Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and consistent skincare routine can help ward off the signs of aging, but sometimes a quick-fix solution is all you need to get through the day – especially if you’re feeling under the weather or your skin is looking more tired than usual.
While there’s no magic bullet for turning back the clock, there are a few ways to freshen up your skin and achieve a more youthful appearance. Here are just six anti-aging tips to help you look younger within 24 hours:
1: Plump Up Wrinkles with Retinoid Cream
Fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes and mouth can become more pronounced when you’re dehydrated, tired, or stressed. Dr. Susan Weinkle, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of South Florida explains how retinoids can have an impact on the skin. “It’s actually been shown quite beautifully by electron microscopy that the retinoids change the composition of the epidermis”, says Dr. Weinkle, and also recommends “if you can only choose two things, put on a sunscreen on in the morning and a retinoid at night.”. Retinoid-based creams can be found at the beauty counter and drugstore, and may be an ideal overnight treatment – especially after a stressful day. (Source: ExpertVillage.com)
2: Try Natural Makeup
Wearing too much makeup to cover up skin flaws can enhance wrinkles, especially if skin is loose or dehydrated. Wearing sheer or mineral makeup can help you achieve a more youthful look and radiant skin, so skip the heavy concealer and foundation in favor of a lighter makeup application when possible.
3: Drink Up!
Water, that is; dehydrated skin can make wrinkles and fine lines become much more pronounced and can leave you with a ruddy complexion. Drinking at least 8-12 glasses of water per day, and making sure you don’t go to bed thirsty can help keep your skin looking healthy the following day. Refrain from dehydrating drinks such as coffee or alcohol that can have a negative impact on your skin.
4: Hit the Pillow Early
Getting some beauty sleep isn’t a myth; a good night’s rest allows your body to restore itself and recover from the day’s stressors. When the body reaches a state of deep sleep, it releases the hormone melatonin, the essential hormone needed for cell restoration and recovery; this means damaged skin cells can be repaired or shuttled away if needed, and you wake up with healthier, vibrant-looking skin.
5: Eat a Light Meal for Dinner
Eating a heavy, unhealthy meal right before heading to bed can reduce the chances of a good night’s rest. When you don’t get enough quality sleep, you will feel and look tired the following day. Eating a light, well-balanced meal for dinner - one that includes healthy carbohydrate, lean protein and fresh vegetables – can help you relax naturally before bed and enjoy a good night’s sleep. By avoiding overtaxing the digestive system, your body can get to work on other priorities – muscle tissue and cellular repair.
6: Get a Detox Facial
A basic detoxifying facial at the day spa or medispa can help stimulate circulation in the face and neck area, smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, and give you a radiant glow the following day. Detoxifying facials can provide a deep cleanse and exfoliation of the skin, and you’ll see results immediately after the treatment, and the following day. Schedule a facial appointment anytime you need to de-stress and freshen up your appearance.
If you need a quick fix to improve tired-looking skin or liven up your complexion, any of these antiaging strategies can help you enjoy some benefits overnight. From retinoid creams to detox facials, you have options for looking your best – and shaving off a few years in the process.
Learn more about wrinkle treatments in our information guide, or consult with a medispa professional to learn more about simple antiaging strategies that can help you achieve healthier, younger looking skin with ease.
Source: http://www.locateadoc.com/articles.cfm/search/1651
Showing posts with label Anti-Aging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anti-Aging. Show all posts
Monday, August 4, 2008
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
What Type of Skin Do You Have?
Find out the difference between oily, normal, dry skin
There are five basic skin care types: Oily, combination, sensitive, dry and sun-damaged. Your skin type is determined by how much -- or how little -- oil your skin produces. Genes, diet, stress level, medication and even your skincare regimen all determine how much oil your skin produces.
Rona Berg, in her book, "Beauty the New Basics," details the five different skin types. Here's how to tell what skin type you have.
Berg suggests you take the "skin test." Wash your face, pat it dry, then take a few pieces of rice paper or lens-cleaning tissue paper and press on different spots on your face. If your skin is oily, the paper will stick, pick up oily spots and become translucent. If the paper doesn't stick or pick up any oily spots, your skin is dry. If it sticks in your t-zone (forehead, nose and chin) then you have combination (or normal) skin.
Here are the five different skin types and their characteristics.
* Type 1: Oily Oily skin tends to shiny with enlarged pores, and is prone to blackheads and blemishes. You might experience some tightness.
* Type 2: Combination/normal This skin type has medium pores, a smooth and even texture, good circulation, healthy color, may tend toward dryness on the cheeks while being oily in the t-zone.
* Type 3: Sensitive Sensitive skin tends to be thin, delicate with fine pores. It flushes easily, is prone to broken capillaries, is frequently allergic and can be rashy.
* Type 4: Dry Dry skin feels tight, especially after cleansing. You have a tendency towards fine wrinkles, flaking and red patches. In women of color, skin may appear ashy or dull from dead skin buildup.
* Type 5: Aging or sun-damaged This skin also feels tight with visible wrinkles, slack skin tone -- especially around the cheeks and jawline -- with leathery texture and broken capillaries.
Source
There are five basic skin care types: Oily, combination, sensitive, dry and sun-damaged. Your skin type is determined by how much -- or how little -- oil your skin produces. Genes, diet, stress level, medication and even your skincare regimen all determine how much oil your skin produces.
Rona Berg, in her book, "Beauty the New Basics," details the five different skin types. Here's how to tell what skin type you have.
Berg suggests you take the "skin test." Wash your face, pat it dry, then take a few pieces of rice paper or lens-cleaning tissue paper and press on different spots on your face. If your skin is oily, the paper will stick, pick up oily spots and become translucent. If the paper doesn't stick or pick up any oily spots, your skin is dry. If it sticks in your t-zone (forehead, nose and chin) then you have combination (or normal) skin.
Here are the five different skin types and their characteristics.
* Type 1: Oily Oily skin tends to shiny with enlarged pores, and is prone to blackheads and blemishes. You might experience some tightness.
* Type 2: Combination/normal This skin type has medium pores, a smooth and even texture, good circulation, healthy color, may tend toward dryness on the cheeks while being oily in the t-zone.
* Type 3: Sensitive Sensitive skin tends to be thin, delicate with fine pores. It flushes easily, is prone to broken capillaries, is frequently allergic and can be rashy.
* Type 4: Dry Dry skin feels tight, especially after cleansing. You have a tendency towards fine wrinkles, flaking and red patches. In women of color, skin may appear ashy or dull from dead skin buildup.
* Type 5: Aging or sun-damaged This skin also feels tight with visible wrinkles, slack skin tone -- especially around the cheeks and jawline -- with leathery texture and broken capillaries.
Source
4 Basic Skin Care Needs
by Julyne Derrick
Before we start with the proper daily 4-step skincare routine, you'll need to know your skin type. How you care for your skin is utterly dependent on the type of skin you have: oily, normal/combination, dry, sensitive or sun- damaged. Check out this article to determine what skin type you are.
The Basic 4-Step Skincare Regimen
* Step 1: Cleansing Simple is key here.
You need to find a good cleanser that your skin responds well to, and stick with it. (I list the best cleansers for skin types in this article ). Avoid soap at all costs. According to Rona Berg, in her book, 'Beauty,'a French cosmetics executive once told her 'soap should only ever touch your skin from the neck down.' Most cleansers contain oil, water & surfactants. The oil dissolves oil on your face, surfactants dissolve dirt & makeup & the water washes it all away. The secret is finding the right mix of oil. Too much on your skin will clog pores, while too little will dry it out. This is why you need to know your skin type.
