Variability Question

[Timothy Caron]

The whole point of Variability is that we have a hard time predicting outcomes from interventions because of the simple fact we are complex adaptive organisms. We cannot predict how someone will react to increasing/decreasing calories or macronutrients. However, if we increase the variability of the system, it increases our bandwidth to adapt to interventions and increasing the likely hood of success.

From a scientific perspective, is the idea of variability of systems (endocrine, cardiovascular, immune, nervous) the best way to increase the likelihood of success from any change to diet and/or lifestyle?

[Corey Hobbs]

I think variability as a whole is a good strategy in increasing the likelihood of success. If we’re increasing variability, we’re building a robustness that previously wasn’t present. The ability to tolerate different stressors is a big factor in success. I like the HR example you use a lot. If my RHR is 70/80 bpm and my max is 190, there’s not a lot of bandwidth to work in there. But if I’m 50bpm resting, there’s a lot more bandwidth to work with. We could even look at the interplay between the systems. High RHR probably has a low HRV leading to a reduced tolerance to handle stress, reduced immune function, inability to recover from a nervous system standpoint. If we can improve the variability of these systems, the way they interact with each other is likely going to be better as well.

[Corey Hobbs]

I think variability as a whole is a good strategy in increasing the likelihood of success. If we’re increasing variability, we’re building a robustness that previously wasn’t present. The ability to tolerate different stressors is a big factor in success. I like the HR example you use a lot. If my RHR is 70/80 bpm and my max is 190, there’s not a lot of bandwidth to work in there. But if I’m 50bpm resting, there’s a lot more bandwidth to work with. We could even look at the interplay between the systems. High RHR probably has a low HRV leading to a reduced tolerance to handle stress, reduced immune function, inability to recover from a nervous system standpoint. If we can improve the variability of these systems, the way they interact with each other is likely going to be better as well.

[Timothy Caron]

That was the hope from that module, if we have these markers in a better spot can we handle more stress? Lowered HRV or Elevated RHR would mean we are stressed in some way and we are not as capable of handing stress in a meaningful way. Alternatively if those metrics are better we can handle stress more effectively, so that would lead to increased variability.

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