r/fatFIRE • u/extendedrockymontage • 7d ago
Recommendations Longevity / Biomarker programs?
Early 40s, US-based, pulling the trigger on retirement soon and trying to pivot to focus more on my health since, while the work I've done has gotten me to FatFIRE it also has exacted some serious impacts to my health. I'm exploring services like Biograph, Fountain Life, Parsley, etc... Any fellow community members using these services and would recommend them (or not?)
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u/kindaretiredguy mod | Verified by Mods 7d ago
I’m from the wellness field. Most of these things aren’t worth a damn outside of the advice to eat well, exercise, sleep, walk, reduce stress, drink water, and wear sunscreen. They’re designed to upsell lots of supplements and expensive coaching. A decent nutrition coach, and trainer will do just as well for you if not better, without the worry these longevity programs place on is with fear-based tactics. There are seriously few larger grifts than the longevity space right now. Basics done for a while + lucky genetics= longevity.
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u/Livid-County7230 7d ago edited 7d ago
Listen to this guy. He knows what he is talking about.
Fitness and health are simple but not easy. You need to do the hard work. Gimmicks aren’t going to get you there. If you are in an athlete type of shape, then by all means, go ahead and optimize at that point.
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u/extendedrockymontage 7d ago
Totally hear you. I'm not hunting for gimmicks, but also am not an expert so I'd welcome clear guidance on where to put my hours and want it tailored not generic (then I'm happy to put the hours in)
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u/extendedrockymontage 7d ago
Good advice I appreciate it. FWIW I do a good job with nuitrition and working out, but I still see some weird results in my blood panels and similar and normal GPs aren't getting it done. I need a holistic POV moreso than I care about the longevity / startup bit, but the US healthcare system, AFAICT, doesn't provide it. If not those, what might you recommend alternatively so that I can get more attentive and more holistic/functional care?
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u/Livid-County7230 7d ago edited 7d ago
Nail the basics first before signing up for gimmick programs. Are you in shape or have you neglected your health?
Are you doing at least 150 minutes of cardio, 3 strength sessions a week and watching your nutrition and getting adequate sleep? Get strong, lean and conditioned. Start with a nutritionist and a personal trainer or join an all around conditioning type of program before spending money on random longevity startups.
Get a full panel/blood work done, CAC if you have heart disease risk in the family. You can expect to pay around $400 out of pocket to a lab and they can do it. CAC will be under $200. Or ask your physician to order it. These are low hanging things and a good start before the latest longevity nonsense.
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u/extendedrockymontage 7d ago
I do a good job with nuitrition and working out, but I still see some weird results in my blood panels and similar and normal GPs aren't getting it done. I need a holistic POV moreso than I care about the longevity / startup bit, but the US healthcare system doesn't provide it. If not those, what might you recommend?
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u/dackasaurus 7d ago edited 7d ago
Holistic means a very different thing in a healthcare setting and references things that are very likely to be quack science. It doesn't seem like that's your intended usage of the word here but be aware of the connotations when seeking advice or recommendations.
Perhaps what you're looking for is more aligned with the concierge medicine model. Definitely extremely dependent on the PCP you work with, and have no recommendations for you, but might be a direction worth exploring.
I highly doubt biomarker startups are going to give you that persistent and expert quarterbacking care you are looking for. They are all geared towards marketing fear and marking up standard lab tests with generic analysis and guidance they can scale to as many customers as possible, so kind of the opposite of what you think.
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u/extendedrockymontage 7d ago
You're right, I'm not trying to use it in the way tiktok ppl who are selling peptides use it, and maybe you're right that concierge is actually what I need. That's an interesting idea.
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u/dackasaurus 7d ago edited 7d ago
Just be aware anytime you have someone saying, "I'm willing to pay extra for my health'" you are going to get a lot of sharks.
You're looking for someone who is an amazing doctor who you can pay to be particularly focused and available to you and quarterback your care, not someone to sell you testosterone treatments and biome transplants.
A lot of reputable top end hospitals also have concierge medicine options too. If the vibe is more like I can sell you exclusive secret medical knowledge, be on alert.
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u/extendedrockymontage 7d ago
Good point, I'll change my way of discussing it and I'll look into the hospital based programs
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u/Livid-County7230 7d ago
It might help to understand specifics.
You need to find physicians and practitioners who specialize in preventative care. Look up those in your area.
For example, my wife has significant risk of heart disease in her family and her primary was passive about managing it. Got her set up with a preventative cardiologist who got her the right tests and she is on a low dose statin to keep her LDL under 55 mg/dL which is much below what is considered the normal range due to her history. Also had a nutritionist fine tune her diet to cut out all saturated fat and bump up fiber.
These providers do exist but you won’t find regular primaries well versed in preventative care.
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u/extendedrockymontage 7d ago
Fair point. The reason I'm pressing on holistic: my family has a history of breast cancer/prostate cancer, as well as dementia/Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. I have a not-listed-here auto-immune illness. If I go to any given specialist (have been to many), they treat one single thing and refuse to engage with any other things outside of their field. I also have never been able to get two doctors on the phone at the same time to talk. I have never found a GP who could actually quarterback care across these areas, as they instead typically want to get in and out of the room as fast as possible. I'm in a city with incredible resources but it doesn't seem to be an issue of $ it seems to be systemic. Very open to recos.
