Day 3 of 4 – BLSA in NIH

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Check out what happened on Day 1.
Check out what happened on Day 2.

Another busy day for this lab rat.

First thing at 6:00 am was a glucose tolerance test, a 2-hour affair during which they drew a bunch of fasting blood, then made me drink a glucose orange drink. Then kept drawing blood every 20 min after to monitor how my body metabolizes it. I’ll find out the results tomorrow but judging by how drinking that sugary drink only put me to sleep, I’d guess I metabolize well. I’ve been training for this by eating pastries and dark chocolate. Just kidding. Don’t listen to me.

I did a stress test on the treadmill measuring VO2 max (Oxygen capacity). Interestingly, I beat my previous visit. I lasted 4 min longer, at a higher incline, and had an increased oxygen capacity by 3.5%. Must be all the hiking I got in the habit of doing thanks to the pandemic.

If you look at a chart for oxygen capacity, you will see it drops to about half between 18 years of age and 60 years. The only way to keep it up is to…. you guessed it! Exercise. Why it matters? You have more energy and endurance.

Fatigue is what makes older adults slow down. As the energy level goes down, so does activity. People become more sedentary to match their energy levels. But it’s a vicious cycle going straight down to 6 feet under.

Less activity leads to poorer circulation, which leads to slower healing. It also affects nerve conductivity. Worsening nerve conductivity makes people less sensitive to what they do. They bump around hurting themselves but also fear doing anything because they feel unsteady on their feet since they can’t sense them well.

Being more sedentary also means weight gain. You should know that life expectancy and disease-free healthspan are 7 years longer for women and 9 years longer for men who maintain a healthy weight/BMI.

Personally, during the 2 hours in an fMRI today, I appreciated being a size small. I don’t think there’s any room in there for a size L, let alone an XL or XXL person.

The fMRI technician complimented me on having robust, strong muscles and falling asleep in the tube. His projector malfunctioned so instead of playing games while they scan my brain, I took an after-lunch nap. I dreamed of many things. I wonder what my brain looked like while dreaming.

That was just the first part though. In the second part, he strapped me down to the table, padded me in strange ways, and shoved me back in. Then I freaked out. There was no way to escape. He was alone this time. So, if anything was to happen to him, I’d be in serious trouble because I couldn’t even move a finger. But he got good readings of my muscles firing and recovering like a pro!!! He thought I was doing his experiment. I was kicking to escape while the noise of the machine obscured my screams for help. The longest 20 min of my life!

Someone did a pulse wave velocity test on me. Another nap opportunity since I had to lie down while the technician plugged me into the computer and measured the arterial tree stiffness and the rate at which pressure moves down the vessels. No stiffness. Yay for yoga! My vessels are stretched and bendy. That’s good because as the vessels stiffen with age, they cause an increase in the velocity of the pressure wave. That’s especially bad when the stiff vessel is your aorta. It means an increase in pressure and a heart attack, or as the scientist said it, “is a reliable prognostic marker for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.”

What causes it? Sugar! Sugars are heavy and end up in the arterial tree along the extremities. You calcify, clog up, and stiffen. Combine this with the changes in the extracellular matrix of your blood vessels due to age itself and you get a disaster waiting to happen. Collagen, elastin, and glycoproteins that normally provide structural integrity and elasticity begin to disappear with age and with inflammation.

What to do about it? Don’t become diabetic. Don’t drink, smoke, eat too much sugar, etc. And… exercise! I’ve also been taking a Collagen I, II, III, V, X supplement for a few years. It might be helping…

The nerve conduction velocity test shocked my motor and sensory nerves to tell me that they work well. It was not pleasant! My legs were flailing around like they had a mind of their own. I imagine sticking my fingers in an electrical socket must feel similar. Bouncy! The test is used to diagnose nerve damage or destruction due to a variety of conditions such as alcoholic and diabetic neuropathy, nerve effects from kidney failure, traumatic injury to the nerve or the spine, and so on… the list is pretty long.

Doctors usually give these tests to people who are in trouble. If you never want to experience nerve shock, stick to a healthy lifestyle. On the other hand, if you are in a hurry to find out everything about your insides, hook up with the BLSA people. Now recruiting healthy adults ages 20 and older!

Hey, for an extra perk, they now give us 3 meal coupons, $15 each! That’s a serious upgrade. Also, you should see the big, black, lady cooking breakfast every morning. She takes about 5-6 orders at the time, somehow remembers them all without writing them down, and cooks them to perfection! All with an attitude of “I am half asleep but if I wasn’t I’d yell at your skinny white ass for not knowing what the grated cheese is.” Absolutely impressive. I can’t wait for breakfast tomorrow!

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your support! A LOT!

Donate here – any amount you wish!  Or Venmo @Valentina-S-Petrova

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Yours truly,

V.