Happy Thursday Zapien 👋

Welcome to issue No. 1 of our newsletter.

With 5 minutes reading time per week you’ll get the presidential summary on a major longevity topic, actionable hacks, product insights and much more.

The deal: Trade 5 minutes a week for an additional 5 weeks of healthspan.

Since it's still Diabetes Awareness Month, we're kicking things off with a deep dive into the importance, risks and opportunities of blood glucose levels.

Forever,
Lisa, Karol & Simon

LONGEVITY BEAT

Blood Glucose: A Cornerstone of Your Longevity Journey

If you're an adult living in the U.S., there's a 50/50 chance you already have type 2 prediabetes or diabetes (49% of the U.S. adult population is affected). The story is similar in other parts of the world.

A staggering 1.3 billion people worldwide are expected to have diabetes by 2050.

Stepping into this (crowded) diabetes corner will steal years from your life. Check out our weekly numbers section below to find out how many.

Left unchecked, elevated blood sugar levels wreak havoc on your body, damaging mitochondria, causing chronic inflammation, and setting your blood vessels up for cardiovascular disease.

The good news is that as long as you're standing on or near the cliff that is prediabetes, there's a lot you can do to fully reclaim those years.

Here are 3 big picture strategies to optimize your blood glucose levels:

Diet: Choose low-glycemic foods to stabilize blood sugar.
Exercise: Regular exercise improves insulin sensitivity.
Stress Management: Practices such as mindfulness can help regulate blood sugar levels.

Monitoring your blood sugar is a key step towards a healthier, longer life. To do this well, let's dive into the details of 2 different glucose biomarkers:

Fasting Glucose

Level equals the amount of blood glucose after 8 or more hours, consuming zero calories.

It only gives you a snapshot in time. You might still be developing a metabolic dysfunction that is not showing up in your values.

Measurement: Regular blood tests or at-home glucose meters.
Diagnostic Range: Stay below 100 mg/dL. Above 100 signals a prediabetes risk.
Reference: Biohacker Bryan Johnson currently reports 82 mg/dL.

HbA1C

Measures Glucose bound to red blood cells, which have a lifespan of 2-3 months. The HbA1C value gives you an average of your blood glucose over this period.

It’s a powerful predictive marker for various health outcomes, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Doesn’t capture variability in glucose levels (which can be an independent predictor of future diabetes risk).

Measurement: Same drill as fasting glucose.
Diagnostic Range: Stay under 5.7% (39 mmol/mL). Prediabetes alert between 5.7 and 6.4%.
Reference: Bryan Johnson’s level is 4.5%

SHORT HACK, LONG LIFE

You need to lose weight, work-out regularly & sleep well for lower blood glucose levels. Here, find some lower-hanging (low-glycemic) fruits to reduce glucose spikes caused by your meals:

You “BBQ chicken pizza” lovers: start with the tomato sauce, then eat the chicken, cheese, pizza base and finally the BBQ sauce 🍕

RECOMMENDED VS. FISHY

Recommended: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)

Originally developed for patients with diabetes, CGM systems capture glycemic variability (the ups and downs of your glucose level throughout the day).

Currently, they still need a wearable skin-piercing sensor that is worn on the upper arm for 2 weeks. Non-invasive options are on the horizon from most major smart fitness brands.

CGM data can help you make informed, personalized diet and lifestyle adjustments. You want to avoid large glucose fluctuations (spikes)

Basic option: Abbott Freestyle Libre 3

Daily used by millions of diabetes patients. Price point: €72 (Germany) or $89 (US) for 1 sensor & free mobile app (for 14 days measurement).

There are fancier, more expensive apps that mostly work with the same sensor:

EU & US: Supersapiens, Veri
US only: January, Levels
EU only: Hello Inside

Fishy: Bioresonance Therapy

Bioresonance claims to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases, including diabetes, by using electromagnetic waves to alter your body's energy fields.

There's no solid scientific evidence. Unless you’re a true believer (a prerequisite for the placebo effect) hold onto your money.

HEALTH & LONGEVITY NEWS

ZAPIEN OF THE WEEK

What are you currently optimizing?

I’m fine-tuning my nutrition. After doing many tests for my digestive track (like e.g. blood work, food allergies, microbiome analysis) I discovered that I have SIBO (small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome).

What’s your favourite tool?

I’m using the FoodMarble AIRE 2 device, which offers frequent hydrogen and methane breath testing. It can help to understand what foods one can digest better (resulting in less hydrogen/ methane in breath) compared to others. I found out which specific foods don’t work well for me instead of incorporating a complete low FODMAP diet.

BECAUSE WE LOVE NUMBERS

⚡️ 13 years ⚡️

If you’re diagnosed with diabetes in your 30s, it will cost you 13 years of your life.

• In your 30s: Likely die 13 years earlier

• In your 40s: Likely die 9 years earlier

• In your 50s: Likely die 5 years earlier

ABOUT US

Lisa has a PhD in Medical Biology. She was a researcher at Harvard Medical before developing D2C laboratory diagnostics.

Karol is a serial founder who helped thousands of people build healthy eating habits with Upfit.

Simon is a healthcare entrepreneur who brought the doctor online-booking service Doctolib to Germany.

WHEN YOU ARE READY, THIS IS HOW WE CAN HELP YOU