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Subject: AA/EPA test results!

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David User is Offline
Posts:5
Newbie
Newbie

08/28/2009 8:12 PM
Just got my results and hoping for some feedback.

AA/EPA = 1.70
GLA = 0.00
DGLA = 0.82

Perusing writings of Dr. Sears, it appears that GLA is rapidly metabolized (I do not supplement in any case) so zero is not too surprising. I cannot find any reference ranges for DGLA, however since my AA/EPA ratio is good, I'm guessing spillover is not an issue?

I'm supplementing with 3.6 grams of EPA/DHA daily. All my other lab numbers are excellent, such as TG/HDL less than one. While I roughly follow the Zone diet principles, my lab values have always been great and probably reflect good choice of parents more than diet. I eat more protein than suggested because that is the only way to get my hunger to meet a 4 - 5 hour criteria. Otherwise, a diet cola problem, and a substantial amount of ice cream and cheese are my major variations from a healthy diet. Lots of non starchy vegetables, very little fruit (force myself to eat a couple ounces of blueberries or other fruit with breakfast - just no taste for them). Virtually no grains or legumes.

I'm curious if the numbers represent health or if improvements in diet or supplementation can make a difference. At 54, I've noticed some real differences in how I feel in the last 9 months. I'm afraid it is old age and downhill from here. Aches upon waking and most of the day, reduced endurance and ability to push hard as well as reduced wind (which has never been as good as my athletic peers at any age), and some diffuse feeling of wrongness if not pain. When I don't bicycle enough or play soccer in a week, I generally do a 20 minute run a couple times a week with intervals. Recently I have had to quit after just several minutes due to diffuse pain that is not localized.

So I'm specifically wondering if there can be any return to how I felt even three years ago, not to mention 10 or 20 years ago with better diet, or perhaps experimenting with GLA/toasted sesame oils. My lab numbers would seem to suggest that more fish oil would be pointless.

I'm also considering low dose aspirin. The evidence seems to suggest that it is beneficial from a health standpoint, however nothing to suggest that I will feel "better".

Thanks for wading through the personal stuff and for any feedback or suggestions.
Sue K User is Online
Posts:8665
Zone Expert
Zone Expert

08/28/2009 9:59 PM
Your AA/APA is great. You might want to submit a qn re your current concerns to Ask Dr Sears on DrSears.com. The "old age" idea of your's doesn't make sense to me. That hasn't been our exeprience (my husband and I are both older than you and we've been in the Zone for many years; in fact, he ran his first marathon 1 /2 yrs ago and did great).

sue

Lost 100 lbs 14 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil!


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David User is Offline
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08/29/2009 8:37 AM
Thanks for the comment. Unfortunately, aging is very different for different people. My dad is in his 80s and runs marathons (which I've never been able to do). No complaints of aches and pains and his diet is far from ideal. And I noted when I was younger that many of my 30 year old peers exhibited many classic signs and symptoms of older age and I was astonished. Right now I have several friends a little older than me that just plain have ended up with a superior working body both athletically, and relative apparent age. Anecdotally, people are all over the place health wise, including you.

There is no doubt that a lot of symptoms of aging are reduced or even eliminated by good diet, I have experienced some myself. The larger question is if being in the Zone can allow most people (or at least me) to experience a very high quality of life. Probably a dumb question as no diet can magically erase genetic differences or the aging process. We are probably stuck with optimizing what we have, not approaching the health of the most gifted among us.

Sue K User is Online
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08/29/2009 10:57 AM
It's the pain the gives me pause in your post, not your ablity or fitness level. That, specifically, is the reason I suggested you might consider pursuing your symptoms further, from a Zone standpoint.

sue

Lost 100 lbs 14 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil!


To view my before/after pics and meal photos scroll over this picture and click when the link appears.

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a User is Offline
Posts:132
Zoner
Zoner

08/29/2009 11:46 AM
It sounds like your dad is one of the lucky people who are relatively NOT sensitive to carbs.

Therefore his insulin levels just doesn't get spiked the same way.

That's why he's so disgusting healthy! It's in his genes--he responds much less to food than you do.

I'm carb-sensitive, so I'm at the other end of the continnum from your dad!

