Not a Magic Pill

How diet and lifestyle should be your first line of defense. And, my review of Insider Tracker's biomarker testing.

Jun 05, 2023

For as long as I can remember, my mother used to end every phone call with, “take your vitamins.” It was her way of reminding me to be healthy in the most succinct way possible. Of course, as the rebellious daughter trying to assert her independence, I dismissed this advice.

My clever retort was something like, “vitamins are useless beyond making your pee really expensive.”

Fast forward to today and my older, wiser self seems to have softened a bit on this issue. But was I on to something? While I’m more informed about the potential value of supplements, I am also aware of their detriment. Are we really all so deficient that we need to pop the latest capsule or gummy?

Some would have you believe that we are. According to Market.us, the dietary supplement market size was US $164.6 billion in 2022 and is projected around $361.4 billion by 2032.

So it’s no surprise that the most frequently asked question I get is, “What supplements should I take?”

While I may be self-proclaimed biohacker and health-coach-in-training (who loves to deep dive on research), my response is annoyingly a non-response. Not because I don’t have any intel on berberine or colostrum but because it’s a loaded question. All of us are different and, while there are essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids that we all need, I like taking a more custom approach to supplementation.

How do you fix something if you don’t know what’s broken?

We are part of the instant gratification society. Have a symptom or a deficiency? Here’s a magic pill. Even if we are slowly moving away from pharmaceuticals (Ambien), we reach for our supplements (melatonin) in a similar way.

I’m not anti-supplements. In fact, I have benefited from taking many of them but I have learned the hard way, not to do it blindly and to first start with a balanced diet and lifestyle. I prefer to “eat my vitamins” in whole foods vs taking them in pill form, which can be less bioavailable.

What would happen if we supported our wellbeing by starting with a prescription for nutrient-dense food, different types of exercise, ways to lower stress and hacks for deeper sleep?

Ok but that sounds harder. Can’t you just tell me what to do.

Turns out, there’s an app for that.

Last month I scheduled (and paid for) Inside Tracker, a company that analyzes blood biomarkers to come up with a data-driven plan you can put into action.

With one simple blood draw at Quest Diagnostics, I got a comprehensive analysis of 43 blood biomarkers (now 47 as part of the Ultimate Plan) including those in categories like:

Bone & Muscle Health (calcium & vitamin D)
Metabolism & Weight Control (glucose, LDL, HbA1c)
Cognition (magnesium, folate)
Strength & Endurance (testosterone, cortisol)
Liver Function & Toxicity (ALT, albumin)

and more….

Here’s how I scored:

Blood biomarkers1: At risk: 3 | Needs Improvement: 7 | Optimized: 38

By average standards, all of my bloodwork came back “normal,” however Inside Tracker uses optimized levels informed by longevity advisor Dr. David Sinclair, a leader in healthspan optimization. I’m pleased that I’m tracking above average and motivated to do better.

Highlights:

My lipid group needs some attention. Recommendations include taking 1000mg artichoke extract, eating more berries, drinking more oolong tea and doing more HIIT workouts. Most of these things (especially the moderate exercise and high intensity workouts) will also support my blood glucose levels which are starting to creep up again.

However, I’m curious to know if my LDL (low density lipoproteins aka “bad cholesterol”) is really an issue. People like me who have borderline high LDL and low triglycerides often have a diet filled with healthy fats and likely have particles that have become larger and less dense from this intake. This would be a great question for my doctor or health coach. That said, I could probably chill a bit on the MCT oil (saturated fat) in my morning matcha.

Another area to address is my low levels of ferritin which indicate inadequate iron intake compared to what my body needs. Recommendations include increasing the amount of beans to 4 servings a week and taking a 14mg iron supplement. Conveniently, beans are a great source of fiber which also helps my lipids and blood glucose. See how connected it all is?

Each biomarker page has links to references so you can read the supporting scientific material, if you really want to nerd out.

Additional features of Insider Tracker (which has a desktop and mobile view) include a Nutrition tab which offers food recommendations associated with each biomarker, recipes and blog posts as well as the ability to upload past bloodwork or DNA results (23 & me) for more correlated data.

For the biohacking longevity folks out there, there is an Inner Age test to find out just how young you are compared to your chronological age!

My final thoughts

I see Inside Tracker as a valuable tool on your health journey. It has a user-friendly interface and a table view of your results that is easy to read. I like that the recommendations take a holistic approach (food & drink, fitness and supplementation) but I would love to see more insights on sleep, stress reduction and other pillars. You can connect your Oura or another fitness tracker, which pulls in high level metrics only.

The intel can help you prepare for your annual exam with your doctor making you more informed about your personal metrics and empowered in your ability to advocate for yourself.

However this does not take the place of primary care (or your OBGYN). If you have a serious chronic illness or are pregnant, I would 100% advise you to continue to work with a professional healthcare provider.

Just like doing online workout videos isn’t the same as having a high touch experience with a trainer, this app is an affordable way to have a health coach and nutritionist in your pocket. I strongly believe we need to play an active role in our own care.

For those of you with specific needs or who want to advance your health optimization, your next step would be to partner with a functional medicine physician, naturopath or licensed health coach/nutritionist.

Conclusion: at $659 per test (or save $152 for 2), I plan to do this again in 6 months to track my progress2.

Note: some of the blood tests in this plan are covered by insurance during your annual wellness exam yet many are not. Check to see if your FSA/HSA considers this eligible for coverage.

The take-away: Inside Tracker is a great place to begin to understand the biomarkers that contribute to health and easy enough for most people to make behavioral changes. The recommendation for supplements is based on your bloodwork results so you are not dosing yourself blindly.

In the Pink

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