We accept matter-of-factly that as one gets older, metabolic rate decreases. But we know that age is not the real reason, as that thinking applies as normative for the world population at large. But on an individual basis, we know that metabolism and metabolic rate is more a function of our state of health. And I avoid using heart rate as a proxy for metabolic rate, because the heart rate could become very high, and that is no indication of health but is a sign of a heart pumping inefficiently.
But barring heart pumping issues, heart rate is more easily discussed as a proxy for metabolic rate. It's easily measured as well. So for this thread, let's assume heart rate and metabolic rate to mean the same thing.
Let's assume that each one of us went to a Ray Peat Treatment Center, and that all of us left the center with practically all causes of lower heart rate taken care of. By this I mean ONLY the causes in the Ray Peat universe addressed, not anything that's in the realm of the unknown by Ray Peat. We would certainly have an increased heart rate. And that would be considered the optimal heart rate - for that person in the snapshot of his current state.
I would be one of those people. And I would ask myself "Why is my heart rate only 75? I'd like what the next guy to me has - 85. In fact, I'd like to have the heart rate I had when I was a teen -95!" I would starting of ways I could do that. Now, mind you, this is difficult. I couldn't ask anyone among us how to go about it. It would practically be the blind leading the blind, wouldn't it? I have only one recourse, which I think Ray would agree wholeheartedly to - experimentation.
Luckily, and going back to real life now, I have an accidental discovery (stuff like this happens, you know) when I was on another experiment to lower my blood pressure. I was taking proteolytic enzymes to lower my bp, instead it went up. In great frustration but still soldiering on, I looked at my Google spreadsheet (on its 2449th row), and lo and behold, I detected a tiny sliver of silver lining.
My heart rate (waking and daytime) has gone up. And my spO2 readings have gone down. To wit, waking heart rate went up from 56 to 62, and my waking spO2 went down from 97 to 93. No big deal, you say. That's why I called it a tiny sliver, you idiot! Do you know what this means (I'm giving you the Dumb and Dumber look)?
It means that maybe, my tissue oxygenation rate went up, explaining for higher oxygenation rate, and higher heart rate. Perhaps, the proteolytic enzymes did enough of lysing of plaque that it was having a noticeable effect as more endothelial cells in my blood vessels are allowing for more oxygen to be released to the body's tissues. This is the only way I could explain it.
This got me into thinking. If I were able to totally remove all the plaque I've accumulated in my lifetime in my blood vessels, would I be able to restore my metabolic rate to that I had when I were say, in my teens, or even way before, like when I was a toddler? Is plaque a key reason why as people age their heart rate goes down?
If say, our parents made us live a lifestyle where all the causes of plaque formation were avoided, and we continued living that lifestyle up to the present, would we have youthlike heart rates?
As I learn through my journey in lowering my blood pressure by taking proteolytic enzymes to lyse plaque, I think I'm understanding more the nature of plaque, especially the one that's caused by periodontal infection and the endotoxins it gives out to the blood, and it's that plaque harbors both bacteria and endotoxins. Plaque is a doube-edged sword: it keeps bacteria and endotoxins encased and dormant, which to me is a protective mechanism, but it also is an opportunistic device waiting to explode when the conditions become ripe, and that is when we become so weak and balance is lost, that it comes out and destroys our body in what's called sepsis, which afflicts often people whose health are in a compromised state, especially elder people.
This is just my observation and theory but I thought I'd share it and would appreciate a healthy and productive discussion to ensue.
Thanks for reading! And thinking very critically.
But barring heart pumping issues, heart rate is more easily discussed as a proxy for metabolic rate. It's easily measured as well. So for this thread, let's assume heart rate and metabolic rate to mean the same thing.
Let's assume that each one of us went to a Ray Peat Treatment Center, and that all of us left the center with practically all causes of lower heart rate taken care of. By this I mean ONLY the causes in the Ray Peat universe addressed, not anything that's in the realm of the unknown by Ray Peat. We would certainly have an increased heart rate. And that would be considered the optimal heart rate - for that person in the snapshot of his current state.
I would be one of those people. And I would ask myself "Why is my heart rate only 75? I'd like what the next guy to me has - 85. In fact, I'd like to have the heart rate I had when I was a teen -95!" I would starting of ways I could do that. Now, mind you, this is difficult. I couldn't ask anyone among us how to go about it. It would practically be the blind leading the blind, wouldn't it? I have only one recourse, which I think Ray would agree wholeheartedly to - experimentation.
Luckily, and going back to real life now, I have an accidental discovery (stuff like this happens, you know) when I was on another experiment to lower my blood pressure. I was taking proteolytic enzymes to lower my bp, instead it went up. In great frustration but still soldiering on, I looked at my Google spreadsheet (on its 2449th row), and lo and behold, I detected a tiny sliver of silver lining.
My heart rate (waking and daytime) has gone up. And my spO2 readings have gone down. To wit, waking heart rate went up from 56 to 62, and my waking spO2 went down from 97 to 93. No big deal, you say. That's why I called it a tiny sliver, you idiot! Do you know what this means (I'm giving you the Dumb and Dumber look)?
It means that maybe, my tissue oxygenation rate went up, explaining for higher oxygenation rate, and higher heart rate. Perhaps, the proteolytic enzymes did enough of lysing of plaque that it was having a noticeable effect as more endothelial cells in my blood vessels are allowing for more oxygen to be released to the body's tissues. This is the only way I could explain it.
This got me into thinking. If I were able to totally remove all the plaque I've accumulated in my lifetime in my blood vessels, would I be able to restore my metabolic rate to that I had when I were say, in my teens, or even way before, like when I was a toddler? Is plaque a key reason why as people age their heart rate goes down?
If say, our parents made us live a lifestyle where all the causes of plaque formation were avoided, and we continued living that lifestyle up to the present, would we have youthlike heart rates?
As I learn through my journey in lowering my blood pressure by taking proteolytic enzymes to lyse plaque, I think I'm understanding more the nature of plaque, especially the one that's caused by periodontal infection and the endotoxins it gives out to the blood, and it's that plaque harbors both bacteria and endotoxins. Plaque is a doube-edged sword: it keeps bacteria and endotoxins encased and dormant, which to me is a protective mechanism, but it also is an opportunistic device waiting to explode when the conditions become ripe, and that is when we become so weak and balance is lost, that it comes out and destroys our body in what's called sepsis, which afflicts often people whose health are in a compromised state, especially elder people.
This is just my observation and theory but I thought I'd share it and would appreciate a healthy and productive discussion to ensue.
Thanks for reading! And thinking very critically.
