet. For me the keto diet is enough. I'm able to lose weight if I want to and I am able to cycle or run or goto the gym when I want. And if I take my other supplements including D3 and Vitamin C and all the Bs and some bicarb and avoid what is clearly bad for me, then I can pretty much achieve, and do what I want without virus or sickness or tiredness getting me down. So for me keto is good. The keto diet for weight loss is especially good if one wants to use numbers to measure their progress. All one needs is a keto reader and a glucose reader. These can seem a little above and beyond what most typical people need, but we are not talking about typical people's needs. We are talking about perhaps you and me. This is the reader I use for glucose: Image: Sinocare-Glucose-Reader.jpg And here is the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/sinocare-Diabetes-Separated-Painless-Diabetics/dp/B07VN59XMG/ref=sr_1_13_sspa?crid=19DR6M4FQE7U1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4ujhn0_pRXfu3Dh6larrdx3Bph1XZduzft_HAjNFCNCfOAfSZBxvwy89jpGCobFpppr0-Edjbvi1KQpPBvGiF_2PkBtqgXE075ReYJHqL9sk37D3RODfYmpV2wJbP6LhCpTuTh-XWDAThHTR7GNSmmUrxnQtTYb6KfKXwhJT_06FdAoBNLL7YNfVf9DJwUf7MHFfNAPdDg8SfOkU4Te9zekL-24TYtEv6mYCew-OUE3pxcBDg09zBp8HFhdT8wpWsRrn9r25rEN1RVRH8XV8nUypfbcwm9V8g5zaxHX3cvg.CcEiX5nI562V4uWXI-gg5eJC-6mbix7Rwf4_QePZ1-s&dib_tag=se&keywords=keto%2Breaders&qid=1718517276&sprefix=keto%2Breaders%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-13-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1 And this is the keto reader I use from ebay: Image: On-Call-keto-Reader.jpg And here is the link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253852418134?chn=ps&_ul=GB&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1VwIfmJusTeeL-uJH4oJUAQ70&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=253852418134&targetid=1647205088760&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9045002&poi=1007166&campaignid=21204842284&mkgroupid=162057755678&rlsatarget=pla-1647205088760&abcId=9406427&merchantid=138813835&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw97SzBhDaARIsAFHXUWDQzBMpy8LbTMklrJWgnqnIlK7YJUbnsbi8y63pRgRgWmi1dJEcJAkaAjlUEALw_wcB Here is a 7 minute tutorial on how to use the equipment: The same procedure applies for the keto reader too as for the sugar reader. By combining the numbers from both the glucose and keto readers one is able to monitor and log one's progress in pursuit of what ever goal one has in mind. This could be sporting achiements or weight loss or relief from auto immune symptoms or even fighting more serious conditions like siezures and or cancer. There will be a separate discussion on cancer soon. Where I will share what some experts all around the world are saying. Just incase someone would like an introduction into cancer and keto. Here is an excellent book by Dr Boz when she discovered how keto might help her mother who had cancer. An excellent story including how to they got themselves into ketosis and how it intertwined with modern medicine since Dr Boz is a doctor herself. Book link below. Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ANYWAY-YOU-CAN-Bosworth-Beginners-ebook/dp/B079RLTKS9/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21G9S0SFW5J0U&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.zxk3Qgg2DOzwuAq4xAYFyJnK_L9l3TbcuFNP6OP8O2wBO1Mj_DWdGQFK1RMlhX16aib6PAh-hYMVV7zaxqFxxf1as48i4VgoWVggp2_fuh8EZTnCPKz5WdSiEa4UoBDShanDAIsKfVriyCDmbBPxYtXLUVs6i7e1Bo5aX26MYFgt50X30JgbAs9A_KpKnO8OZs8RqFhItejjn2tclM11ny6na_KFaWktibCqXQr_NYM.XDnnwWwQ26QcsyBIH-0OCKXIfO6ZOM2_giz9pOnZFkA&dib_tag=se&keywords=any+way+you+can&qid=1718519348&sprefix=any+way+you+can%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-1 Dr Boz has been a medical pioneer as a practising chronic disease specialist, both in the real world and with real patients who have real problems and she has produced and taken forward lots of literature into the public domain to help her patients and other people from all around the world. Thomas Seyfried who wrote a very scientific book. Called "Cancer A Metabolic Disease", filled with very intense and indepth argument on different aspects of the keto diet and how it might work in fighting some if not all cancers, first produced the ratio method for keeping track, using the keto and sugar readers. Dr Boz has now simplified Thomas Seyfried's ratio work too. You'll see in the videos that follow that Dr Boz gives Thomas Seyfried credit and if one reads Thomas Seyfried's book, (which I do not recommend), he gives credit to Otto Warburg, who first pioneered this diet as a treatment for cancer after seeing its use and benefits on seizure patients back in the 1920s. Image: Book-Thomas-Seyfried.jpg Link to Thomas Seyfried's book "Cancer A Metabolic Disease": https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cancer-Metabolic-Disease-Management-Prevention/dp/0470584920/ref=sr_1_2?crid=26Q4ELF9DRVH4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pQoFuIdS8yMqtZASnX4WIm4hxXLedVb_LanmJj1TQbov9eENCSJgGkq77t9GmUI-TOMo_wvC_muI7YKBS_URgxuSnRz__SIkZ99U-Z_Otfz0emCOMpZM3KCYKjPP8UniZG6go3JwflAfFiiqZvtpxj3uss99GOOxhF0fIWtuiR7V7bGOBT1uH8_PTgiWCsPO1NCLWiIwS7Yjukq-r5IXwta5ZAglhocSc4Fb_PeFT4s.vprWir-GdWYV3lqG67m7FFdje5z7EGOeyALCOxSPm5Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=book+thomas+seyfried+cancer+a+metabolic+disease&qid=1718520341&sprefix=book+thomas+seyfried+cancer+a+metabolic+disease%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.d7e5a2de-8759-4da3-993c-d11b6e3d217f The Dr. Boz Ratio is calculated by dividing blood sugar in dl levels by the numbers gotten from your ketone reader. The chart below is used to convert the glucose reader numbers from mmols to dl (European Readers). A ratio of 70 to 100 is aimed at weight loss, 50-70 for autoimmune conditions, and below 20 for patients with cancer or seizures, which should be done under medical supervision. Here is a chart that helps convert sugar mmols readings to dls. Image: