Lately, I've been venturing down the rabbit hole of longevity and the marvels of anti-aging science…

…and there's a compound that keeps leaping out at me from every corner, fascinating me: Rapamycin.

With its potent claims in enhancing life and battling the deteriorating effects of age, I decided to dig deeper, and that's when I stumbled upon Ross Pelton's groundbreaking book Rapamycin: Rapamycin, mTOR, Autophagy & Treating mTOR Syndrome.

Rapamycin (use code BGF15 for 15% off), an FDA-approved drug, has significant potential for life extension, as highlighted in the text. After thorough research, I decided to start taking a 5mg dose of Rapamycin weekly.

The man behind the book, Ross Pelton, is a prodigy in the field of health and longevity. An esteemed pharmacist, nutritionist, and author, Ross has established himself as a stalwart in the domain of drug-induced nutrient depletions, even being recognized as one of America's top 50 influential pharmacists.

A treasure trove of knowledge, Ross's background spans over three decades of groundbreaking research and invaluable scientific experience. His expertise ranges from the intricate world of pharmaceuticals to the holistic approach of natural therapies. From depression and anxiety to ADD & ADHD, Ross has touched upon some of the most pressing health concerns of our age, guiding thousands globally.

Adding to the intrigue, Ross isn't just a man of science. His life's journey is an inspiring tapestry, from a pharmacist in Wisconsin to a Peace Corps member who observed the magical healing arts in the heartlands of Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.

In our engrossing conversation today, we unravel the mysteries of Rapamycin. How was it discovered? Who truly benefits from it? We get into the intricacies of mTOR syndrome, explore the nuances of gut microbiome care, share with you how to get Rapamycin for yourself (and at what cost), and much more.

-Who is Ross Pelton?…08:04

• Rapamycin is produced by a strain of soil bacteria on Rapa Nui, or Easter Island
• Rapamycin: Rapamycin, mTOR, Autophagy & Treating mTOR Syndrome by Ross Pelton
• Ross Pelton is a pharmacist, nutritionist, author
  • One of the top 50 Most Influential Pharmacists in the United States
• Ross Pelton has been taking Rapamycin for 2.5 years (use code BGF15 to save 15%)
• Ben for 2.5 weeks

-How was Rapamycin discovered?…10:47

• A Canadian expedition went to Easter Island in the 1960s
  • Look for potential sources for new antibiotic and antifungal drugs
  • Took a lot of soil samples
• Found a compound produced by a strain of Streptomyces bacteria
  • Called it Rapamycin after Rapa Nui, the indigenous people's name for Easter Island
• Started to develop Rapamycin as an antifungal drug
• Discovered that it suppresses the immune system
  • FDA approved Rapamycin for kidney transplants
• An entirely new class of chemotherapy drugs
• It stops the cancer growth but it doesn't have side effects – it's cytostatic, not cytotoxic
• Joan Mannick research on Rapamycin while at Novartis
  • People taking 5 milligrams once a week got a 20% boost to their immune system
• For chemotherapy or for immunosuppression, you take it every day

-mTOR and autophagy…15:54

• Ross writes about these topics in his book
• Opened up a whole new understanding of cellular metabolism of health and the aging process
• In 1994, David Sabatini discovered the mechanism of Rapamycin
• Rapamycin gets absorbed across the cellular membrane, goes into a cell, and binds to an enzyme
• When nutrients are available, this enzyme sends out signals to the cell to use these nutrients to build and grow
• David Sabatini named this enzyme mTOR – the mechanistic target of Rapamycin
• When there are no nutrients available, a process of autophagy gets activated
• Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in 2016 for his discovery of autophagy
• Autophagy is detoxification and the rebuilding, revitalization, and renewal of the body
• For hundreds and hundreds of years, mTOR and autophagy were in balance
  • Ancestral humans did not eat three meals a day
• Today, people are eating all the time
  • The nutrients are always available to the cell
  •  mTOR is always getting expressed
  • Autophagy is not expressed
• A fundamental cellular mechanism that is out of balance for most people alive today
• We have epidemics of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and inflammatory conditions and autism

-Who should take Rapamycin and when should you start taking it?…21:10

• Rapamycin is not for children, teens, or even young adults
• It is not for pregnant women either
• People in their late 30s, or early 40s should consider taking Rapamycin
• We don’t know all the answers at the moment

-What is mTOR syndrome?…23:55

• Ross coined the term mTOR syndrome, which is the constant over-activation of mTOR, and autophagy is not getting its due
• The imbalance between mTOR and autophagy is a fundamental cellular mechanism that's out of balance
• When you start taking Rapamycin, every single cell in your body is going to start working better
• Over time, proteins and these enzymes undergo stresses which change their shape
• When the shape of a protein or an enzyme changes, it loses its functionality
• You can't get a new protein or enzyme to take its place until you get rid of the old protein
• Autophagy is breaking down damaged cellular components – proteins and enzymes that are not functioning – and rebuilding healthy new proteins and enzymes

-Could the Rapamycin success be due to its anti-fungal effect?…26:28

• Aging is a very complex process
• mTOR – autophagy ratio is fundamentally important to cellular metabolism
• Ross proposed the mTOR autophagy theory of aging to try to draw attention to it
• The natural way to balance mTOR, and autophagy is intermittent fasting

