As noted above, many antioxidants are essential nutrients. Natural antioxidants, such as vitamin C and E, work synergistically. Antioxidants may be more effective if they are obtained from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Nutritionists recommend eating 6 or more daily servings of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. Everyone agrees that the use of antioxidant supplements to combat aging can be helpful, but there is disagreement on what the most effective supplement doses should be.
Anti-aging medicine recognizes that stress of all kinds causes aging, but has not yet developed an individualized treatment for it. There are countless sources of internal and external stress, and individual stress levels vary widely. An overlooked cause of internal stress is inadequate hydration. Water is essential for the proper functioning of many internal functions. Too little or too much water causes age-producing stress. When one is older (over 80 years), the perception of thirst decreases and dehydration can easily set in. Other overlooked sources of stress are the antioxidants themselves. High doses (or doses above certain amounts not yet specified) of supplemental antioxidants are a known cause of stress.
To be useful, antioxidant supplements must prevent stress other than the stress they create. Knowing the correct dosages of supplements that can do this is an essential part of anti-aging treatment. A healthy young man in his twenties, who is well nourished, will have less internal stress than an older individual in his sixties. For a young person, lower amounts of antioxidants may be safer than higher amounts. An older person, whose many internal homeostatic mechanisms are less able to deal with internal stress, may benefit more from higher amounts of antioxidants. In theory, a course of antioxidant-based anti-aging treatment will slow the rate at which cell damage occurs. The cells will “get sick” more slowly. Over time, as fewer diseased cells are replaced at a slower rate, the number of cells retaining longer telomere chains will be greater. So you can reasonably expect this to result in an increase in life expectancy. For now, the recommended but imprecise approach to slowing the rate at which cell damage occurs is to increase your daily intake of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, slightly increase your intake of antioxidants, and take various vitamins and small amounts of antioxidants. -aging supplements on a daily basis. A study has shown that taking a good multivitamin supplement is associated with increased telomere length.
Ideally, antiaging treatment should be tailored for each individual. The key here would be to measure and minimize the cumulative effects of different types of stress individually. Easily measurable practical biomarkers for various types of stress do not yet exist or are not used. When used, it will be easy to customize individual doses of antioxidants so that everyone has “optimal” levels throughout their lives. “Optimal” levels would maintain a safe store of protective antioxidants in the body.
Below, I will briefly discuss the most popular nutrients associated with anti-aging. The most popular of the antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients often associated with good health and anti-aging include: beta-carotene (vitamin A), vitamin C, vitamin E, various flavonoids, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, Coenzyme Q10, Lycopene, Selenium.
There are dozens of supplements known to effectively treat the specific symptoms of old age. Some of the more well-known supplements include: DMAE, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, L-Carnosine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, DHEA, L-Arginine, and Melatonin.
Good food contains some of the antioxidants mentioned above. Some other popular foods associated with anti-aging include: green tea, turmeric, and red wine.
All of the above have unique biological properties and, in my opinion, are “good” if taken in small to moderate amounts. Some (for example, vitamin C) can also be “good” for you in large amounts. Various studies on each of these may conflict with each other. You have to carefully research each substance on your own, but researchers have already found several nutrients associated with longer-than-average telomere lengths. These include: green tea, omega-3s, vitamins A, C, D, and E.
Vitamin E has been associated with telomere lengthening anti-aging properties.
Green tea contains many antioxidants, including vitamin C, E, and flavonoids. Flavonoids form a large class of antioxidants (including catechins and quercetin) that have many anticancer, antihypercholesterolemic, antibacterial (helps prevent tooth decay), and anti-inflammatory properties. The leaves of the tea plant are rich in polyphenols. Consuming 3 or more cups of green tea per day has been associated with longer-than-average telomere length.
Omega-3s are long-chain essential polyunsaturated fatty acids that are anti-inflammatory and help prevent heart disease, stroke, memory loss, depression, arthritis, cataracts, and cancer. Omega-3s slow down the shortening of telomeres; that is, they can protect against aging at the cellular level.
Vitamin C is an abundant internal water-soluble antioxidant that protects cellular components against the formation of free radicals caused by pollution and cigarette smoke. Many studies have associated high vitamin C intake with lower rates of cancers of the mouth, larynx, and esophagus. Vitamin C has shown promise in treating premature aging and possibly aging itself.
Due to limitations in the number of links I can incorporate into this article, I was unable to provide additional reference links to support the preceding paragraphs. If you’re interested, email me at the email address shown at the bottom of this article and I’ll forward them to you.
The sooner you start some type of anti-aging treatment, the better, but it’s never too late to start. All real treatments will help you maintain a longer than average telomere chain.
The goal of the programmed death theory of aging is to address the root causes of aging. This goal includes attempts to slow or reverse the process of telomere shortening. Two of these treatments are: TA 65 and human genetic engineering.
TA 65 is a telomerase activator product produced and marketed by Sierra Sciences. The key ingredient in TA 65 is Astragalus, a plant extract known to have telomerase activating properties. The product may work but I do not recommend it for various reasons. TA 65 is too expensive for the average person. Several expensive resorts incorporate MT 65 in their programs. Again, these are financially out of reach for the average person. Many have questioned Sierra Sciences’ marketing tactics and lawsuits are pending against TA 65.
The big problem I have with TA 65 is one of scientific honesty. The company genetically modified mice that allowed telomerase to turn on and off at an early age. TA 65 was able to turn telomerase back on in these mice, allowing them to lead normal lives. http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101128/full/news.2010.635.html
Using this to show how effective TA65 treatment is is dishonest. This is not how telomerase normally works and there was no real lifespan extension beyond what it would have been without the genetic modification. In normal mice, the effects of TA65 were temporary and little or no prolongation of life was observed. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/04/11/anti-aging-pill-new-study-on-ta-65-sparks-controversy.html
Human genetic engineering is the real answer to fight and beat aging. You can directly address the root causes of aging. Advances in this area (eg CRISPR) allow DNA base pairs to be inserted or deleted at a specific location in our DNA. This means that the human genome can now be precisely edited as needed. The life expectancy of old mice has been modestly increased by telomerase gene therapy. In humans, gene modification therapy has been used frequently for various medical problems. On September 15, 2015, Elizabeth Parrish became the first person to undergo anti-aging gene therapy. Antiaging treatments will advance rapidly as our understanding of the specifics of the human genome grows.
Current general sociopolitical attitudes seem to be favoring further development of antiaging research. There are no internationally recognized political programs to stop aging or prolong life, but since 2012 some pro-immortality political parties have emerged. Its goal is to support anti-aging and life extension research, and to help provide access to advances in these areas for all. Among the many organizations that support anti-aging research, the organization SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence) has put forward an anti-aging research plan. They want to develop antiaging therapies to repair most forms of cell damage. SENS, is a charity organization. Any anti-aging breakthroughs that result from the funding you provide will be readily available public knowledge. In addition to the normal scientific research, there is the $1,000.00 Palo Alto Longevity Award that is offered to anyone who can come up with an effective anti-aging treatment.
As of 2015, all known anti-aging treatments are only partially effective. Depending on when a comprehensive anti-aging program is started, life can likely be extended by between 10 and 25 years. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health estimated that an anti-aging lifestyle can add 24.6 more productive years to lifespan. Anti-aging knowledge is increasing at a rate of about 10 times every 10 years. This likely means that for many of us there is more than enough time to reap the benefits anticipated in anti-aging research. One day soon, aging, like many other diseases, will be cured. While we wait for those anti-aging tech oddities to happen, the name of the game is making sure we stay healthy long enough to replicate their benefits.