Most women need only clean their faces at night. In the morning, a splash of lukewarm water is all you need. However, if you apply moisturizer at night, you will need to cleanse in the morning, too. Never wash your face with hot or cold water (both hot & cold water causes broken capillaries) & never go to bed with makeup on, you run the risk of clogging your pores. Also be careful about over-cleansing your skin.
Here's the best way to wash your face: Use warm water to loosen dirt & clogged pores. Use a dime-sized bit of cleanser & gently apply it in a circular motion, then rinse with cool water. Cool water tends to tighten the pores. You'll also want to take off your makeup with a proper makeup remover.
* Step 2: Exfoliate 'The most important thing you can do for bright, glowing skin is gentle daily exfoliation,' Katie Rodan, clinical assistant professor at Stanford University, said in Allure's April 2005 issue. 'Not weekly, daily. Do it in the shower every morning, a routine like brushing your teeth.'
Every 3 weeks, skin cells are replenished, meaning new skin cells make their way up from the lowest level of the epidermis. The secret to exfoliating is to make way for new skin cells by getting rid of dead skin cells. Removing dead skin cells helps give your skin a youthful, fresh appearance not only because new skin cells are fresh & plump, but because getting rid of the dead skin allows your skin to absorb moisturizer more readily. Exfoliation is the step most people skip in their daily skincare routine. But trust me, if you start properly exfoliating your skin, you will notice an almost immediate difference.
So how much should you exfoliate? If you have oily or combination skin, you'll need to exfoliate 4 or 5 times a week, after you cleanse. If you have dry skin or sensitive skin, it's recommended that you exfoliate once or twice a week. You'll actually need to exfoliate more in summer & any hot months because sweat acts like glue & will cause your dead skin cells to stick together and coat your skin. Many women with mature or sun-damaged skin (a sure sign: wrinkles) have turned to different types of hydroxies which act as deep exfoliants. According to Berg, one of the reasons men's skin looks more youthful than women's is because men tend to exfoliate daily when they shave.
Should you use a toner? Some people swear by toners, but many beauty experts do not. Toners are meant to remove all remaining traces of oil, makeup & dirt, but a good cleanser should do this. So go ahead, skip it & save money. Turns out only copy machines really need toner.
* Step 3: Moisturize A basic law of beauty is that everyone, no matter her skin type, should moisturize. Even if your skin is oily, it will benefit from moisturizers. (The only exception is those with acne). Why? Moisturizers attract moisture & draw it into the skin. They also seal in moisture (Berg calls this the 'Saran Wrap effect') & plump skin cells. So how much should you moisturize? Your skin will tell you. When your skin is tight, it's crying out for moisture. Be careful not to overmoisturize -- this can cause pore-clogging. For the skinny on great moisturizers for your skin type, check out this article.
Are eye creams necessary? Well maybe. Some beauty experts strongly recommend eye creams. Why? The skin around the eye contains no fatty tissue and is therefore very thin & susceptible to wrinkles. Special eye creams are formulated to 'thicken' this area & keep it sturdy. Yet others claim your daily lotion works around the eyes just as well.
Step 4: Apply sunscreen The #1 cause of wrinkles is sun damage, so it's important to use sunscreen from your early years on even in winter & on cloudy days. A great trick is to purchase 2 moisturizers: one for nighttime & one for daytime that includes UV protection. Don't use moisturizers with sunscreen at night, the ingredients are not meant to be used 27/7 & can aggravate the skin. When choosing a sunscreen, make sure it contains 1 of 3 ingredients as an 'active ingredient': titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or Parsol 1789 (avobenzene).
Source
The right (& wrong) ways to cleanse, moisturize & exfoliate your skin
You probably learned in school that your skin is your body's largest organ. What you probably weren't taught is how to properly care for your skin. The truth is no matter your age or skin type, the minute you start taking care of your skin -- keeping it clean, nourished & pampered -- it will respond in gratitude & you will reap the benefits. Here I show you tips on how to properly care for your skin, from the right way to wash your face, to the best moisturizers & UV protection.Before we start with the proper daily 4-step skincare routine, you'll need to know your skin type. How you care for your skin is utterly dependent on the type of skin you have: oily, normal/combination, dry, sensitive or sun- damaged. Check out this article to determine what skin type you are.
The Basic 4-Step Skincare Regimen
* Step 1: Cleansing Simple is key here.
You need to find a good cleanser that your skin responds well to, and stick with it. (I list the best cleansers for skin types in this article ). Avoid soap at all costs. According to Rona Berg, in her book, 'Beauty,'a French cosmetics executive once told her 'soap should only ever touch your skin from the neck down.' Most cleansers contain oil, water & surfactants. The oil dissolves oil on your face, surfactants dissolve dirt & makeup & the water washes it all away. The secret is finding the right mix of oil. Too much on your skin will clog pores, while too little will dry it out. This is why you need to know your skin type.
Most women need only clean their faces at night. In the morning, a splash of lukewarm water is all you need. However, if you apply moisturizer at night, you will need to cleanse in the morning, too. Never wash your face with hot or cold water (both hot & cold water causes broken capillaries) & never go to bed with makeup on, you run the risk of clogging your pores. Also be careful about over-cleansing your skin.
Here's the best way to wash your face: Use warm water to loosen dirt & clogged pores. Use a dime-sized bit of cleanser & gently apply it in a circular motion, then rinse with cool water. Cool water tends to tighten the pores. You'll also want to take off your makeup with a proper makeup remover.
* Step 2: Exfoliate 'The most important thing you can do for bright, glowing skin is gentle daily exfoliation,' Katie Rodan, clinical assistant professor at Stanford University, said in Allure's April 2005 issue. 'Not weekly, daily. Do it in the shower every morning, a routine like brushing your teeth.'
Every 3 weeks, skin cells are replenished, meaning new skin cells make their way up from the lowest level of the epidermis. The secret to exfoliating is to make way for new skin cells by getting rid of dead skin cells. Removing dead skin cells helps give your skin a youthful, fresh appearance not only because new skin cells are fresh & plump, but because getting rid of the dead skin allows your skin to absorb moisturizer more readily. Exfoliation is the step most people skip in their daily skincare routine. But trust me, if you start properly exfoliating your skin, you will notice an almost immediate difference.
So how much should you exfoliate? If you have oily or combination skin, you'll need to exfoliate 4 or 5 times a week, after you cleanse. If you have dry skin or sensitive skin, it's recommended that you exfoliate once or twice a week. You'll actually need to exfoliate more in summer & any hot months because sweat acts like glue & will cause your dead skin cells to stick together and coat your skin. Many women with mature or sun-damaged skin (a sure sign: wrinkles) have turned to different types of hydroxies which act as deep exfoliants. According to Berg, one of the reasons men's skin looks more youthful than women's is because men tend to exfoliate daily when they shave.
Should you use a toner? Some people swear by toners, but many beauty experts do not. Toners are meant to remove all remaining traces of oil, makeup & dirt, but a good cleanser should do this. So go ahead, skip it & save money. Turns out only copy machines really need toner.