-mTOR and excess muscle loss…29:27

• When you take Rapamycin, you partially inhibit mTOR (use code BGF15 to save 15%)
  • That allows autophagy to get activated for a period of time
• You need to have periods of autophagy in order to effectively build new muscle mass
  • Taking Rapamycin is not detrimental to people who are trying to increase their muscle mass and their strength
  • It is actually very beneficial
• Autophagy is a rest phase like sleep
  • Autophagy is very important for detoxification, rebuilding, and renewal of your body, just like sleep
• Ben uses Rapamycin on Saturday morning to get it out of his system by Monday (use code BGF15 to save 15%)
  • We don't know the best timing or dosage for Rapamycin
• People have different methods or different capabilities of absorbing Rapamycin of metabolizing
• What we know is that 5mg a week is safe
  • Side effects are minimal
• People should have access to Rapamycin. The upside is tremendous, and the side effects are minimal
• We're trying to age healthfully for a much longer period of time
• We don’t necessarily need to consume less food, but narrowing the window of our nutrient intake
  • More time for autophagy
• Food is not just about quality and quantity but also about timing
• All the diseases of aging are related to this imbalance of mTOR in autophagy
  • In animals, every single age-related disease responds to Rapamycin

-The price of Rapamycin and how to get it…45:03

• Sirolimus
  •  A brand name for Rapamycin; prescription required
  • Very expensive
• Ross gets his Rapamycin prescription at a local chain drugstore for $20/month copay with his insurance program
• Ben gets his Rapamycin (RapaPro) from International Antiaging Systems (use code BGF15 to save 15%)
• Podcast with Phil Micans on peptide bioregulators:
  • The New Darlings Of The Anti-Aging Industry & The Russian’s Secret Age Reversal Weapon: Peptide Bioregulators With Phil Micans.
• International Antiaging Systems (use code BGF15 to save 15%)
  • Specialize in making hard-to-obtain life-extension drugs
  • Production in India
  • Uses new nanotechnology for the production
  • The particle size is extremely small, which means it has very good absorption
• Ross did a plasma sirolimus blood test
  • Test proved the quality of the product
  • Sirolimus test is available at LabCorp but a prescription is needed
  • Sirolimus test available by order from Life Extension
• Podcast with Bryan Johnson:
  • A Step-By-Step Blueprint For Longevity: The Most Advanced Age Reversal Strategies Known To Humankind, With Bryan Johnson.
• Bryan Johnson's Blueprint Protocol

-Ross’s daily routine…51:56

• No. 1 – Healthy diet
• No. 2 – Exercise – regular strength training or resistance training
  • Boosting glutathione levels – most people have low levels
  • Glutathione precursors like
    • NAC 
    • Selenium
  • Reg’Activ
    • Contains a unique strain of probiotic bacteria called Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3
    • It synthesizes glutathione
• No. 3 – Crystal-Free CoQ10
  • Most of the CoQ10 products on the market have horrible rates of absorption
  • Pharma Nord CoQ10
• Podcast with Kashif Khan:
  • Sleep Genetics (& 3 Ways To Crush A Good Night Of Sleep), Why You Get Depressed When You Get Bored, Personalized Exercise & Diet Based on Genetics & Much More With Kashif Khan Of The DNA Company.

-How to take care of your gut microbiome…57:24

• Ross is a microbiome guy
• The Microbiome Theory of Aging (MTA)
• Essential Formulas
  • Produces premium probiotics
• Ross tries to educate others on how the gastrointestinal tract and the gut microbiome function
• Probiotic bacteria digest components in food, break them down, and produce secondary molecules that we call post-biotic metabolites
  • Post-biotic metabolites have a wide range of biological activity
  • They influence every single organ system in the body, especially the brain and immune system
• Postbiotic Metabolites: The New Frontier in Microbiome Science
• Most people are not feeding their gut microbiome well
• Probiotic bacteria require dietary fibers and polyphenols
  • Humans do not have the enzymes to digest dietary fibers and polyphenols
  • When dietary fibers and polyphenols reach the colon, they are the food for probiotic bacteria
• A dysregulated gut microbiome has too many bad bacteria
  • Too many bad bacteria cause gut inflammation
  • Inflammation causes the production of zonulin
  • Leaky gut leads to systemic long-term chronic inflammation
• The importance of probiotic bacteria diversity
• A healthy microbiome has a base level that's just slightly acidic
• Pendulum
• Boundless Cookbook by Ben Greenfield
• Ross’s salad buzz on YouTube

-Ross’s course…1:08:41

• Free copy of the book – Dr. Ohhira's Probiotics & Postbiotic Metabolites by Ross Pelton
• Dr. Alessio Fasano discovered Zonulin
• Essential Formulas imports Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics from Japan
• The advantages of Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotcs
• Who is Dr. Ohhira?
  • A Buddhist monk
  • Left the monastery and became a landscape architect
  • In Malaysia, ingested some bad food and got violently ill
  • The shaman gave him something, and he got better
  • He discovered it was locally fermented Malaysian fruits and vegetables
  • He became interested, and at age 49, he went back to school and got a degree in microbiology
  • Developed Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics
• Ross’s website – www.naturalpharmacist.net
• Go to http://naturalpharmacist.net/consulting for a Comprehensive Life Extension consultation with Ross. Mention Ben’s podcast for a $100 discount