The Blood Code: Unlock the Secrets of Your Metabolism

Dr. Mauer presents a whole different theory of why most of us in our sedentary world are subject to obesity and/or ill health. Although from a endurance cycling family and never obese, the author discovered at young age that he was prone to developing T2 diabetes. While you will not find the exact historical development of his theory, Dr Mauer provides detailed references for each of his major scientific facts that led him to his hypothesis and that suggested to him the solution to the modern problems of insulin resistance and left unchecked the development of T2 diabetes with or without accompanying obesity.In a nutshell, your genetic predisposition to higher fasting insulin along with generally higher fasting glucose level combined with genetically determined relatively lower thyroid activity determines your appropriate response to obtaining good health for the long term.Just before discovering this book I had recovered my best health in years through the application of a extremely low carb diet, sometimes referred to as strict Keto or Atkins Induction. Now at my goal weight I am left with the quandary of "what next"? Strict Keto remains an option and may be a prophylactic for cancer or dementia, but scientific justification is still sketchy. The Atkins approach would have me gradually work up my carbs until the level or the food types caused me uncontrolled weight gain or other health problems. But this is such a slow moving and unscientific target that this approach does not appeal to me.Dr Mauer's approach will have me first identify my personal "blood code" type through testing, and then follow his clinically discovered macro-nutrient distribution along with an exercise routine that suits my "type" The rub to executing the plan is the need for a test of fasting insulin level. This is not a standard component of your usual metabolic panel. And even though the fasting insulin level is recognized as a primary component by the American Diabetes Association for a relatively new marker called HOMA-IR, my personal physician called it "not relevant" since I do not currently display any insulin resistance due to a rock bottom A1c marker thanks to my 6 month very low carb diet. But I can't find my place in the blood code pantheon without the number.Now Dr Mauer comes to the rescue on his website with a partnership with a lab that will give you blood tests that are in line with his theory. The price seems reasonable enough at about $200 for the baseline screening that includes other "Mauer markers" and $94 for self determined followups during practical application. But it's just sad that I just got every number under the sun except for this one

I found the information in this book invaluable, namely the blood panel and the explanations for each test. My test results were atypical, with high insulin being the sole driver behind a high HOMA-IR (all other parameters were normal). A couple of serious deficiencies also popped up (ferritin & vitamin D).The BC panel allowed me a clear view of what I needed to do. I prioritized getting my iron stores and vitamin D up. I took 4000 IU of vitamin D for a couple of months, but then decided to switch to fermented cod liver oil due to the calcification issues that seem to result from vitamin D supplementation (from what I understand, there's vitamin K in cod liver oil that drives calcium into bone tissue instead of arteries).As for my insulin, going low-carb was not an option for me. I kept my nutrition the same (I rarely eat unprocessed foods as it is), but eliminated the occasional snack (I was never a grazer) for the first couple of months, while focusing on removing iron & vitamin D deficiencies. While the author advises against fasting, I had read enough to acknowledge it's a valid treatment for high insulin. I spent one month doing an Eat-Stop-Eat type of fasting. I only fasted when my body gave the green light, which amounted to once or twice per week.After running the tests again, my ferritin and vitamin D have indeed gone up, though still not into the optimal range. The eye-opener was that my insulin was down 10 points (23 to 13), after only a month of once- to twice-a-week fasts. I call that potent medicine!Could I have dropped my insulin into the optimal range by going low-carb? Probably, but that would have required me to change a lot more than I was willing to. Fasting came much easier to me (I never took to the 5-6 meals a day trend), and I feel most comfortable when eating under 3 meals per day. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said lowering my insulin took no effort at all!Nowadays, I've settled into two meals a day (a late breakfast around 10-11 a.m. and lunch around 3-5 p.m., which means I consistently fast for 17-19 hours per day). If my body gives me the green light, I'll go for a longer fast (replace breakfast with some broth or fatty coffee, and go straight to lunch) once in a while.I've yet to see any significant weight loss, and I know that I may need to tweak things some more, but I'm just happy my insulin has dropped (even though I've still some way to go).I definitely recommend this book, but would suggest you also read Dr. Jason Fung's  The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss . It not only offers a deeper view into obesity and the role of insulin.

I stumbled across The Blood Code: Unlock the Secrets of Your Metabolism after my most recent annual physical. I remember reading about the TG:HDL ratio from Dr. Cate Shanahan as mentioned in the Keto Reset Diet by Mark Sisson and I mentioned the ratio to my primary care physician who didn't think much of it and wasn't at all concerned about the ratio.I had previously told him that I took myself off of stains on January 5, 2019 and after going the LCHF route back around April with some intermittent fasting and a nice drop in weight, I was curious about my blood work that was drawn on June 24, 2019. My results revealed a TC of 245, but my Triglycerides were 59 and my HDL was 55, almost a 1:1 ratio. Note: My past HDL levels were rarely ever higher then 40.On a whim, I typed in Tri/HDL and I was directed to the Blood Code website, and after reading the articles submitted by Dr, Maurer as well as the testimonies by some of his patients, I felt like I landed on a gold mine. I purchased The Blood Code and read it from cover to cover and I was impressed by the clarity by which Dr. Maurer explains every single blood test and what certain results might reveal. I purchase a caliper and will be using them on a regular basis to track my progress. I know that I will constantly refer back to the book as a reference guide to track all future blood results. I would encourage anyone that wants to change their current health habits to buy and read The Blood Code, because Dr. Maurer covers every health related aspect from literally soup to nuts.