* Step 3: Moisturize A basic law of beauty is that everyone, no matter her skin type, should moisturize. Even if your skin is oily, it will benefit from moisturizers. (The only exception is those with acne). Why? Moisturizers attract moisture & draw it into the skin. They also seal in moisture (Berg calls this the 'Saran Wrap effect') & plump skin cells. So how much should you moisturize? Your skin will tell you. When your skin is tight, it's crying out for moisture. Be careful not to overmoisturize -- this can cause pore-clogging. For the skinny on great moisturizers for your skin type, check out this article.
Are eye creams necessary? Well maybe. Some beauty experts strongly recommend eye creams. Why? The skin around the eye contains no fatty tissue and is therefore very thin & susceptible to wrinkles. Special eye creams are formulated to 'thicken' this area & keep it sturdy. Yet others claim your daily lotion works around the eyes just as well.
Step 4: Apply sunscreen The #1 cause of wrinkles is sun damage, so it's important to use sunscreen from your early years on even in winter & on cloudy days. A great trick is to purchase 2 moisturizers: one for nighttime & one for daytime that includes UV protection. Don't use moisturizers with sunscreen at night, the ingredients are not meant to be used 27/7 & can aggravate the skin. When choosing a sunscreen, make sure it contains 1 of 3 ingredients as an 'active ingredient': titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or Parsol 1789 (avobenzene).
Source
Facial Skin Care Treatment
To rejuvenate aging skin, start with the basics...
A good facial skin care regime!
A good facial skin care regime!
Effective facial skin care treatment for aging skin can be quite a challenge. As we begin to see our skin age, we notice that a variety of changes are gradually occurring.
Over time, the changes in our skin's appearance become more and more apparent, even as we seek out a miracle solution that will reverse all those horrid signs of aging.
The signs of facial aging can gradually sneak up on us, rapidly becoming more numerous and alarmingly varied with each passing day.
They can start with that furrow between the eyes that gradually continues to deepen, or the development of the fine lines, or "crow's feet", that begin to radiate out from the corners of our eyes.
The next sign of aging that randomly begins to appear are those brown age spots that seem to blossom in patches. Not to mention the fine lines that resemble an accordion that begin to circle our mouths with those ever expanding "laugh lines" that gradually deepen into significant wrinkles.
The generalized "ruddy" red, splotchy complexion can be another facial aging attribute that can send us all embarking (or stampeding) on an eternal search for the definitive answer to the age-old questions, "What are the most effective treatments for aging facial skin care, and what are the best skin rejuvenation strategies?" Well . . .
The Skin Care e-Learning and Resource Center has come to your rescue!
As it ages, skin gradually undergoes changes that become quite apparent and readily visible in our complexion. As our metabolism slows down and circulation becomes more sluggish the skin gets short changed on the nutrients it needs to stay young and vibrant looking.
Skin begins to sag, becomes much drier and begins to lose its elasticity. As you may have already noticed, aging also significantly slows down the skin's ability to heal itself. Even small blemishes seem to take longer and longer to go away.
Then there are highly charged oxygen molecules called "free radicals", which make a significant contribution to the deterioration of the skin's condition. The presence of free radicals, which typically occur as the result of too much sun, environmental pollutants, a poor diet, smoking and stress accelerates the skin's aging process.
Fortunately, free radicals can be neutralized by antioxidants which are found in many of the components of skin rejuvenation products. But in order to keep free radicals and their adverse effects contained, good facial skin care means that using sunscreen on a daily basis is essential; antioxidants just can't do it alone.
And, in case that's not enough, aging skin is also affected by changes with the gradual decrease in the production of elastin and collagen which adversely affect the skin's plumpness and suppleness. The skin's firmness deteriorates which contributes to the sagging that begins to occur, allowing those dreaded wrinkles to start to appear, seemingly with wild abandon.
Bear in mind that stress, smoking, sun, insufficient sleep, excessive alcohol, lack of exercise, and poor diet all have a profoundly negative impact on the health of your skin. Some of the major characteristics that all these activities have in common is wrinkle acceleration, along with providing an encouraging environment for the birth of brown spots and for the drying and sagging of skin to occur!
Add all these skin damaging factors together and a good corrective action plan is in order, a simple yet effect rejuvenating facial skin care treatment regime.
Source
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Anti-Aging Therapies
DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION IN "ANTI-AGING NUTRIENTS" IS NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN. ANYONE SEEKING TO TAKE ANY OF THE NUTRIENTS DISCUSSED IN THIS SECTION, OR ANYWHERE ON THE LIFE EXTENSION FOUNDATION'S WEB SITE, SHOULD ONLY DO SO UNDER THE CARE OF A PHYSICIAN OR OTHER HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL.
ANTI-AGING NUTRIENTS is your guide to nutrients which have been proposed to have a positive effect on slowing down human aging. Short reviews of these nutrients are included in this section.
Of the various approaches to slow down the aging process, calorie restriction is considered the gold standard. As the Life Extension Foundation enters its twenty-fifth year, the scientific community, the government, and even the news media are slowly recognizing that our concept of extending life is in fact technically feasible. This change in perception represents an enormous transformation in how humans view their role in the universe. Although none of the therapies in this section have been proven to retard aging, there is suggestive scientific evidence that they significantly suppress damaging free radical and inflammatory reactions that are linked to underlying aging processes.
Anti-Aging Therapies
Table of Contents
* Aspirin
* DHEA
* Melatonin
* Acetyl-L-Carnitine Arginate
* Coenzyme Q10
* Lipoic Acid
* Carnosine
* Green Tea Extract
* Fish Oil
* Folic Acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12
* Nexrutine and 5-Loxin
* L-Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine
* Pregnenolone
* Testosterone
* Estrogen And Progesterone
* Calorie Restriction
Couple
Aspirin
The most common cause of disability and death in the United States is an abnormal clot that develops inside an artery to cause a heart attack (blocked blood vessel in the heart), or a stroke (blocked blood vessel in the brain). Aspirin has an immediate and lasting effect on blood platelets, making them less likely to clump together and making blood flow smoothly.
DHEA
Muscle DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is an adrenal hormone that is the precursor for steroid hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. DHEA declines precipitously with advancing age in both men and women. In 1981, the Life Extension Foundation introduced DHEA(dehydroepiandrosterone) to its members through an article that described the multiple benefits that this hormone might produce. However, the general public did not learn about DHEA until 1996, when the benefits of DHEA were touted by the news media and in several popular books. DHEA became credible to the medical establishment when the New York Academy of Sciences published a book entitled DHEA and Aging. This book provided scientific validation for the many life extending effects of DHEA.
Melatonin
SleepMelatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is located beneath the brain. Melatonin is a highly potent antioxidant, which has been described as the pacemaker of the aging clock in humans. It is released every night as part of our time-dependent biorhythms to help induce sleep and recuperation from fatigue. Published studies indicate the importance of maintaining youthful levels of melatonin to help protect against age-related degenerative diseases.
