We often talk about the “Master Antioxidants” and “Glucose Disposal Agents” as the holy grail of longevity. But last week, I learned a humbling lesson: A Ferrari doesn’t need a restrictor plate. If you are an athlete with lean body mass and elite-level blood sugar, the very supplements designed to “fix” metabolism can actually break your recovery.
Here is the play-by-play of how I accidentally triggered a systemic metabolic crash.
…and that crash has taken me all week Monday-Sunday to recover from!
The Lead-Up to the Crash: High Performance, Low Fuel
Going into the weekend, my baseline was pristine. I’m currently maintaining a 86 mg/dL fasting glucose and an elite 111/48 blood pressure. My diet is a strict, low-carb Mediterranean-style protocol—high in healthy fats, lean proteins, and fibrous vegetables (and I was using DIM to regulate estrogen waste products).
- Saturday: Heavy Leg Day. High intensity, high CNS demand.
- Sunday: Back and Arms. Another high-volume session.
- The Gap: Sunday night through Monday, I transitioned into a fast.
By Tuesday, my glycogen stores were likely at “E.” I went for a gentle five-hole walk on the golf course—a walk that should have been recovery—and came back with body aches that felt like I’d just run a marathon.
The Wednesday Crash
Wednesday morning, the “Storm” hit. Full-body aches, chills, and a sudden 100° fever following a 20-minute nap. My body wasn’t sick with a virus; it was in a State of Emergency.
The Culprits: Breaking Down the 3-Part Stack
While fasting and training played a role, the “Perfect Storm” was fueled by a three-part supplement stack that acted as a metabolic anchor.
1. Berberine (The Glucose Sledgehammer)
Berberine is a potent AMPK activator—often called “natural Metformin.” Metformin is a known AMPK activator.
- The Side Effect: It tricks your cells into thinking they are starving. Because my glucose was already at 86, the Berberine likely pushed me into a “floor” where my brain and muscles had zero available fuel. It effectively “locked” my energy stores during a fast.
2. DIM (The Estrogen Traffic Controller)
At 300mg, DIM aggressively shifts how your body metabolizes estrogen.
- The Side Effect: Rapid shifts in estrogen can cause temperature dysregulation (the “hot flashes” and chills) and joint achiness. When your calories are low, these hormonal shifts feel 10x more intense.
3. NMN (The Mitochondrial Redline)
NMN boosts NAD+ to rev up your cellular engines.
- The Side Effect: You can’t rev an engine with an empty fuel tank. By driving mitochondrial activity while my blood sugar was floored, I likely created significant oxidative stress, leading to that deep, “fasting-style” systemic ache.
Supplements In This Stack
*Links are Amazon affiliate links to support this blog. I’m not sponsored to promote these product, just sharing my experience with them.
NMN Paired With TMG
DIM
Again nutricost, but I found it at Walmart randomly on clearance for $3.
One Lingering Pain: The Eyes
Strangely, after the Wednesday total meltdown, my eyes are sore. This felt less like a pressure headache and more like a physical “stretching” sensation.
- The pain was specifically triggered by rotating the eyes to their extremes.
- Six muscles control eye movement and, like larger muscles, they require ATP and stable glucose to function.
Here’s what I learned:
- “Ocular DOMS”: During the hypoglycemic “floor,” these fine muscles likely experienced the same energy depletion as your quads, resulting in delayed soreness.
- CNS Recalibration: While your larger muscles refilled with glycogen quickly, the fine motor control of the eyes took longer to stabilize after the autonomic shock.
The adrenaline spike (indicated by the 100° fever) causes the ciliary muscles to overwork. I had no other symptoms, this was not a typical pressure headache associated with allergies or congestion.
Because the ache only occurred during rotation, it pointed toward a mechanical “tugging” on the muscles or the optic nerve’s protective casing rather than internal cranial pressure.
The Variables and Lessons I Learned
| Variable | The Reality | The Lesson |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery | Muscle soreness lasted 4 days instead of 1. | AMPK vs. mTOR: You cannot build muscle (mTOR) while chemically forcing your body into a “starvation” state (AMPK). |
| The Fever | A 100° spike that vanished in 20 minutes. | The Adrenaline Rescue: When glucose drops too low, the body fires an adrenaline flare to pull sugar from the liver. That “heat” was a survival response. |
| The Cure | A high-carb, high-calorie Wednesday. | Fuel is Medicine: My “aches” vanished within 24 hours of refilling my glycogen tanks. |
The Kyle Hansen Takeaway: Context is Everything
Most people take Berberine because they are insulin resistant. Most people take NMN because they are sedentary and sluggish.
If you are already lean, already have an 86 glucose, and already training heavy, you are not “most people.” This stack was trying to “fix” a metabolism that was already winning. The result was a systemic shutdown. I’ve since stopped the daily stack and returned to my baseline. The lesson? Your body is an incredibly fine-tuned instrument. Before you add a new “bio-hack,” make sure you aren’t accidentally putting a “brake” on your own recovery.
Stay Optimized, Stay Informed.
— Kyle Hansen
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