Kidney Tests - Cystatin C and Creatinine

[nothuman]

@ NotHuman - thoughts? Is this one of those tests we want mid range or as low as possible? Sounds like the latter.

As low as possible within the lab range

 

[whacked]

As low as possible within the lab range

Uggg. Not good for me.
Thank you

 

[MouthBreather1982]

I need to restock on kidney assist xt. I kind of want to run it right after I do bloodwork and then go back for more bloodwork to see if my numbers are better afterwards.

Quick Draw​

Where is bought?

 

[MouthBreather1982]

My Cystatin-C was 0.65 when I measured it, so I was thrilled.

You guys can talk about Astragalus all you want and I agree it seems good, but any serious kidney health protocol must include an SGLT2 inhibitor like Empagliflozin/Jardiance. If you aren’t taking this, you’re not taking your kidney health seriously enough as a bodybuilder.

It is one of the biggest breakthroughs for kidney health in 30 years, as the author of the below study said.

This brand new study here included Empagliflozin, an ARB/ACE BP med, and an aldosterone inhibitor

Significant benefit seen in Phase III trial of experimental drug for kidney disease

In a clinical trial of patients with chronic kidney disease, an experimental drug significantly reduced albuminuria—albumin in urine, a sign of kidney damage—for 50% of participants. When the experimental drug was paired with a standard-care medication, 70% of participants reportedly experienced...

medicalxpress.com

can you dumb this down for me

 

[whacked]

Little help please?

I’m confused by my results

My regular eGFR came in at a crappy
at 67.

But I also tested my Cystatin C (same blood draw) and it was “ok” at 0.94 (0.52-1.23) and this gave me an eGFR of 87.

I was pleased for the most part as my eGFR has been mehhh for years.

Other variables:
BUN 16 (7-25)
Creatinine 1.28 (0.7-1.3)

My question/concern:
I assume this was good news for me because I also assumed Cystatin was a better tool for kidney function - until I googled “why is my cystatin c higher than my egfr”

And got this ……

A higher cystatin C level compared to your eGFR indicates that your cystatin C test may be suggesting a lower level of kidney function than what is estimated by your eGFR, potentially signifying early signs of kidney damage, especially when combined with other clinical factors; this can occur because cystatin C is less affected by muscle mass than creatinine, which is used to calculate eGFR, and may be more sensitive to subtle changes in kidney function, particularly in certain populations like the elderly or those with low muscle mass.

Key points to remember:

• Muscle mass impact:
  Creatinine levels can be influenced by muscle mass, so someone with low muscle mass might have a seemingly normal creatinine level even if their kidney function is declining, while cystatin C is less affected by this factor.
  
  
• Early detection potential:
  A higher cystatin C level compared to eGFR could indicate early stages of kidney disease that might not be picked up by creatinine alone.
  
  
• Other factors:
  Factors like age, ethnicity, and certain medical conditions can also influence the discrepancy between cystatin C and eGFR.

What to do:

• Consult your doctor:
  If your cystatin C is significantly higher than your eGFR, talk to your doctor to discuss the implications and whether further testing is needed to fully assess your kidney function.
• Consider other markers:
  Your doctor might consider additional tests to confirm kidney function, including urine protein testing or other kidney function markers.

 

[Flex500]

Little help please?

I’m confused by my results

My regular eGFR came in at a crappy
at 67.

But I also tested my Cystatin C (same blood draw) and it was “ok” at 0.94 (0.52-1.23) and this gave me an eGFR of 87.

I was pleased for the most part as my eGFR has been mehhh for years.

Other variables:
BUN 16 (7-25)
Creatinine 1.28 (0.7-1.3)

My question/concern:
I assume this was good news for me because I also assumed Cystatin was a better tool for kidney function - until I googled “why is my cystatin c higher than my egfr”

And got this ……

A higher cystatin C level compared to your eGFR indicates that your cystatin C test may be suggesting a lower level of kidney function than what is estimated by your eGFR, potentially signifying early signs of kidney damage, especially when combined with other clinical factors; this can occur because cystatin C is less affected by muscle mass than creatinine, which is used to calculate eGFR, and may be more sensitive to subtle changes in kidney function, particularly in certain populations like the elderly or those with low muscle mass.

Key points to remember:

• Muscle mass impact:
  Creatinine levels can be influenced by muscle mass, so someone with low muscle mass might have a seemingly normal creatinine level even if their kidney function is declining, while cystatin C is less affected by this factor.
  