Acetyl-L-Carnitine Arginate
The amino acid acetyl-L-carnitine boosts mitochondrial energy production through its ability to facilitate fatty acid transport and oxidation in the cell. Since 1995, Life Extension members have been supplementing with acetyl-L-carnitine and deriving the many benefits this form of carnitine has shown in published studies. With the discovery of acetyl-L-carnitine arginate the benefits of acetyl-L-carnitine can now be greatly augmented. Acetyl-L-Carnitine Arginate is a patented form of carnitine that stimulates the growth of neurites in the brain. Studies show that acetyl-l-carnitine-arginate stimulates the growth of new neurites by an astounding 19.5% (as much as Nerve Growth Factor itself). Acetyl-l-carnitine-arginate acts together with acetyl-l-carnitine to increase neurite outgrowth
CoupleCoenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an essential component of healthy mitochondrial function. It is incorporated into cells’ mitochondria throughout the body where it facilitates and regulates the oxidation of fats and sugars into energy. Aging humans have been found to have over 50% less CoQ10 on average compared to that of young adults. This finding makes CoQ10 one of the most important nutrients for people over 30 to supplement with. About 95% of cellular energy is produced in the mitochondria. The mitochondria are the cells “energy powerhouses” and many maladies have been referred to as “mitochondrial disorders.” A growing body of scientific research links a deficiency of CoQ10 to age-related mitochondrial disorders.
Lipoic Acid
Lipoic Acid is a highly potent antioxidant that counteracts reactive free radicals in the mitochondria, the power plants of cells where energy for all cellular activities is generated. Some scientists believe that mitochondrial free radicals play an important role in human aging, and have theorized that extra amounts of free-radical inhibiting compounds such as lipoic acid may be able to help slow aging. Lipoic acid is also effective in recycling other antioxidants such as Vitamin E back into their original form after they detoxify free radicals. There also is evidence that lipoic acid can reduce glycation damage due to excess glucose in the blood, which may be involved in aging. Lipoic acid consists of two different forms (isomers) that have vastly different properties. The “R” form is the biologically active component (native to the body) that is responsible for lipoic acid’s phenomenal antioxidant effect. The “S” form is produced from chemical manufacture and is not very biologically active.
Carnosine
Carnosine is a multifunctional dipeptide made up of a chemical combination of the amino acids beta-alanine and L-histidine. It is found both in food and in the human body. Long-lived cells such as nerve cells (neurons) and muscle cells (myocytes) contain high levels of carnosine. Muscle levels of carnosine correlate with the maximum life spans of animals. Carnosine levels decline with age. Muscle levels decline 63% from age 10 to age 70, which may account for the normal age-related decline in muscle mass and function. Since carnosine acts as a pH buffer, it can keep on protecting muscle cell membranes from oxidation under the acidic conditions of muscular exertion. Carnosine enables the heart muscle to contract more efficiently through enhancement of calcium response in heart myocytes. Aging causes irreversible damage to the body’s proteins. The underlying mechanism behind this damage is glycation. A simple definition of glycation is the cross-linking of proteins and sugars to form non-functioning structures in the body. The process of glycation can be superficially seen as unsightly wrinkled skin. Glycation is also an underlying cause of age-related catastrophes including the neurologic, vascular, and eye disorders. Carnosine is a unique dipeptide that interferes with the glycation process.
Green Tea Extract
What makes green tea extract such an important nutrient are the large volumes of published scientific findings that validate its multiple biological benefits. The most significant findings involve studies showing that green tea extract helps maintain cellular DNA and membrane structural integrity. Decades of research shows that green tea inhibits the development of undesirable cell colonies. The active constituents in green tea are powerful antioxidants called polyphenols (catechins) and flavonols. Several catechins are present in green tea and account for the bulk of favorable research reports. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most powerful of these catechins. EGCG functions as an antioxidant that is about 25-100 times more potent than vitamins C and E. One cup of green tea may provide 10-40 mg of polyphenols and has antioxidant effects that are greater than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots, or strawberries. Theoretically, the high antioxidant activity of green tea makes it beneficial for protecting the body from oxidative damage due to free radicals.
Fish Oil
Studies on omega-3 fatty acids are so impressive that an agency of the National Institutes of Health published a report stating that fish oil can help reduce deaths from heart disease. The FDA itself states supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may actually reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. There are several mechanisms attributed to fish oil’s beneficial effects. The latest government report cites the triglyceride-lowering effects of fish oil on reducing heart and blood vessel disorders. Another beneficial mechanism of fish oil is to protect healthy blood flow in arteries.
Source
ANTI-AGING NUTRIENTS is your guide to nutrients which have been proposed to have a positive effect on slowing down human aging. Short reviews of these nutrients are included in this section.
Of the various approaches to slow down the aging process, calorie restriction is considered the gold standard. As the Life Extension Foundation enters its twenty-fifth year, the scientific community, the government, and even the news media are slowly recognizing that our concept of extending life is in fact technically feasible. This change in perception represents an enormous transformation in how humans view their role in the universe. Although none of the therapies in this section have been proven to retard aging, there is suggestive scientific evidence that they significantly suppress damaging free radical and inflammatory reactions that are linked to underlying aging processes.
Anti-Aging Therapies
Table of Contents
* Aspirin
* DHEA
* Melatonin
* Acetyl-L-Carnitine Arginate
* Coenzyme Q10
* Lipoic Acid
* Carnosine
* Green Tea Extract
* Fish Oil
* Folic Acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12
* Nexrutine and 5-Loxin
* L-Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine
* Pregnenolone
* Testosterone
* Estrogen And Progesterone
* Calorie Restriction
Couple
Aspirin
The most common cause of disability and death in the United States is an abnormal clot that develops inside an artery to cause a heart attack (blocked blood vessel in the heart), or a stroke (blocked blood vessel in the brain). Aspirin has an immediate and lasting effect on blood platelets, making them less likely to clump together and making blood flow smoothly.
DHEA
Muscle DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is an adrenal hormone that is the precursor for steroid hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. DHEA declines precipitously with advancing age in both men and women. In 1981, the Life Extension Foundation introduced DHEA(dehydroepiandrosterone) to its members through an article that described the multiple benefits that this hormone might produce. However, the general public did not learn about DHEA until 1996, when the benefits of DHEA were touted by the news media and in several popular books. DHEA became credible to the medical establishment when the New York Academy of Sciences published a book entitled DHEA and Aging. This book provided scientific validation for the many life extending effects of DHEA.
Melatonin
SleepMelatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is located beneath the brain. Melatonin is a highly potent antioxidant, which has been described as the pacemaker of the aging clock in humans. It is released every night as part of our time-dependent biorhythms to help induce sleep and recuperation from fatigue. Published studies indicate the importance of maintaining youthful levels of melatonin to help protect against age-related degenerative diseases.
Acetyl-L-Carnitine Arginate
The amino acid acetyl-L-carnitine boosts mitochondrial energy production through its ability to facilitate fatty acid transport and oxidation in the cell. Since 1995, Life Extension members have been supplementing with acetyl-L-carnitine and deriving the many benefits this form of carnitine has shown in published studies. With the discovery of acetyl-L-carnitine arginate the benefits of acetyl-L-carnitine can now be greatly augmented. Acetyl-L-Carnitine Arginate is a patented form of carnitine that stimulates the growth of neurites in the brain. Studies show that acetyl-l-carnitine-arginate stimulates the growth of new neurites by an astounding 19.5% (as much as Nerve Growth Factor itself). Acetyl-l-carnitine-arginate acts together with acetyl-l-carnitine to increase neurite outgrowth
CoupleCoenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an essential component of healthy mitochondrial function. It is incorporated into cells’ mitochondria throughout the body where it facilitates and regulates the oxidation of fats and sugars into energy. Aging humans have been found to have over 50% less CoQ10 on average compared to that of young adults. This finding makes CoQ10 one of the most important nutrients for people over 30 to supplement with. About 95% of cellular energy is produced in the mitochondria. The mitochondria are the cells “energy powerhouses” and many maladies have been referred to as “mitochondrial disorders.” A growing body of scientific research links a deficiency of CoQ10 to age-related mitochondrial disorders.
