zerostyle

Hi Gary,

Once someone has done metabolic damage, is there any way to ever recover, or are the pancreatic beta cells permanently destroyed?

I'm 32 and seem to have some insulin resistance issues. Fasting glucose 103, HbA1C 5.5. Post prandial ranges are usually ~ 110 for low carb meals, 120-130 for medium carb meals, and 140-150 for high carb meals. My doctor claims I'm just a "little high but fine", but I suspect these are pre-diabetic numbers.

I can easily keep my blood sugar down by eating low carb/low sugar, but I'd ideally like to be able to cheat more often if I can increase my insulin sensitivity.

I'm already lifting heavy 3x a week, but that doesn't seem to be helping much.

Are there any longer term studies around prediabetes to diabetes progression? I know I've seen 5-year studies that show around 1/2 of people go on to full T2, but i'm curious to hear what outcomes look like for the other half.

Also any info on what can be done about pancreatic beta cell destruction. Are they truly gone in T2? Suppressed? What's the likely state of beta cells for those in a prediabetic state?

Best indicator of cardiovascular health without a CT/calcium scan? ApoB? Lp(a)?

How would you treat someone at moderately high levels (LDL-C 120-150, total cholesterol 220) that's only in their 30's or 40's?

Not really. If you're young and healthy, something like that is ideal. I currently pay $50 a month for a $5000 deductible catastrophic insurance. The coverage is through a very reputable network, and has a lifetime max of $2mil, which isn't perfect but is plenty for a short duration.

I'm unemployed, and just want something to cover me in case of a serious ($50-100k+) type situation. If I have to pay $5000 out of pocket, so be it.

That's exactly what INSURANCE is.

I'm not a medical professional, but there have been a number of studies showing that stress and lower ranking in social hierarchy can lead to more heart disease/atherosclerosis =/

See Robert Sapolsky's lectures