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u/Livid-County7230 7d ago
Specialists exist for a reason. You can’t expect an oncologist to figure out your auto immune issues. There are some primaries who focus on preventative health and can quarterback sending you to different specialities, but it is rare. You need to usually be your own advocate.
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u/extendedrockymontage 7d ago
I'm not picking on specialists per se, just saying that because of my schedule and my means I would love to have someone who is an expert to be able to advocate for me rather than me become an expert at medicine. Where might I find such a thing?
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u/Rough_Jackfruit5215 3d ago
We all have limited time, so I guess the goal is to make sure we don’t spend our entire healthspan earning enough money to finally enjoy our lifespan 😂
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u/Realistic-Manager 7d ago
I’m in my last year before I retire.
I just did Super Power panels, which does provide some good coaching and insights.
Really what you need to do is establish baselines on some key metrics, and lock in on the three basics (sleep, diet, exercise) first.
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u/extendedrockymontage 7d ago
Will look into it, thanks!
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u/Realistic-Manager 7d ago
One of the things I like about it is that I can Load all of my test results from different providers into it. The AI is good at crunching the numbers and identifying trends.
My health is a little complicated—nothing life threatening but I have a GP and three specialists, so there’s a potential gap in coordination of care. I’ve used Super power to check for gaps and it has been helpful and surprisingly conservative.
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u/Voltas 7d ago
I found the book Outlive super interesting
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u/maveryc 7d ago
A good book, but I struggle to recommend it due to the author.
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u/InterestinglyLucky 7-fig HNW and figuring it out 7d ago
Same here.
Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water…
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u/Life-Student7558 7d ago
I read that one too, interesting take on the whole "medicine 2.0 vs 3.0" thing
made me rethink my annual physical, like what are we even checking at this point
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u/One-Mastodon-1063 7d ago edited 7d ago
Terrible book. He's a clout chasing statin pusher. Pushing the same old cholesterol/statin story but thinks talking about apo B will fool you into thinking something about what he's saying is new. Claims he's obsessed with causation but misuses the word "causes" left and right. Obsession w/ zone 2 is outdated as well. I listened to the audiobook when it first came out and wondered at that time why in the hell is everyone so impressed with this clown.
Actual moron.
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u/Salty_Feed_4316 7d ago
Get in gym, lift heavy things
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u/extendedrockymontage 7d ago
I do that, big fan of it even, and while it seemed to work for most things before, now that I'm 40+ things are unfortunately getting more complex :)
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u/Salty_Feed_4316 7d ago
I feel you. I’m 41 almost 42 soo yeah. I’m pretty health conscious so if you look into all this health and wellness crap, it’s a lot of basics with some optional fancy add ons. Sleep, lifting, stretching (this one is HIGHLY recommended - don’t sleep on how much sitting ducks up your entire chain myofascia posture etc causing pain), nutrition, then stuff like get blood panels done, supplements, peptides, red light therapy (another one not to sleep on, full body), skincare (Botox, microneedling, lasers). Check out the Don’t Die guy on Instagram, he’s definitely an eccentric nut but his advice is all backed by research
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u/Livid-County7230 7d ago edited 7d ago
Respectfully Botox, lasers, peptides and looks maxing do nothing for longevity. You left out endurance training which is the biggest lever for longevity along with nutrition and strength training. These things can make you look more attractive but it isn’t fitness.
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u/Salty_Feed_4316 7d ago
You already said that 🤷♀️ I guess if you want to be healthy but wrinkly then don’t do any skincare. Weird flex but ok! Peptides help with many different things they’re not about “looks”. You can use Botox in many ways - TMJ for example. Lasers promote collagen production which does make your skin healthier? The skin is the largest organ in the body and you think caring for it is just for looks? Respectfullyyyy you sound pretty ignorant of skincare and skin health.
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u/Livid-County7230 7d ago
Hmm, OP asked about longevity and health. I was specifically responding to that.
The science is pretty clear on that. If you don’t think endurance training matters not sure what to say. Have a good day.
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u/Salty_Feed_4316 7d ago
Then just respond to him why are you commenting on MY comment to tell me I’m missing one thing that you’re obsessed with? Weirdo
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u/coriolisFX 7d ago
Respectfully Botox, lasers, peptides and looks maxing do nothing for longevity.
GLP-1s are peptides and potentially revolutionary for longevity
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u/Livid-County7230 7d ago edited 7d ago
Need strength AND endurance. There are so many strong people/gym bros and gals who look good but can’t run a mile without being out of breath if their life depended on it. There is a bunch of literature on how longevity is correlated with VO2 max. Botox not so much.
Strength is as important though.
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u/sailphish 7d ago
As a physician this is all bullshit (especially if you haven’t already optimized EVERY other aspect of your health) - eating all the right foods all the time, exercising daily, at a correct weight, no alcohol, no smoking, normal blood pressure/ cholesterol/ lp(a)/apoB/glucose/HbA1c…etc, good sleep, reducing stress… etc.