Thank you! I ment for prevention of CAD and other cardiac complications.
From what I have read, Acarbose does not have the same level of protection as metformin.
It has no negative implications for cardioprotective.
https://sci-hub.se/10.1210/jc.2014-2443
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welp I will do both. keep novos and take 800mg acarbose, as my stack increases another ~grand a year (but I can make due). I heard it does wonders for ckd as well as longevity, and my first blood test was positive to that effect going from 50 to 400 though I also doubled my melatonin (I will need avid blood tests to see if the high dosage isnt doing harm)
Im up to 400, and one side effect ive been having is actually insomnia. im hoping its just the bodies way of getting used to a new medicine/dosage. but I cant take a 200 increment anywhere near bedtime
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did they show the dosages these patients were on? Was the acarbose level too low?
apparently there is a brand half as costly as glucobay, acarsafe by Zydus. I think some use Zydus rapa? Maulik says they are similar just different namesā¦ I know with rapa there seems to be a vast difference between the quality of brandsā¦ is acarsafe good?
If its by Zydus, I would have no issues with it. Zydus is a good manufacturer generally.
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Iāll probably ratchet this up to 1000mg as a 90kg man in the next two months, though I wonāt be lugging it around taking it with food, lol. Iāll take it lazily as I do now, in two convenient increments. Two doses of 500mg. Once when im supplementing in the morning with my coffee, the other in the early evening sometime (avoiding what has been sleep disturbance for me, but hopefully thats just a temporary side effect). Iāll see how that tests
cl-user
#531
Is that for acarbose? Thatās not the way it works. It is not absorbed into your system and just inhibits the enzymes that split starches into glucose in your intestine. Taking it outside of a meal has no effect at all on the glucose spikes or anything actually.
BTW no need for more than 100~200mg before each meal.
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Isnāt there controversy in how and why acarbose affects longevity?
I went from 50 to 400 doing this two a day method (morning with coffee/supplements, the other time without paying attention when I was eating - often without food), and tested after a couple of weeks, and along with doubling my melatonin from 10 to 20 mg my light ckd and glucose blood were different in a healthy way
I also doubled my melatonin from 10 to 20 mg in this time table, so that could have affected.
Yes and noā¦ we have a hypothesis about how acarbose (and the SGLT2 inhibitors) influence longevity; via elimination or lowering of the blood glucose spikes. But we arenāt absolutely sure of that.
If it is the case, then you want to take acarbose with the first bite of a meal. If that hypothesis is not correct, then perhaps you could take it any time of the day.
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But doesnāt the acarbose stay in your system for awhile anyhow? The half life is a few hours?
I doubled my melatonin in that time period of testingā¦ this is the problem with doing multiple things at onceā¦ (10 to 20mg) and melatonin is healthy
But my glucose went down to early 80s from high 80s, traditionally.
I will see what the test on the higher acarbose level is
Yes - half life is about 2 hours in your blood, but its different from most drugs in that its effect is in the gut, not the blood stream.
From ChatGPT:
Acarbose is an oral medication used primarily to manage type 2 diabetes. It works by inhibiting enzymes in the small intestine that are responsible for breaking down carbohydrates into simpler sugars. Specifically, acarbose inhibits alpha-glucosidases, enzymes that break down complex carbohydrates (like starches and disaccharides) into monosaccharides (like glucose).
By blocking these enzymes, acarbose slows the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, leading to a slower and smaller rise in blood sugar levels after meals. This helps control postprandial (after meal) blood sugar spikes, which is crucial for diabetes management.
In summary, acarbose works by:
- Inhibiting enzymes in the gut that break down carbohydrates.
- Slowing carbohydrate absorption, which leads to a more gradual increase in blood glucose levels.
It does not directly increase insulin secretion, so itās often used in combination with other diabetic medications that affect insulin levels.
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cl-user
#536
The antihyperglycemic action of acarbose results from a competitive, reversible inhibition of pancreatic alpha-amylase and membrane-bound intestinal alpha-glucoside hydrolase enzymes. Pancreatic alpha-amylase hydrolyzes complex starches to oligosaccharides in the lumen of the small intestine, while the membrane-bound intestinal alpha-glucosidases hydrolyze oligosaccharides, trisaccharides, and disaccharides to glucose and other monosaccharides in the brush border of the small intestine.
Itās a reversible inhibition so maybe itās not totally reversed at meal time. BTW look at the HbA1C or a GCM as morning glucose doesnāt tell you anything about glucose spikes.
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I thought there were multiple ways, acarbose could be of benefit
Are 3-5 dependent on first bite of food?
Also for my light ckd
This study uncovered 130 significant differential genes in acarbose-treated rat kidney samples. Lipid metabolism pathways were considerably enriched. Results suggested that acarbose may be an ideal drug candidate for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, because it can not only protect the kidney, but also relieve the complications caused by CKD.
may go beyond taking with first bite of food
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All of the bullets in the health span article are downstream effects of inhibiting alpha-glucosidase enzymes. So, yes, you must take it with a meal for the effects.
Given that the primary effects are related to sufficient reduction in peak glucose by slowing digestion, I doubt one needs to take more than is necessary to flatten the glucose curve, because this indicates starch digestion has been slowed down. For most non-diabetics, 100mg with a meal is probably sufficient and possibly even overkill. I doubt one needs to match the dose used in the ITP study given the purported mechanism. Put another way, taking 800mg (split over meals) is likely the same as 100mg per meal, assuming sufficient inhibition to flatten the glucose curve.
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well, we will put this to the test.
I like acarbose, but its a dent in quality of life carrying pills around to take at the beginning of a meal.
So, we will see what my blood tests are in comparison when I start putting this 1000mg in two dosages down the hatch with or without food, lol. I liked the tests I got back from going from 50 to 400 in terms of kidney function and glucose (though I doubled my melatonin in the same stretch). I will take my hba1c too
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And aside from my improved kidney function and basic glucose (for what thats worth) while I doubled my melatonin, if flatulence is a symbol that its doing its jobā¦ it isā¦