Alexy
David User is Offline
Posts:5
Newbie
Newbie

08/29/2009 11:52 AM
And I'd love to know just how to do that!

I guess the basic question I am asking is that in the absence of chronic pain or illness, do the lab number represent a pinnacle of diet/supplementation success or are there further symptomatic improvements possible? The "symptoms" I have are generally considered a "normal" part of aging (keeping in mind that most Americans are more sedentary than I am).
Sue K User is Online
Posts:8665
Zone Expert
Zone Expert

08/29/2009 12:35 PM
David, you do that by practicing strict adherence to the Zone Diet with most of you carbohydrate from veggies, and paying special attention to adjusting carb and fat intake to suit your presonal needs. Follow the Zone carb and fat adjustment suggestions to tweak you meal adn snacks in order to obtain the best possible results.

You may view pain as normal, but it is actually an indication that something is not right and needs to be checked out, regardless of one's age.

Do you have the breakdown showing your exact AA level. If so, what is your AA?

sue

Lost 100 lbs 14 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil!


To view my before/after pics and meal photos scroll over this picture and click when the link appears.

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David User is Offline
Posts:5
Newbie
Newbie

08/29/2009 7:55 PM
AA is 7.42. Do you have a reference level for that? EPA is 4.36. These are percentages by weight of total serum fatty acids.

Other interesting numbers:

Saturated = 52.87
Monounsaturated = 11.76
Polyunsaturated = 35.37

This may be just semantics, however pain is a normal part of life. You work out, you hurt. While that hasn't changed since I was a kid, my perception of that pain is less pleasant as I age.

I was referring however mostly to aches and pain that virtually everyone experiences as they age. I think I've had a fairly better experience than most until recently, many of my friends in their 20s and up had aches and pain that I never had from mild exercise or just activities of daily life (ADLs to healthcare workers - I'm an RN).

The aches and pains are making me feel old. The change in symptoms to vigorous exercise is even more alarming. Both are subjective perceptions, and in the broad scheme of things probably insignificant and normal. But if they can be reduced, I'm all for exploring the options.
Sue K User is Online
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Zone Expert

08/29/2009 8:59 PM
Re AA reference level yes, a couple of years ago Barry Sears had mentioned to try to get it under 10, but I don't know if that was for all people in general or just in regard to the specific case being discussed.

sue

Lost 100 lbs 14 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil!


To view my before/after pics and meal photos scroll over this picture and click when the link appears.

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Faith User is Offline
Posts:14
Aspiring
Aspiring

09/01/2009 9:12 PM
David,
I find your question very interesting because I'm about your age, 55, and I have just about the same complaint as you. Basically pain free up until two or three years ago, and since then symptoms just as you describe.

I noticed that you said you had a diet coke problem. I just quit a bad diet coke addiction - about six cans a day. Before I quit, I had gradually switched to caffeine free diet Dr. Pepper, to minimize withdrawal headaches. I've read a lot on the internet about people experiencing joint pain from aspartame. So I wondered if that was the source of my problem. Since I quit, my pain really has substantially subsided. I can't say with 100% certainty that was the "cure" because I also re-started the Zone diet after a long layoff, and started taking Dr. Sears fish oil at his recommended dose just before I quit the pop. So those things may also have helped.

But I would be interested in hearing how much pop you drink each day, if it has aspartame, and if you have ever considered if that could be the cause of your pain.

Faith
Clifford User is Offline
Posts:10



09/03/2009 1:27 PM
When I read all of your posts I come to this conclusion. Here is someone who is reporting what seems like significant symptoms of decreased exercise tolerance and daily pain. These have developed over a relatively short 9 months. He is really trying to rationalize these symptoms by comparing to others, "normal aging", and checking AA/EPA ratios. He is a healthcare worker and they are notorious for this.
Go to your doctor and explain these symptoms. Get it worked up. Then come back to the forum and discuss omegas and such.
David User is Offline
Posts:5
Newbie
Newbie

09/03/2009 4:18 PM
<div class='NTForums_Quote'>Posted By Faith on 09/01/2009 9:12 PM

I would be interested in hearing how much pop you drink each day, if it has aspartame, and if you have ever considered if that could be the cause of your pain. </div>

I drink one to two liters daily, and yes, aspartame containing versions. As I have done this for over 20 years, it is difficult to relate this to recent issues but it is of course possible. I will say that during episodes where I quit for months, I was able to reach optimal weight more readily (I'm typically 10 pounds over what I consider optimal). Lots of authors report that weight loss connection as well.

