Good morning!

Here's your Saturday 7 roundup!

🩸 What 7 years of Carnivore eating did to my blood:

I got my blood drawn on January 31st after about 7 years of Carnivore eating and 5 years since my last blood work.

Here's the 7-year carnivore blood work update.

The number I was most interested in was ferritin. This is a measure of iron storage. In 2018 my ferritin was high. 

This is a concern if it leads to iron overload.

However, now after 5 years and continuing to eat 2+ pounds of iron-rich red meat per day, I have my ferritin down in the lower half of the reference range by tweaking just a couple of things.

Link above is for the full blood work analysis, but here's a summary on just the ferritin.

The other number I was really interested in was cholesterol...

💘 How I dropped my cholesterol:

Perhaps the biggest concern with the Carnivore Diet is that some people see a dramatic rise in cholesterol.

This is most commonly seen in lean and otherwise healthy people.

Researcher Dave Feldman had an idea why this might be happening. He called it the Lipid Energy Model which is a mechanistic explanation as to why this might be happening. He calls these people "Lean Mass Hyper-Responders" (LMHR).

In 2018, I was a LMHR. 

I had the triad of high LDL and HDL cholesterol and low triglycerides.

However, things were different this time around.

I spent the last 18 months doing a "Carnivore Bulk" where I gained 33 pounds and my body fat went from 12% to 19%. I am no longer lean.

Additionally, I added in raw milk for the first time. Milk has carbohydrates. And while I'm still "low carb," I haven't been "no carb" like previously.

Before the blood draw I predicted, based on the Lipid Energy Model, that because I am no longer lean and I added some carbohydrate, I shouldn't be a LMHR and my cholesterol should be lower.

That's exactly what happened.

My 2024 Lipids (vs 2018): 

• Total Cholesterol: 205 (down 108)
• LDL: 110 (down 75)
• HDL: 82 (down 29)
• Triglycerides: 72 (same)

I find it incredibly interesting that I was able to lower my cholesterol by adding in one of the most cholesterol-rich foods (raw milk) and by gaining body fat — 2 things that most people will say would increase your risk for high cholesterol...

Here's a link to this post on Twitter/X with some interesting discussion in the comments.

🦷 What happened to George Washington's teeth:

We celebrated President's Day in the US this past Monday.

It always makes me think about George Washington and his teeth...

Washington suffered from severe tooth decay and lost all his teeth but one.

He used opium to help alleviate the constant pain.

He had to wear numerous sets of fake teeth (these weren't made of wood per folk lore, but of metal, ivory, bone, animal teeth, and human teeth).
 

What caused his oral health problems?

His diet high in carbohydrates. 

He loved cherries. Pancakes with honey on top were a breakfast staple. 

If he had focused more on meat (protein and fat) and less on carbohydrates, he likely could have avoided a lifetime of oral pain.

🏗️ What makes me nervous:

A dentist can fill a toothless space with a cantilever tooth. This is where a fake tooth just hangs onto an adjacent tooth that is rooted in.

George Washington only had 1 real tooth, so this wouldn't have been a good option.

But because cantilever teeth aren't rooted in bone like a real tooth or an implant, they are less resilient to high forces.

This is why the world's largest cantilever building makes me nervous.

🧠 What paradox I've been thinking about:

"You have to slow down to speed up. 

Slowing down allows you to restore your energy, notice things you previously missed, be more deliberate with your actions, and focus on the highest leverage opportunities. 

Move slow to move fast."

– The Speed Paradox

📜 What a modern day 6102 could look like:

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed executive order 6102 limiting the ownership of gold. It required everyone to turn in their gold for $20.67 per ounce. 

Of course, it was for the good of the country...

My biggest fear with the newly issued ETFs is that we end up with a modern day 6102. 

Imagine this (very plausible scenario).

Sometime in the next 6 years bitcoin reaches parity with gold. It has a $13 trillion market cap. Times are good!

This $13T is leveraged and spent throughout the economy.

Per bitcoin history, a 75%+ drawdown occurs. $10T is wiped out (roughly 50% of US GDP), resulting in a credit crunch and widespread asset liquidation.

The Federal Reserve must step in to keep the financial system from collapsing. Bitcoin is blamed.

The-powers-that-be nationalize custodians like Coinbase (which hold the ETFs' bitcoins) and have a mandatory payout to bitcoin owners for some fixed amount of USD. 

Your bitcoin is now their bitcoin. For the good of the country...

The solution, of course, is self-custody. 

I even know people who have dual-residencies specifically because of the possibility of this situation and potential for confiscation. I'm hopeful nothing like this happens, but think it's prudent to be aware of history.

👵 How these people age 75% slower:

Some people, by virtue of birth, age 75% slower than everyone else. 

The odds of this are 1 in 1,461. But this Thursday these people do age.

You may notice that next week there is an extra day on the calendar. Every 4 years there is a 29th day in February. 

If you are a leap year baby, Happy Birthday! 

As always, it's an absolute pleasure and honor getting to spend some time with you, hope you have a great weekend!

Kevin

P.S.

Here's 10 animals with superpowers.

Dr. Kevin Stock
Meat Health, LLC

NED LLC (The Snore Solution)
 

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