  
• Early detection potential:
  A higher cystatin C level compared to eGFR could indicate early stages of kidney disease that might not be picked up by creatinine alone.
  
  
• Other factors:
  Factors like age, ethnicity, and certain medical conditions can also influence the discrepancy between cystatin C and eGFR.

What to do:

• Consult your doctor:
  If your cystatin C is significantly higher than your eGFR, talk to your doctor to discuss the implications and whether further testing is needed to fully assess your kidney function.
• Consider other markers:
  Your doctor might consider additional tests to confirm kidney function, including urine protein testing or other kidney function markers.

Well you have to remember your eGFR is just a math equation, it isn't an actual measure of anything. I'm not saying it's useless, obviously the measures that go into the math equation can be an indication of kidney function.

First, your creatinine is quite good and normal and sounds like it's stable over many years...that's good.

You can use this calculator to take into account cys-c and creat https://www.kidney.org/professionals/gfr_calculator . You can also take into account body surface area.

 

[whacked]

Well you have to remember your eGFR is just a math equation, it isn't an actual measure of anything. I'm not saying it's useless, obviously the measures that go into the math equation can be an indication of kidney function.

First, your creatinine is quite good and normal and sounds like it's stable over many years...that's good.

You can use this calculator to take into account cys-c and creat https://www.kidney.org/professionals/gfr_calculator . You can also take into account body surface area.

Super helpful Flex

Thank you very much!

 

[VakarianSK]

It’s a rain forest herb. Stuff works miracles as I’ve seen over the years. There’s a few others, but that one alone is the most effective in active kidney situations in my experience.

Curious as to if you still use and or recommend this? Whether as a treatment for existing problems or as a general health and kidney disease preventative?

 

[bbxtreme]

Curious as to if you still use and or recommend this? Whether as a treatment for existing problems or as a general health and kidney disease preventative?

I do still use it daily as its benefits for kidney and liver are outstanding. Is it as good as TUDCA or Astragalus? No. Not unless you have active kidney stones. But is very beneficial if you can use it in conjunction with those two items.

 

[VakarianSK]

I do still use it daily as its benefits for kidney and liver are outstanding. Is it as good as TUDCA or Astragalus? No. Not unless you have active kidney stones. But is very beneficial if you can use it in conjunction with those two items.

Cool thanks I think I'm going to look into it, do you have a specific brand or dose to take?

 

[bbxtreme]

Cool thanks I think I'm going to look into it, do you have a specific brand or dose to take?

Nutricost would be fine to use on this and the most inexpensive. It’s 900mg per tablet which is plenty for daily use for kidney and liver support.

 

[nothuman]

Just to let you know how bad of a test eGFR is, I got labs pulled twice in a day (long story, it wasn’t on purpose, but got some interesting data out of it).

It was 111 in the early afternoon and then 94 about 3 hours later. That’s a huge variance in just a few hours with a meal (and some supplements) in between.

Two months ago, it was in the 70s first thing in the morning.

It’s a complete joke to use eGFR as the defacto measure of kidney health.

 

[nothuman]

 

[BIGNUTZ]

Just curious, is there any aas that is safe to take with stage 3 ckd? Will just test make my kidney function worse?

 

[whacked]

Just curious, is there any aas that is safe to take with stage 3 ckd? Will just test make my kidney function worse?

I don’t know but IN for replies from the smart crowd.

Tren is nephrotoxic so not wise. Anavar may be an issue as it is metabolized in the kidneys (not sure I buy this in total).

I will add some common sense advice related to general kidney health. No matter what gear you use or not, I’d also focus on the basics:

1. Reducing oxalates. They are just plain nasty and I am not just referring to oxalate stones.
2. Keep a healthy blood glucose / insulin sensitive status.
3. Astragalus (Vitamin Shoppe brand), should be staple.
4. Remain hydrated.
5. There are opposing arguments on protein intake. Newer research espouses adequate protein intake.
6. Get your cardio in.
7. Keep your blood pressure in healthy ranges.
8. Keep the edema down
9. Synthetic dyes in foods are problematic for kidneys.
10. Avoid NSAIDS. These are kidney-killers.

Check out this thread for other helpful hints.