The-mmols-To-Decilitres-Chart.jpg This is a link to Dr Boz talking about weight loss. I've cut out the first 10 minutes of the video to avoid some unnecessary info Link: Now we can use this information to help with weight loss. So for example today I scored 5.7mmols as my sugar reading, which converts to 102 dls, and also today I scored 0.7mmols in keytones. Image: Sugars-5.7-Ketones-0.7-Readings.jpg So next I used the chart to convert my sugar readers (European Readers), mmol reading to decilitres. So my 5.7mmols became 102dls. After using the chart for the conversion. I then divide the (102 dls-sugars) / (0.7 mmols-ketones) = 145 (this number is artitory, it really is just a number). So just to recap 102/0.7=145 So my 145 is my score this morning. What does this number mean? The number can be put against this chart below: Image: Dr-Boz-Glucose-Ratio.jpg One can see that my 145 is a step in the right direction on the chart above, but not good enough. On this guide chart below we see that if my goal was to lose weight then lowering my insulin will lead to an increased chance of weight loss. And I'm able to use numbers from my readings that I got from my own daily blood work to help me get there. Image: Dr-Boz-Glucose-Ratio-Chart.jpg And here is a video with a discussion on how these numbers may help with weight loss: I can now reduce my carbohydrates during the day and increase my healthy fats and proteins and keep an eye on my numbers this gives me the advantage of allowing me to tweak my food intake until I have the desired number for weight loss, which might be anything between 100 down to 70. One may ask does it matter about the volume of food eaten? Well it turns out that everytime we eat there is a slight rise in insulin, even if the meal is keto. So for weight loss we need the combination of a keto meal and a calorie restriction. But during the adaption phase, because of ketos health benefits it would be easier on the individual to just focus on adaption and then slowly move onto calorie restriction. Doing both at once might cause a lot of pain or uncomfortableness. I did not try to lose weight in the beginning I just tried to produce ketones and this was difficult enough for me. So I have taken my readings again and got: 0.5 ketones and 6.9mmols sugars which translates to 124dls (from chart), So I divide 124/0.5=248 to get my ratio number! Which as you can see is 248. So now I'm moving in the wrong direction for all the healthy benefits of keto beyound its basic benefits of lowing inflamation and improving metabolic health. Image: sugars-6.9-ketones-0.5 After taking another set of readings I then scored 1.3mmols ketones and 6.6mmols sugars which is 119 dls (from the chart). So 119/1.3=91 Which puts me right back on track for weight loss. Image: sugars-6.6-ketones-1.3 After another reading I scored 1.6mmols ketones and 5.6mmols sugars Which converts to 100 dls on the chart above, so that's 100/1.6=62 This 62 is a remarkable result and is more than necessary for weight loss. Image: sugars-5.6-ketones-1.6 This can be very encouraging if weight loss was my goal. I almost don't need weighing scales, just my keto and sugar readers. I could post what I eat and when I eat if this is of interest. All I did was eat a fistful of protein with as much veg covered in olive oil or butter as I wanted. (no carbs: no wheat; no potato; or rice) And as much food, (repeating variations on the above), as I like during the whole of the adaption period of the keto diet. This period can take on average 2 to 4 weeks. The reason the adaption period is so long is because the cells that are eating sugar have to die and when they are reborn/replaced, they are born into a world where ketones are available and so have little choice but to start eating some (ketone sugars, produced by the liver), on occasion. If one is not eating carbs this process is quicker and the keto flu might be stronger. So over time, more and more of the old sugar loving cells die and are replaced with ketone loving cells until enough have changed over that the keto adaption phase is complete. Once the adaption phase is complete. One can lose upto 70% of their desire for food, and most especially their desire for carbs. Which makes the next step easier. Phase two of this process is to reduce the window within which one eats. This is the next discussion and why?: How about this when I write this will it appear as an extra long piece of material or will it just keep on going Mark C. Barry BSc. and his materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All materials written by Mark C. Barry BSc. is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program.

This artical is copyrighted material of Mark Barry BSc. 2024. I was in full time education doing an Access course to science and I am very much looking forward to studying nutrition and dietetics, which will give me the opportunity to help people by diagnosing and prescribing a treatment program that might be the fastest path towards a natural remedy. If this article has been of any value or interest to you and you feel it may also be of interest to someone else please feel free to pass it on. I would be grateful for any hints or tips you feel may help also.

Mark C. Barry BSc. and his materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All materials written by Mark C. Barry BSc. is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program.

This artical is copyrighted material of Mark Barry BSc. 2024. I was in full time education doing an Access course to science and I am very much looking forward to studying nutrition and dietetics, which will give me the opportunity to help people by diagnosing and prescribing a treatment program that might be the fastest path towards a natural remedy. If this article has been of any value or interest to you and you feel it may also be of interest to someone else please feel free to pass it on. I would be grateful for any hints or tips you feel may help also.