Of great interest (to me anyway), is a major improvement in the last few days. It would appear to be related to 40 minutes of deliberate sun bathing once a day which I hadn't done yet this year. Physically I feel much better and have taken some much longer than usual bicycle rides as a result. Intervals were also better tolerated, and my mood is better.

Vitamin D related I suppose. Which surprises me because I have taken 5,000 units of Vitamin D for the last year. But looking back on the last nine months, I definitely have had less sun time on my torso despite generally spending a good bit of time outdoors.

Anyway, it is interesting. I have a friend who has stayed abreast of Vitamin D research and health implications for years. I'll email him and see if he can make any sense of this.
Sue K User is Online
Posts:8665
Zone Expert
Zone Expert

09/03/2009 4:39 PM
David, careful with that much sun exposure especially on skin not protected with an appropriate SPF factor sunscreen (re skin cancer). I've had melanoma (deadly form of skin cancer) and it's not a good thing. And this is with normal sun exposure, nothing deliberate, and wearing sunscreen. I've never been a sunworshipper.

I still think the onset of pain, that has continued as long as yours has, should be checked out (as in checked out with you primary care doc), as I mentioned in my ealriler post in this thread.

sue

Lost 100 lbs 14 yrs ago, off BP meds, thanks to the Zone diet and Zone fish oil!


To view my before/after pics and meal photos scroll over this picture and click when the link appears.

Zone Dinner Party (link)
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Dr. Barry Sears, PhD.Dr. Barry Sears is a leading authority on the dietary control of hormonal response. A former research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Sears has dedicated his research efforts over the past 30 years to the study of lipids. He holds 13 U.S. Patents in the areas of intravenous drug delivery systems and hormonal regulation for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

A turning point in his research occurred in 1982. That year, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for discoveries of the role that specialized hormones, known as eicosanoids, play in the development of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, and cancer. Since eicosanoids are only generated from dietary fat, Dr. Sears reasoned that one could apply intravenous drug delivery principles to nutrition in order to control these exceptionally powerful hormonal responses with laser-like precision. In essence, his approach treats food as if it were a drug.

This area of his research led to various patents in the area of hormonal control by essentially using food as an oral drug delivery system to modulate eicosanoids especially for cardiovascular, diabetic, and neurological patients.

The impact of Dr. Sears’ revolutionary work in the dietary control of hormonal response began with the publication of his landmark book, The Zone. Since its publication in June 1995, The Zone has sold more than 2,000,000 hardcover copies, and became a #1 best seller on the New York Times book list. In addition, The Zone has been translated into 22 languages indicating a worldwide response to Dr. Sears’ research. His second book, Mastering the Zone, published in 1997, also became a New York Times bestseller with hardcover sales in excess of 500,000 copies to date. His third book, Zone Perfect Meals in Minutes, published in 1997, quickly became one of the best-selling cookbooks of 1997 and an another New York Times bestseller. The Anti-Aging Zone was published in 1999 and provides the molecular insights into how the Zone Diet can reverse the aging process. The Omega Rx Zone, published in 2002, explores the molecular foundation of chronic disease and how high-dose fish oil can dramatically reverse it. His latest book The Anti-Inflammation Zone discusses how to combat silent inflammation in order to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and many other inflammatory conditions—and how to reverse these conditions if they are already present. To date more than 5 million hardcover copies of his Zone books have been sold in the United States.

His research has elevated food from more than simply a source of calories to being recognized as an exceptionally powerful drug. Because of his revolutionary research, Dr. Sears has been a frequent guest on many national programs such as 20/20, Today, Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, CNN, and MSNBC.

Dr. Sears continues his ongoing research as President of Zone Labs, a biotechnology company in Danvers, MA as well as the President of the non-profit Inflammation Research Foundation in Marblehead, MA. In addition to continuing research on the hormonal effects of food, Dr. Sears has expanded his research in developing innovative dietary approaches to treating cancer and neurological conditions, as well as his on-going work in treating cardiovascular diease and type 2 diabetes.

