Quote from Carbon on July 3, 2019, 7:23 am

I'm over 6 months on low VA now. I can not recall all things that changed that quickly as progress is slow.
There are a few things I would like to report:

1. Looks like my hair is getting thicker and less grey.
2. Unfortunately my eyesight didn't improve yet; maybe I need to exercise bit more. Any hints are welcome. Yes I know I should get glasses.
3. No change in weight. I'm pretty lean with BMI 21 and estimated fat percentage of 7 & 8%. I certainly didn't got fatter.
4. The most surprising however are my cycling PR improvements on Strava last week. I'm 57 and at my age I should get 1% weaker each year. Last year in 2018 I did a lot of interval training and ate a lot of protein to get stronger. In June 2018 I went cycling in the Dolomite's (mountain stages) and due to the training that went reasonably well including steeper climbs like the Gavia (that was my primary objective). In fact it went better then 10 years ago. This year however (2019) I had almost no training as I had to do a lot at home. Nevertheless the less then optimal preparation I went to Dolomite's again this year. Same weather/same conditions. If you have ever climbed a steep hill with a bicycle you know you can not hide and it will give an accurate indication of your condition and power. First day I did the easy Sella round and passed so many other cyclists that I lost count. In the evening I uploaded my cyclingstats to Strava and saw that on each of the four climbs I had set new personal records. That pattern repeated the following days including on the steep Gavia. Overall my PR improvements were in average 5% compared to 2018. That sounds small but I can assure you this is impressing. Remember also I didn't train that hard as the year before and my age should also kick in. The only factor I can imagine for this is the low VA dieet.

   That is a bit supported on cellular level by this article.
   Citing: 'Vitamin A and its derivatives, the retinoids, disrupt mitochondrial function by a mechanism that is not completely understood. However, it accounts with impaired electron flux between the complexes of the METC, increased ROS production, and induction of oxidative and nitrosative stress to mitochondrial membranes. Additionally, vitamin A and retinoids alter the mitochondrial structure by causing swelling of the organelle. More investigations are needed to elucidate how vitamin A and retinoids affect mitochondria and whether there is a causative link between such event and the clinical manifestations observed both experimentally and in humans.'

For me it came as a nice surprise. So if you want to perform better in sports, try a low VA diet. Maybe it works for you as well.