Lipoic Acid
Lipoic Acid is a highly potent antioxidant that counteracts reactive free radicals in the mitochondria, the power plants of cells where energy for all cellular activities is generated. Some scientists believe that mitochondrial free radicals play an important role in human aging, and have theorized that extra amounts of free-radical inhibiting compounds such as lipoic acid may be able to help slow aging. Lipoic acid is also effective in recycling other antioxidants such as Vitamin E back into their original form after they detoxify free radicals. There also is evidence that lipoic acid can reduce glycation damage due to excess glucose in the blood, which may be involved in aging. Lipoic acid consists of two different forms (isomers) that have vastly different properties. The “R” form is the biologically active component (native to the body) that is responsible for lipoic acid’s phenomenal antioxidant effect. The “S” form is produced from chemical manufacture and is not very biologically active.
Carnosine
Carnosine is a multifunctional dipeptide made up of a chemical combination of the amino acids beta-alanine and L-histidine. It is found both in food and in the human body. Long-lived cells such as nerve cells (neurons) and muscle cells (myocytes) contain high levels of carnosine. Muscle levels of carnosine correlate with the maximum life spans of animals. Carnosine levels decline with age. Muscle levels decline 63% from age 10 to age 70, which may account for the normal age-related decline in muscle mass and function. Since carnosine acts as a pH buffer, it can keep on protecting muscle cell membranes from oxidation under the acidic conditions of muscular exertion. Carnosine enables the heart muscle to contract more efficiently through enhancement of calcium response in heart myocytes. Aging causes irreversible damage to the body’s proteins. The underlying mechanism behind this damage is glycation. A simple definition of glycation is the cross-linking of proteins and sugars to form non-functioning structures in the body. The process of glycation can be superficially seen as unsightly wrinkled skin. Glycation is also an underlying cause of age-related catastrophes including the neurologic, vascular, and eye disorders. Carnosine is a unique dipeptide that interferes with the glycation process.
Green Tea Extract
What makes green tea extract such an important nutrient are the large volumes of published scientific findings that validate its multiple biological benefits. The most significant findings involve studies showing that green tea extract helps maintain cellular DNA and membrane structural integrity. Decades of research shows that green tea inhibits the development of undesirable cell colonies. The active constituents in green tea are powerful antioxidants called polyphenols (catechins) and flavonols. Several catechins are present in green tea and account for the bulk of favorable research reports. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most powerful of these catechins. EGCG functions as an antioxidant that is about 25-100 times more potent than vitamins C and E. One cup of green tea may provide 10-40 mg of polyphenols and has antioxidant effects that are greater than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots, or strawberries. Theoretically, the high antioxidant activity of green tea makes it beneficial for protecting the body from oxidative damage due to free radicals.
Fish Oil
Studies on omega-3 fatty acids are so impressive that an agency of the National Institutes of Health published a report stating that fish oil can help reduce deaths from heart disease. The FDA itself states supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may actually reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. There are several mechanisms attributed to fish oil’s beneficial effects. The latest government report cites the triglyceride-lowering effects of fish oil on reducing heart and blood vessel disorders. Another beneficial mechanism of fish oil is to protect healthy blood flow in arteries.
Source
Anti Aging Vitamins
We probably all know by now that diet plays a pivotal role in health and healthy aging, so it should come as no surprise that science is discovering anti aging vitamins - vitamins that can lessen or slow down the detrimental effects of aging. We usually think of vitamin supplements as something to be taken like a pill, but many vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are beneficial when applied topically to the skin as well.
Anti aging treatment today often includes vitamin and mineral supplements, and skin care products that contain vitamins and minerals, because of the evidence that these things help slow aging. Many of the so-called anti aging vitamins are antioxidants. Antioxidants remove free radicals, byproducts of metabolism that damage cells and contribute to aging and disease. Free radicals are always being produced in our bodies, so a continuous supply of antioxidants is needed to prevent cell damage. Some foods are being identified as potent antioxidants: blueberries and chocolate are two examples. Vitamins and minerals included in the antioxidant group include vitamins A, B-6, B-12, C, E, and selenium.
People have known about essential nutrients for centuries: even the famous captain Cook knew there was something in fresh fruit and vegetables (Vitamin C) that sailors had to have. Given the clear scientific proof, there's no reason to distrust the idea of anti aging vitamins - a body that is getting all its essential nutrients is obviously going to last longer than one that is deprived of them. An anti aging treatment that includes vitamins just makes sense.
The idea of adding vitamins to topical preparations is, perhaps, more controversial and less well supported by science. There is some evidence that topical anti aging vitamins do have some beneficial effect, though it is probably very slight in most cases. These products generally contain a very low concentration of the vitamin, and probably aren't any more beneficial as an anti aging treatment than simply protecting your skin from the sun. Application of lotions containing anti aging vitamins does frequently have an obviously beneficial effect when there are skin problems such as eczema, dry skin, or even sunburn.
It's important to note that Vitamin A actually makes the skin more sensitive to sunlight, so this vitamin should only be used in combination with sunscreen in an anti aging treatment. Vitamins C and E, on the other hand, have some ability to block harmful sunlight and can be considered topical anti aging vitamins on this basis alone (but don't use them instead of sunscreen: their sunblocking properties are no substitute for a good sunscreen or sunblock.)
Source
Anti aging treatment today often includes vitamin and mineral supplements, and skin care products that contain vitamins and minerals, because of the evidence that these things help slow aging. Many of the so-called anti aging vitamins are antioxidants. Antioxidants remove free radicals, byproducts of metabolism that damage cells and contribute to aging and disease. Free radicals are always being produced in our bodies, so a continuous supply of antioxidants is needed to prevent cell damage. Some foods are being identified as potent antioxidants: blueberries and chocolate are two examples. Vitamins and minerals included in the antioxidant group include vitamins A, B-6, B-12, C, E, and selenium.
People have known about essential nutrients for centuries: even the famous captain Cook knew there was something in fresh fruit and vegetables (Vitamin C) that sailors had to have. Given the clear scientific proof, there's no reason to distrust the idea of anti aging vitamins - a body that is getting all its essential nutrients is obviously going to last longer than one that is deprived of them. An anti aging treatment that includes vitamins just makes sense.
The idea of adding vitamins to topical preparations is, perhaps, more controversial and less well supported by science. There is some evidence that topical anti aging vitamins do have some beneficial effect, though it is probably very slight in most cases. These products generally contain a very low concentration of the vitamin, and probably aren't any more beneficial as an anti aging treatment than simply protecting your skin from the sun. Application of lotions containing anti aging vitamins does frequently have an obviously beneficial effect when there are skin problems such as eczema, dry skin, or even sunburn.
It's important to note that Vitamin A actually makes the skin more sensitive to sunlight, so this vitamin should only be used in combination with sunscreen in an anti aging treatment. Vitamins C and E, on the other hand, have some ability to block harmful sunlight and can be considered topical anti aging vitamins on this basis alone (but don't use them instead of sunscreen: their sunblocking properties are no substitute for a good sunscreen or sunblock.)
Source
What are the anti aging foods?
Let's learn about anti aging foods...Have you heard that the key to staying young is eating right? Perhaps you've also heard that there are certain foods that have special properties, unique components that make them literally antiaging food. There is a lot of misinformation out there about aging and how to prevent it, but the advice we are receiving about eating well is something we would all do well to pay attention to.