Kidney Supps

So as some of y’all have read Covid vaccine and Covid killed 40% of my kidneys they say the term they referred to is 40% of arthrosclerosis that’s via kidney biopsy my EGFR is hovering right around 30 sometimes it goes down to 24 sometimes it goes up to 30. I’ve dropped about 50 pounds a good...

www.professionalmuscle.com

 

[BIGNUTZ]

Thanks for the reply. I do agree and are taking care of all those things listed and my numbers are getting a little better. I'm off everything at the moment and was hoping that I could still go back on some kind of Injectable. I've ruled out ever going back on orals, it would just such if my days of any aas were over.

 

[VakarianSK]

I don’t know but IN for replies from the smart crowd.

Tren is nephrotoxic so not wise. Anavar may be an issue as it is metabolized in the kidneys (not sure I buy this in total).

I will add some common sense advice related to general kidney health. No matter what gear you use or not, I’d also focus on the basics:

1. Reducing oxalates. They are just plain nasty and I am not just referring to oxalate stones.
2. Keep a healthy blood glucose / insulin sensitive status.
3. Astragalus (Vitamin Shoppe brand), should be staple.
4. Remain hydrated.
5. There are opposing arguments on protein intake. Newer research espouses adequate protein intake.
6. Get your cardio in.
7. Keep your blood pressure in healthy ranges.
8. Keep the edema down
9. Synthetic dyes in foods are problematic for kidneys.
10. Avoid NSAIDS. These are kidney-killers.

Check out this thread for other helpful hints.

Kidney Supps

So as some of y’all have read Covid vaccine and Covid killed 40% of my kidneys they say the term they referred to is 40% of arthrosclerosis that’s via kidney biopsy my EGFR is hovering right around 30 sometimes it goes down to 24 sometimes it goes up to 30. I’ve dropped about 50 pounds a good...

www.professionalmuscle.com

I keep hearing that trend is nephrotoxic but I can never find actual evidence of this (not saying it isn't true). Is Trent directly nephrotoxic? Or is it a result of tren raising blood pressure or maybe causing mast cell activation syndrome resulting in kidney scarring from inflammation or maybe some other means?

Maybe people with alot of tren experience know like @luki7788 or some of the knowledgeable researchers on the board like @bbxtreme or @nothuman . I'd love to figure this out and get some kind of definitive answer if there is one.

 

[whacked]

Thanks for the reply. I do agree and are taking care of all those things listed and my numbers are getting a little better. I'm off everything at the moment and was hoping that I could still go back on some kind of Injectable. I've ruled out ever going back on orals, it would just such if my days of any aas were over.

This is merely my opinion and there are much smarter guys on this forum - but I would guess there are safe injectables used at safer doses alongside kidney friendly lifestyle choices (as outlined in previous post), that “may” be tried as long as you are diligent with getting and monitoring your labs.

Also, as NotHuman stated above, using a CystatinC vs eGFR to determine if you even have CKD to begin with (vs a PCP incorrectly diagnosing you); as well as for properly tracking kidney function if you have CKD, would be prudent.

 

[whacked]

I keep hearing that trend is nephrotoxic but I can never find actual evidence of this (not saying it isn't true). Is Trent directly nephrotoxic? Or is it a result of tren raising blood pressure or maybe causing mast cell activation syndrome resulting in kidney scarring from inflammation or maybe some other means?

Maybe people with alot of tren experience know like @luki7788 or some of the knowledgeable researchers on the board like @bbxtreme or @nothuman . I'd love to figure this out and get some kind of definitive answer if there is one.

Valid questions and to be fair/honest; I can’t recall reading any studies to substantiate these claims either. I’ve just seen it stated so many times that I’ve drank the Kool-Aid and it’s become gospel to me. Lol.

 

[nothuman]

I keep hearing that trend is nephrotoxic but I can never find actual evidence of this (not saying it isn't true). Is Trent directly nephrotoxic? Or is it a result of tren raising blood pressure or maybe causing mast cell activation syndrome resulting in kidney scarring from inflammation or maybe some other means?

Maybe people with alot of tren experience know like @luki7788 or some of the knowledgeable researchers on the board like @bbxtreme or @nothuman . I'd love to figure this out and get some kind of definitive answer if there is one.

I haven’t studied the kidney impact of tren enough to have a good answer for this, but tracking cystatin c on tren while managing blood pressure would be a good way to tell if something is happening to them.

As a personal anecdote, I was a big tren user in my mid 20s, going as high as 100mg per day for a very long duration of time, but my Cystatin C six months ago was 0.65, so it didn’t seem like any damage was done to my kidneys from that kind of abuse 10+ years ago. My heart is what got impacted instead from that period of time.