The Morning Dose #11: TRT, Fighting Prostate Cancer, and Exercise Hormones

In this week’s edition of The Morning Dose:

Ask A Coach: Reader Q&A

Reader’s Corner: Best Practices for TRT Users

Research Corner: Foods that Fight Prostate Cancer

This Exercise-Induced Hormone Fights Alzheimer’s Disease

Let’s inject this.

First time reading? I’m Matt, and this is The Morning Dose. Every week, our team scours 100s of sources to bring you need-to-know news and insights you won’t find elsewhere. All in 5 minutes. Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here.

 Ask A Coach: Weekly Q&A with Coach Daniel Louwrens

Every week, Coach Daniel Louwrens will be answering select reader questions.

To ask your questions, simply hit reply and send your questions our way! We can’t guarantee an answer, but we’ll do our best to answer the most interesting and useful questions.

If you want to speak with us directly about your burning questions, our coaching team is available for consultations.

Here are this week’s questions, along with our head coach Daniel’s answers.

“Hi! What labs should I have routinely checked when on peptide therapy? For example, if I use CJC-1295 and ipamorelin, should I be checking my liver values, inflammatory markers, or something else? Thank you!”

-J.

Firstly, that depends on a massive number of factors like age, gender, training protocol, diet, etc…

So, with the minimal information I have, I would say that for Peptide Therapy you need a full comprehensive metabolic panel, liver and kidney markers, your blood glucose levels (chronic and acute), C-Reactive Protein, Thyroid Panel, and your sexual hormone panel.

“Can you tell me what to look for when shopping for a peptide such as purity and mass etc… Also, who are the recommended peptide sources? I’ve tried some with no noticeable results.”

– N.K.

Purity ratings typically mean the percentage of the target peptide compared to impurities. Logic will dictate the fewer impurities the better the product. We have written a full article on reading testing results, which you can find HERE.

As for a source, we like BioTech Peptides.

“I am 66 years old, am pretty good with my diet, I workout 6 days a week, and walk with my labs about 30 miles a week. I recently tore my left bicep and rotator cuff on a hiking incident and was recommended to try BPC-157 to help with the repair and recovery).

I was very impressed with the results, and now that I’m healed I’d like to explore other peptide options to enhance my muscle growth. What would you recommend.”

-E.R.

When looking at muscle growth it mainly comes down to diet, training, and recovery. So, firstly, ensure all of those metrics are as good as they possibly could be.

Then, in order of ‘best-ness’, you’re looking at IGF-1 DES, HGH-Boosting Peptides, MGF, and perhaps DSIP if sleep is an issue. Keep in mind each will have certain side effects to be aware of and you need to consider.

  Reader’s Corner: Best Practices for TRT Users

In each edition of The Morning Dose, we’ll be sharing reader stories, protocols, and experiences, and adding our thoughts and feedback.

This week, we’re talking about TRT.

Every week, we get all kinds of questions about TRT usage.

Should we use AIs/SERMS? What’s the best form of TRT? How can we use TRT to build muscle?

First, the golden rule of TRT…

You need to have your TRT protocols managed by a physician who will individualize the plan to your needs, and help you manage all of your concerns.

We aren’t medical professionals, and individual needs and responses are all over the place. Some people have all kinds of side effects on very small doses, and some people take large doses, with next to no side effects.

Because of this, we can’t provide specific advice–only your doctor knows enough to help you out. 

That said, we can share some general advice that just about any TRT doctor worth their salt would agree with.

Don’t follow a cookie-cutter TRT protocol.

It’s sad to see, but far too many men’s health clinics provide the exact same protocol to every single person, regardless of their actual lab work, clinical needs, or side effects.

High starting doses, mandatory aromatase inhibitors, the exact same injection schedule…

If you see this, run the other way.

You may end up taking way more than you need, or taking compounds that are completely unnecessary and put your health at risk.

When in doubt, ask your doctor exactly why they are recommending something for your specific situation, and if they don’t have a good answer, find a new doctor.

Many side effects, like hair loss, are entirely genetic.

This week, one of our readers asked hair loss on TRT. Unfortunately, this is usually genetic, and if you’re prone to male pattern baldness, TRT is going to speed up the process thanks to elevated DHT levels.

Now, are there some other compounds that might slow down this process? Sure.

But those come with their own side effects, and you need to do your research before adding anything else.

If you’re experiencing side effects from TRT, talk to your doctor.

Don’t add any compounds without extensive research.

It’s easy to get caught up looking for every possible advantage you can give yourself, but remember one thing…

Everything has side effects and interacts with other compounds.

Just because your doctor or clinic offers HCG, peptides, and all sorts of other compounds, doesn’t mean you should be taking them.

Always have a very clear reason, understand the risks, and be well-informed before adding anything.

There’s no need to turn yourself into a human pincushion, injecting 8 different compounds every week unless they’re absolutely necessary.

Need a good TRT doctor?

We highly recommend the folks over at Fountain TRT. They’ll help you find the best treatment plan to fix your hormones, go over your lab work, and even help you with injection-free TRT – all from the comfort of your home.

For a limited time, Muscle + Brawn readers can have their bloodwork checked (with a physician) review for only $35!

Click here to check out Fountain TRT.

Last Week’s Results

Last week we asked: How often do you read about health, fitness, and anti-aging topics?

Here are the results:

I’m obsessed. – 69%
I read interesting articles when I see them. – 21%
I read The Morning Dose so I don’t have to do my own research. – 10%

Research Corner: Foods that Fight Prostate Cancer

Nobody likes to hear the dreaded “C” word, but as one of the leading causes of death, it’s important to address.

According to longevity expert, Peter Attia, MD, all men will die with prostate cancer in their bodies–he says every single man already has it in their body.

How far it progresses is highly variable, and luckily, prostate cancer is easy to screen for with proper preventative care.

Still, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take proactive steps to slow down the progression of prostate cancer, and daily vegetable intake is one of the easiest ways to minimize our risk.

A recent meta-analysis of 16 observational studies which involved over 1 million men found that eating cruciferous veggies on a regular basis was associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer.

In a dose-response analysis, every additional 15 grams of cruciferous vegetables consumed each day was associated with a 4.5% lower risk of prostate cancer.

Now that doesn’t mean you can simply eat nothing but veggies and eliminate your cancer risk entirely. The highest intake of cruciferous veggies was associated with a 13% decrease in prostate cancer risk.

A 13% decrease is significant, and considering it only requires eating cruciferous veggies every day, this is an easy one we should all be doing.

And what the hell are cruciferous veggies anyway? These are your leafy greens–broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and things like that.

You need the whole vegetable, so don’t try to take a shortcut with a greens powder.

  This Exercise-Induced Hormone Fights Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers and medical experts have always promoted the benefits of exercise, and it seems like regular exercise is one of the best things we can do for our cognitive function.

While we still aren’t entirely sure of just how exercise can support cognitive health, we’re continuing to study and learn more about the powerful benefits.

A team of researchers found evidence that exercise produces irisin, a hormone that could potentially prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

In patients with Alzheimer’s, there’s often a buildup of amyloid beta in the brain, an abnormal protein that acts like a buildup of plaque, damaging cells and accelerating neurodegenerative diseases.

In mice with Alzheimer’s, treatment with irisin significantly reduced this harmful plaque buildup, a significant development in the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s.

Of course, further research is needed, but hey–this is certainly another powerful reason to include regular exercise in your weekly schedule.