Antiaging food seems too good to be true: could it really be that easy? As scientific research reveals more and more about how the human body works, what foods promote a healthy body, and what foods cause physical stress, it is becoming evident that many of the life threatening diseases experienced by aging people are the result of an unhealthy lifestyle and a poor diet. Viewed from this perspective, any foods that form part of a healthy diet might be considered anti aging foods, but it's also true that some foods in particular seem to have unusual properties.
The largest group of these anti aging foods are the ones that contain antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that clear away free radicals, damaging particles that damage body cells and accelerate aging. Free radicals are always being produced in our bodies, so antioxidants are constantly needed to remove the free radicals before they have a change to do damage. Many foods, particularly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contain antioxidants, while a few are astonishingly high in these beneficial antiaging food molecules. Three of the best are blueberries, red kidney beans, and cranberries.
All of this current information on anti aging foods can be used together to design a diet that is both healthy for the body in general and helpful for avoiding the typical signs of aging. Such a diet would avoid consuming pesticides and other toxins as much as possible (organic foods are best for this), as well as foods that are high in fat, salt, and sugar. Grains should be whole grains because the body converts the sugar in these carbohydrate sources at a slow and steady pace (to learn more about this, read about the glycemic index). Antiaging food stars are the whole vegetables and fruits. Proteins should come primarily from beans, nuts, and seafood, with a minimum of dairy, poultry and red meat products. Healthy fats include olive oil and, to a lesser extent, other vegetable oils - avoid trans fats and saturated fats as much as possible.
Though, for many people, adopting a diet of anti aging foods may seem like a drastic and difficult task, most people quickly discover a feeling of increased wellbeing, and gradually come to enjoy eating these wholesome healthful foods. And they are able to enjoy good health longer into their senior years. Antiaging foods are definitely worth a try. Supplementation can also ensure that you get the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients you need, as sometimes even the most well-balanced diet is lacking in some essentials.
Source
Antiaging food seems too good to be true: could it really be that easy? As scientific research reveals more and more about how the human body works, what foods promote a healthy body, and what foods cause physical stress, it is becoming evident that many of the life threatening diseases experienced by aging people are the result of an unhealthy lifestyle and a poor diet. Viewed from this perspective, any foods that form part of a healthy diet might be considered anti aging foods, but it's also true that some foods in particular seem to have unusual properties.
The largest group of these anti aging foods are the ones that contain antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that clear away free radicals, damaging particles that damage body cells and accelerate aging. Free radicals are always being produced in our bodies, so antioxidants are constantly needed to remove the free radicals before they have a change to do damage. Many foods, particularly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contain antioxidants, while a few are astonishingly high in these beneficial antiaging food molecules. Three of the best are blueberries, red kidney beans, and cranberries.
All of this current information on anti aging foods can be used together to design a diet that is both healthy for the body in general and helpful for avoiding the typical signs of aging. Such a diet would avoid consuming pesticides and other toxins as much as possible (organic foods are best for this), as well as foods that are high in fat, salt, and sugar. Grains should be whole grains because the body converts the sugar in these carbohydrate sources at a slow and steady pace (to learn more about this, read about the glycemic index). Antiaging food stars are the whole vegetables and fruits. Proteins should come primarily from beans, nuts, and seafood, with a minimum of dairy, poultry and red meat products. Healthy fats include olive oil and, to a lesser extent, other vegetable oils - avoid trans fats and saturated fats as much as possible.
Though, for many people, adopting a diet of anti aging foods may seem like a drastic and difficult task, most people quickly discover a feeling of increased wellbeing, and gradually come to enjoy eating these wholesome healthful foods. And they are able to enjoy good health longer into their senior years. Antiaging foods are definitely worth a try. Supplementation can also ensure that you get the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients you need, as sometimes even the most well-balanced diet is lacking in some essentials.
Source
What is Medical Anti Aging?
Not so long ago, the term medical anti aging knowledge was a bit of a misnomer. The medical community regarded aging as an evitable part of human life, and didn't devote much time to figuring out how to slow it down or alter its effects. Those with money could have plastic surgery, but that was about all. Today however, scientific research is revealing many of the processes that cause physical aging as the years pass, and with that understanding comes the opportunity to tinker with and try to ameliorate the aging process.
The timing is perfect: the baby boomers, a huge cohort of affluent educated North Americans and Europeans are moving into their senior years and they want medical anti aging resources. The baby boomers have grown up in good health, with readily available medical care and the belief that every disease can be cured. They believe that medical treatment can keep them feeling young and vigorous as well, while they enjoy retirement. They may be right.
Many professionals with medical training are now involved in researching possible approaches to anti aging medicine. We're learning that many common diseases of old age can be avoided by eating, or not eating, certain foods, keeping our bodies fit, and protecting ourselves from environmental threats. We're identifying genes that predispose people to certain diseases, which allows us to identify and possibly treat those at risk. WeÕre discovering many new drugs in chemistry and nature that help to fight diseases already in progress. And we're discovering that some foods have potent healthful properties that we never imagined were there. Surgical interventions are still available as well, and they are better than ever.
When it comes to medical anti aging products and services however, we still have to be careful. While scientific knowledge has expanded exponentially, there are still lots of vendors making claims that are not backed up by the evidence. These entrepreneurs are poised to make a profit from a vulnerable public - while some simply relieve you of your money without providing any benefit, others may actually be harmful. Before you pay for any new or unconventional medical anti aging treatment, discuss your plans with a medical professional whom you trust, or contact one of the consumer advocate/anti-fraud organizations that can help you verify that you are getting what you pay for.
Whatever you choose, keep your eye on the latest in medical breakthroughs - there are lots of products and services already available that really do help you look and feel younger, and maintain better health. It's a safe bet there will be many more to choose from in the near future, as anti aging medicine gets more and more advanced.
Featured Anti Aging Supplement
About a year ago we discovered a special antiaging supplement called Total Balance, a breakthrough natural formula with special nutrients that can slow down the aging process and promote vitality and wellbeing.
Take a look at this unique dietary supplement and discover how you can prevent premature aging today.
Source
The timing is perfect: the baby boomers, a huge cohort of affluent educated North Americans and Europeans are moving into their senior years and they want medical anti aging resources. The baby boomers have grown up in good health, with readily available medical care and the belief that every disease can be cured. They believe that medical treatment can keep them feeling young and vigorous as well, while they enjoy retirement. They may be right.
Many professionals with medical training are now involved in researching possible approaches to anti aging medicine. We're learning that many common diseases of old age can be avoided by eating, or not eating, certain foods, keeping our bodies fit, and protecting ourselves from environmental threats. We're identifying genes that predispose people to certain diseases, which allows us to identify and possibly treat those at risk. WeÕre discovering many new drugs in chemistry and nature that help to fight diseases already in progress. And we're discovering that some foods have potent healthful properties that we never imagined were there. Surgical interventions are still available as well, and they are better than ever.
When it comes to medical anti aging products and services however, we still have to be careful. While scientific knowledge has expanded exponentially, there are still lots of vendors making claims that are not backed up by the evidence. These entrepreneurs are poised to make a profit from a vulnerable public - while some simply relieve you of your money without providing any benefit, others may actually be harmful. Before you pay for any new or unconventional medical anti aging treatment, discuss your plans with a medical professional whom you trust, or contact one of the consumer advocate/anti-fraud organizations that can help you verify that you are getting what you pay for.
