I’m always looking for collaborators for future experiments. If you’re interested in collaborating on scientifically rigorous self-experiments with low-carb foods, supplements, or other health interventions, please let me know in the comments or via the contact form on the right.
I finally posted the results for low-carb breads this week. This was the most interesting of my prepared food studies so far. There was a huge variation in taste, texture, and BG impact and some mysteries that I’ll need to unravel (specifically, what’s going on with the resistant starches?).
Experiments this week focused on reader requests from the last few posts, including adding “control” foods for each category (regular, non-low carb versions). Some of the best tasting and lowest BG impact foods have come from comments, so please keep them coming!
Lastly, I’ll be kicking off a new study next week looking at the effect of acid on metabolism of macronutrients. Most readers have probably heard the BS around apple cider vinegar, but there’s a fair amount of peer-reviewed literature showing an effect of acids on blood glucose and metabolism (nothing magical, but measureable). There’s a fair amount of dispute around the mechanism, what types of macronutrients are affected, and whether it affects both diabetics and non-diabetics. A reader reached out to me about collaborating to test the effect, so we’re going to try to sort it out (keeping anonymous until/unless I’m given permission to name). We’re finalizing the protocol, after which I’ll post on our literature review, pre-registration of protocol and analysis, and then results when we have them.
Active & Planned Experiments
- Blood Glucose Impact of Low-Carb Foods
- Goal: Determine blood glucose impact of low-carb foods and ingredients
- Blood Glucose Impact of Supplements
- Goal: Determine blood glucose impact and mechanism of promising supplements
- Approach: tbd
- Status:
- This week: literature review, determining protocol
- Reported:
- Nothing yet
- Up next:
- Literature review (9/18)
- Pre-registration of protocol and analyses (9/18)
- Methods of Sleeping Longer
Let me know in the comments if there’s any other experiments you’d like to see.
– QD
Observations & Data
- Sleep
- Sleep is back up this week.
- Blood Glucose
- Blood glucose continues to look good. Still seeing a trend towards lower fasting BG and higher time-in-range, maybe due to weight loss. After I hit my target weight and stabilize, I’ll take a look at this in more detail.
- Other Blood
- Off week for blood tests.
- With more data, it looks like the downward trend in pulse has reversed itself. I’m not sure what caused the original drop or the return to “normal”, but sleep doesn’t fit the trend. Two hypotheses:
- Aerobic exercise: I had increased the amount of rowing vs. weight training I was doing around the time of the sharp drop in pulse and have since returned to my original ratio. The increased cardio may have caused the drop in pulse. I don’t record my exercise, so I’m not certain the timing matches up.
- Weight loss: The minimum in my pulse corresponds to an inflection point in my weight (when the rate of loss slowed). It may be that the metabolic changes associated with rapid weight loss were causing a reduction in pulse.
- Not sure how much I care about figuring this out, but if I do, I’ll try keeping diet consistent and increasing rowing to see if I can get my pulse to drop again.
- My blood pressure is back down this week. I also had my annual physical and got my blood pressure measured at the Dr’s office. It came in at 120/86 mmHg, which was not that different from what I measured on my Omron ~1h later and only very slightly above target. I’ve ordered a more portable BP meter and will start collecting more data once I get it.
- Body
- In contrast to what I thought last week, it looks like my weight has stabilized. This corresponds to when I increased my breakfast by 200 kcal and explains the flattening of my waist measurement. I’m going to drop back to the original breakfast to restart weight loss until I hit my target.
Sleep
Blood Glucose
Other Blood
Body
Methods
- Sleep
- Metrics: total time, heart rate variability, pulse (sleeping vs. waking)
- Methods: Apple watch + Autosleep app
- Frequency: daily
- Blood Glucose
- Metrics: fasting BG, Avg. BG, coefficient of variation, time 70-140 mg/dL, time <60 mg/dL
- Methods: Dexcom G6 CGM
- Frequency: continuous
- Other Blood
- Metrics: weight, waist circumference, BMI, waist/height
- Methods: scale + Renpho tape measure
- Frequency: weekly
- Body
- Metrics: hemoglobin, cholesterol, blood pressure, pulse
- Methods: Hemocue 801, Cardiocheck PA, Omron 10A
- Frequency: weekly for blood pressure & pulse, every 2 weeks for hemoglobin & cholesterol
