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.
A few posts this week:
- Testing of diluted vinegar (roughly same effect as concentrated vinegar and way more palatable/practical)
- Proposed experimental designs/protocols for determining causes & interventions for my elevated blood pressure & exercise-induced rhinitis (runny nose)
I’m really happy with all of these. For vinegar, I was worried it would only work at high concentrations, which wouldn’t have been practically useful and prevented further experiments. Now I can proceed to try and understand the mechanism and scope.
For the blood pressure and rhinitis, I’m excited to branch out to experiments other than blood glucose effects. I’ve gotten some good feedback so far on both protocols. I’ll wait another few days and then finalize the protocols and start the studies.
Experiments this week focused on more flour replacements and vinegar experiments. Next week, I will be finishing up the flour replacement experiments and getting started on the blood-pressure and rhinits experiments..
– QD
Active & Planned Experiments
- Blood Glucose Impact of Low-Carb Foods & Ingredients
- Goal: Determine blood glucose impact of low-carb foods and ingredients
- Approach: Protocol
- Status:
- Reported:
- Up next:
- Vegetables
- Meats
- Low-carb fruits
- Miscellaneous low-carb prepared foods
- Dietary fibers
- Blood Glucose Impact of Supplements
- Goal: Determine blood glucose impact and mechanism of promising supplements
- Approach: Protocol
- Status:
- This week: Initial replication
- Reported:
- Up next:
- Full meal test
- Alternate macronutrients
- Alternate acid sources
- Blood Pressure
- Goal: Identify causes & interventions to improve my elevated blood pressure
- Approach: under development
- Status:
- This week: Request for feedback on experimental design
- Reported:
- Up next:
- Protocol
- Allergies/Breathing
- Goal: Identify causes & interventions to improve my breathing during exercise
- Approach: under development
- Status:
- This week: Request for feedback on experimental design
- Reported:
- Up next:
- Protocol
- Improving Sleep
Let me know in the comments if there’s any other experiments you’d like to see.
– QD
Observations & Data
- Sleep
- Sleep still low this week, again due to intermittent insomnia.
- Pulse continued to drop, despite two weeks in a row of worse sleep, strongly suggesting it’s due to the increased aerobic exercise.
- HRV way up this week, still don’t understand how to interpret this…
- Blood Glucose
- Blood glucose back down this week and with increased time in range. Will continue to cut back on insulin dose to further improve.
- Other Blood
- Off week for hemoglobin and cholesterol
- Blood pressure back to baseline, but still above the threshold for “elevated.” Hopefully my new study will uncover something useful here.
- Body
- Weight and waist still stable, but very slightly down. Will keep and eye on it.
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: daily
- Body
- Metrics: hemoglobin, cholesterol, blood pressure, pulse
- Methods: Hemocue 801, Cardiocheck PA, Omron Evolve
- Frequency: daily for blood pressure & pulse, every 2 weeks for hemoglobin & cholesterol