Whatever you choose, keep your eye on the latest in medical breakthroughs - there are lots of products and services already available that really do help you look and feel younger, and maintain better health. It's a safe bet there will be many more to choose from in the near future, as anti aging medicine gets more and more advanced.
Featured Anti Aging Supplement
About a year ago we discovered a special antiaging supplement called Total Balance, a breakthrough natural formula with special nutrients that can slow down the aging process and promote vitality and wellbeing.
Take a look at this unique dietary supplement and discover how you can prevent premature aging today.
Source
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Beta carotene protects memory in study
By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Beta carotene taken as a dietary supplement for many years may protect against declines in memory, thinking and learning skills that often precede Alzheimer's disease, researchers said on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, pointed to a protective effect against cognitive decline in healthy men who look beta carotene for about 18 years, but not in men who took the supplements for an average of a year.
The findings indicate beta carotene may be an important weapon in warding off memory problems that may foreshadow Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, the researchers said.
"This is the first trial that has found any way to help your memory if you're healthy. I think it does tell us that we can change how our memory improves or worsens," Francine Grodstein of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who led the study, said in a telephone interview.
Taking beta carotene may have risks for some people such as raising lung cancer risk in smokers, Grodstein said.
Beta carotene is one of the antioxidants -- substances that prevent some of the damage from unstable molecules known as free radicals -- created when the body turns food into energy. Some experts think antioxidants can lower the risk of cancer, heart disease and other ailments.
"Beta carotene is an antioxidant vitamin. So the reason we thought it might help your brain is because there is now a lot of evidence that oxidative damage harms your brain. And that may be one of the initiating factors which leads to memory problems," Grodstein said.
In this study, researchers examined the effects of beta carotene on cognitive ability in two groups of men.
Those in a group of 4,052 men were randomly assigned in 1982 to take either 50 milligrams of beta carotene or a placebo every other day. Another 1,904 men between 1998 and 2001 were also randomly assigned to take either the same amount of beta carotene or a placebo every other day.
The men in the long-term group took the supplements for an average of 18 years. The men in the short-term group did so for an average of a year, with the longest being three years.
Men who took beta carotene in the long-term group recorded significantly higher scores on several cognitive tests -- particularly tests of verbal memory -- compared with those who took a placebo, the study found. In the short-term group, the men taking beta carotene did no better in cognitive tests.
In an editorial accompanying the study, Dr. Kristine Yaffe of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of California at San Francisco sounded a note of caution, saying studies have yielded mixed results about antioxidant supplements and better cognitive outcomes.
"For the clinician, there is no convincing justification to recommend the use of antioxidant dietary supplements to maintain cognitive performance in cognitively normal adults or in those with mild cognitive impairment," Yaffe wrote.
Another study also examined the link between diet and dementia. French researchers, writing in the journal Neurology, tracked the diets of 8,085 men and women over age 65. They were followed for four years, during which 183 of the participants developed Alzheimer's and 98 developed some other dementia.
Risk for developing dementia was found to be lower in those with diets heavy in fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and vegetables.
(Editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Todd Eastham)
Source
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Beta carotene taken as a dietary supplement for many years may protect against declines in memory, thinking and learning skills that often precede Alzheimer's disease, researchers said on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, pointed to a protective effect against cognitive decline in healthy men who look beta carotene for about 18 years, but not in men who took the supplements for an average of a year.
The findings indicate beta carotene may be an important weapon in warding off memory problems that may foreshadow Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, the researchers said.
"This is the first trial that has found any way to help your memory if you're healthy. I think it does tell us that we can change how our memory improves or worsens," Francine Grodstein of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who led the study, said in a telephone interview.
Taking beta carotene may have risks for some people such as raising lung cancer risk in smokers, Grodstein said.
Beta carotene is one of the antioxidants -- substances that prevent some of the damage from unstable molecules known as free radicals -- created when the body turns food into energy. Some experts think antioxidants can lower the risk of cancer, heart disease and other ailments.
"Beta carotene is an antioxidant vitamin. So the reason we thought it might help your brain is because there is now a lot of evidence that oxidative damage harms your brain. And that may be one of the initiating factors which leads to memory problems," Grodstein said.
In this study, researchers examined the effects of beta carotene on cognitive ability in two groups of men.
Those in a group of 4,052 men were randomly assigned in 1982 to take either 50 milligrams of beta carotene or a placebo every other day. Another 1,904 men between 1998 and 2001 were also randomly assigned to take either the same amount of beta carotene or a placebo every other day.
The men in the long-term group took the supplements for an average of 18 years. The men in the short-term group did so for an average of a year, with the longest being three years.
Men who took beta carotene in the long-term group recorded significantly higher scores on several cognitive tests -- particularly tests of verbal memory -- compared with those who took a placebo, the study found. In the short-term group, the men taking beta carotene did no better in cognitive tests.
In an editorial accompanying the study, Dr. Kristine Yaffe of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of California at San Francisco sounded a note of caution, saying studies have yielded mixed results about antioxidant supplements and better cognitive outcomes.
"For the clinician, there is no convincing justification to recommend the use of antioxidant dietary supplements to maintain cognitive performance in cognitively normal adults or in those with mild cognitive impairment," Yaffe wrote.
Another study also examined the link between diet and dementia. French researchers, writing in the journal Neurology, tracked the diets of 8,085 men and women over age 65. They were followed for four years, during which 183 of the participants developed Alzheimer's and 98 developed some other dementia.
Risk for developing dementia was found to be lower in those with diets heavy in fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and vegetables.
(Editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Todd Eastham)
Source
Saturday, November 10, 2007
An "Ageless Society" with HGH
And what if you are already suffering the ill effects of aging? Perhaps you could drop 20 years and stay that way to age 100, adding an additional 20 or 30 years to your normal life span.
This could allow you to live long enough to take advantage of scientific breakthroughs yet to come and maybe further extend your healthy life span to 120, 130 years and more.
Details about the ultimate anti-ager can now be found in the book entitled Grow Young with HGH by Dr. Ronald Klatz, President of the Academy of Anti-Aging. Basing his work on the cutting edge of scientific research written up in thousands of reports, books, interviews and double blind studies, Dr. Klatz announces that the "ageless society" has truly begun.
People have always dreamt about the existence of an effective anti-aging deterrent, or a way of reversing age. Since the beginning of recorded time the pursuit of the "Magic Remedy" has taken many forms, ranging from the proverbial fountain of youth, to the more recent, scientifically well researched, Human Growth Hormone (HGH).
Scientists today feel that in the not too distant future the average life expectancy can and will be extended to 100 years of age or more. Some experts even feel that the human body can live well into the 120s and 140s. Reasons for this include better medicine, replacement surgery, nutrition, supplements and now, perhaps most important of all, HGH. Therapies for anti-aging are not exactly new.
Famous clinics such as Ana Aslan's clinic in Romania have attracted tens of thousands for Gerovital H3 injections - many of the rich and famous such as Konrad Adenauer, Gloria Swanson, Groucho Marx plus some 50,000 other patients have been injected with fresh fetal lamb cells at Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland. While these treatments may have merit, none have passed the standards of drug testing such as controlled, randomized, double blind clinical studies. However, on July 5, 1990 everything changed. Dr. Daniel Rudman published in the New England Journal of Medicine his clinical findings on the effects of anti-aging and HGH.