I have been taking the Fish Oil for over 3 years now. I am 44 playing hockey and working out. The Fish oil helps with the pain that I get from playing hockey. It greatly enhances my performance on the ice and while working out. I have noticed a big difference in my energy, attentiveness and memory. If I miss a day for whatever reason, I notice a huge difference and it feels like something is missing. Anyway that is my short little story and it comes from the heart.

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I am a nutritionist and Ph.D. doctor of health and nutrition. For Dr. Sears to figure out balancing fat, carbs and protein, is really beyond brilliant. It is a milestone in diet history. I go over people's diet/emotional journals. Mostly all the time, we discover that the fatigue, irritability, unstable emotions were due to the imbalance in their diet. Using the Zone to balance them out, helps control weight, roller coaster emotions and gives them energy. Dr. Sears is so right when he says food is medicine. He has figured out the most powerful drug combination going, called The Zone.
Best and healthy wishes,

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I have a very exhausting job as a flight attendant. I read the "Omega Rx Zone" about 4 years ago and started taking the fish oil. I am 47 and have been flying for 22 years. I am very active, I run and lift weights. But combining lack of regular sleep, a physically demanding job, and irregular eating patterns this job takes a toll on the body. Since taking the fish oil, I have noticed that I do not get exhausted. I get tired, but not exhausted. I stopped taking it for a couple of months and then started taking another company's fish oil. I started getting exhausted again. I came back to Zone Labs and will continue with the fish oil for the rest of my life. I believe in the product and it makes a huge difference in my life. It makes a difference with my running as well. I also bring the bars and shakes with me on the road. It is almost impossible to eat the way I should at work. I haven't found the right secret. At least I have my Zone fish oil, bars, and shakes.

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I have been on the Zone diet for 7 years. I did not go on the diet to lose weight necessarily; but fairly quickly I lost 25 pounds, going from 190 to 165; from a 36-inch waist to a 32-inch waist. I primarily did the Zone to live healthier. My health is excellent now. I just turned 62 years old. My Zone is my eating lifestyle now; I seldom stray; and I do not miss anything. It is The Good Life.

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My wife's doctor told her to read "Enter the Zone" and to do the diet, so I told her I would do it with her. After only one week on the plan we went on a strenuous hike (the first of the year), and when we stopped at our favorite coffee shop on the way home I was able to get out of the car and stand upright and walk into the place without pain or stiffness. The Zone had eliminated all the inflammation that had always forced me to stumble all humped over into the coffee shop any time we skied or hiked all day.
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I used to have a lot of knee pain when I walked or ran. I have been taking Omega Rx for almost a year now, and rarely have any pain. I believe it is the anti-inflammation action of the oil. I feel smarter as well. Thanks for developing such a superior oil!

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Prior to following the Zone Diet, my body fat was around 15% and my weight around 153 pounds. No matter what I did, my weight and body fat did not change much. I regularly cycled 20-30 hours per week logging well over 400 miles. That had little impact on body fat or weight. Diet also seemed to have little impact on body fat or weight. Within a couple of months of following the zone diet, my weight dropped rather quickly to 142 pounds and body fat to about 8%. I still regularly cycle up to 20 hours per week (during the summer). I have also started strength training. I eat about 16 blocks per day. I take 3.6 grams of fish oil per day, along with Vitamin E, Alpha Lipoic Acid, CoQ10, and B & C vitamins. I also take GLA, which in my opinion, has significantly reduced fatigue and improved recovery times after exercise.

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Totox Levels < 20 meg/kg 26 meg/kg NA NA
Lead < 10 ppb 10 ppb 100 ppb 100 ppb
Mercury < 10 ppb 10 ppb 100 ppb 100 ppb
Dioxans and Furans < 1 ppt 2 ppt 2 ppt 2 ppt
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Commonly consumed fish and shellfish in the United States

Mercury Source: Food and Drug Administration, FDA 1900-2004, “National Marine Fisheries Service Survey of Trace Elements in the Fishery Resource". Omega-3 Level Source: American Heart Association Website.

  Mercury level
in parts per million (ppm)
Omega-3 fatty acids
(milligrams per 3-oz. serving)
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Cod 0.095 210
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