The results were startling to say the least. Working with volunteers aged 61 to 81 at the Medical College of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Dr. Rudman used synthetically manufactured HGH to replicate what is created naturally in the body's own pituitary gland. The initial observed results: Six months of injections reversed the aging process from 10 to 20 years in the patients who received HGH. In the controlled group that didn't receive HGH, the normal aging process continued. Since Dr. Rudman's initial findings, thousands of additional studies have supported the fact that HGH can and does not only retard aging, but also reverses the process as well.
HGH: The Miracle Anti-Aging Hormone that can help you...
Look Younger Lose weight Restore hair growth Regain hair color Reduce wrinkles Improve skin texture Improve skin elasticity Feel Younger Restore sex drive Increase energy Restore bone and muscle mass Reduce blood pressure Reduce cholesterol Regenerate heart, liver, kidneys, lungs
The Ultimate Anti-Ager, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is washing away the disease of aging. HGH affects almost every cell in the body, helping to regenerate skin, bones, heart, lungs, liver and kidneys to their former youthful levels.
The immune system is revitalized.
Heart attack and stroke risk factors are diminished.
Emphysema patients find their oxygen intake improves.
Osteoporosis is prevented.
Wrinkled skin is restored to youthfulness, diminished sexual organs are restored to former proportions, presbyopic eyes focus properly, hair color is restored…and that's just for starters!
The most effective Anti-Obesity "agent" ever discovered, HGH revs up the metabolism to former highs, selectively reducing the abdomen, hips, waist and thighs while at the same time increasing muscle mass. After six months of usage without exercise, an 8.8% increase in lean muscle mass and 14.4% loss of fat is reported as average.
As a powerful aphrodisiac, HGH restores sexual potency and sexuality in older men. A mood elevator, it restores a youthful sense of wellness and a zest for life along with the deepest levels of sleep.
Called "Cosmetic Surgery in a Bottle," facial wrinkles are smoothed.The skin regains thickness and youthful contours as it becomes more elastic and hydrated. Super healing properties can regrow burned skin and close ulcerated wounds.
Hair growth is improved and restored, nails strengthened, cellulite removed. Some of the latest research indicates that HGH may even hold great promise for Alzheimer's patients; and study after study adds yet another benefit...
In fact, everything that we associate with aging may be due totally, or in part, to the decline in HGH.
What Is HGH?
HGH or Human Growth Hormone (also called somatotrophin) is produced in the anterior of the pituitary gland deep inside the brain, where it is one of the most abundant hormones secreted. It influences the growth of cells, bones, muscles and organs throughout the body.
Production peaks at adolescence when accelerated growth occurs. If growing children have too little they remain as dwarfs, while if they have too much they become giants. HGH is one of many endocrine hormones, like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, melatonin and DHEA, that all decline in production with age. While many of these hormones can be replaced to deter some of the effects of aging, HGH reaches far beyond the scope of any of these hormones. Not only does it prevent biological aging, but it acts to significantly reverse a broad range of the signs and symptoms associated with the aging process.
Ample in our youth, production of HGH falls 80% from age 21 to 61.
Daily growth hormone secretion diminishes with age to the extent that a 60 year old may secrete only 25% of the HGH secreted by a 20 year old. By ages 70 to 80, virtually everyone is deficient in growth hormone, resulting in SDS, or Somatotrophin (growth hormone) Deficiency Syndrome.
Symptoms include loss of muscle and an increase of fat, decreased physical mobility, socialization and energy levels, diminished healing ability, a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and lower life expectancy. In otherwords, the symptoms of the disease called aging.
As you will see from the graph, practically everyone over the age of forty has SDS. The decline of growth hormone with age, sometimes referred to as somatopause, is directly associated with many symptoms of aging, including wrinkling, gray hair, decreased energy and sexual function, increased body fat and cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and more.
Many of these symptoms have been associated with younger adults who have growth hormone deficiency; in a sense, the biological age of these adults has exceeded their chronological age. The good news, however, is clinical evidence demonstrates that by replacing growth hormone we can dramatically reverse these symptoms to restore hair color and growth, regain bone tissue, increase energy and significantly reduce body fat, plus a score of other health benefits.
Turning Back the Biological Clock By 20 Years
In 1990, groundbreaking research by Daniel Rudman, M.D. shook the medical world. (Published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine) with the announcement that 12 men, aged 61 to 81 had reversed up to the equivalent of 20 years of aging in six months with growth hormone injections.
Until recently, growth hormone therapy has only been available in the form of injections that have been prohibitively expensive and difficult to use. The cost for HGH injections in the U.S. runs from $800 to $2,500 a month. Prices may start to drop as more pharmaceutical companies enter the marketplace. Nevertheless, they are still out of the range of most people…not only that some worry about the possibility of side effects of using an injected drug long term.
More interestingly - and within the price range of virtually every "baby boomer" - are the all natural HGH releasers or agonists known as secretagogues. These nutrients are designed to coax the pituitary to release its own growth hormone. Scientists have found that as we grow older we still produce HGH, but tissue levels fall because the pituitary gland does not release it. Secretagogues reverse this process naturally.
These are natural substances that have been well documented to increase growth hormone; and which may for some even exceed the effectiveness of HGH injections. According to researchers, these cutting edge natural secretagogues (HGH precursors) may have the ability to more closely mimic the body's youthful HGH secretion patterns than any other HGH therapies previously available.
Therapeutic Effects of Restoring HGH
Why is there so much focus on growth hormone restoration, and what does all of this mean for those of you who will suddenly have the HGH replacement substances available?
To put it simply, there is no other substance known to man that has such far reaching ability to prevent and reverse the aging process. At first appearance, it may seem too good to be true that a single hormone could have so many far-reaching effects. But as we look more closely at the scientific evidence from human studies and at the physiologic interaction between growth hormone and the body's various symptoms that affect these areas, everything begins to fall into place.
Dr. Daniel Rudman, an endocrinologist from Madison, Wisconsin, pioneered the original peer-reviewed research on HGH in humans. By the time Dr. Rudman began his work in 1985, growth hormone use had already been well established through its use in children with HGH deficiency.
Decades earlier, growth hormone from pituitary extract had been shown to decrease body fat significantly in laboratory rats. Dr. Rudman hypothesized that the changes in body composition which became apparent around age 35 had to do with declining hormone levels, and he began by testing HGH to examine its effects on lean body mass and body fat. Dr. Rudman studied 26 men between the ages of 61 and 81 who experienced significant changes in body composition with age, but who were otherwise healthy. All these men had significantly low levels of growth hormone.
Despite the fact that they did not alter their diet, exercise or smoking habits - the men who were given HGH gained an average of 8.8% in lean body mass while losing 14% of their body fat.
The subjects of the study reversed the parameters of aging by 10-20 years.
They experienced localized increase in bone density and their skin became thicker and firmer. According to Dr. Rudman and his associates the subjects of the study reversed the parameters of aging by 10-20 years. This study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, represented the biggest breakthrough in anti-aging medicine at the time and led to a wide acceptance that, in the words of Dr. Rudman, "The overall deterioration of the body that comes with growing old is not inevitable." Similar dramatic studies show that HGH may reverse human biological aging by:
Restoring muscle mass Decreasing body fat Thickening the skin Reducing wrinkles Restoring lost hair Restoring hair color Increasing energy Increasing sexual function Improving cholesterol profile Restoring size of liver, pancreas, heart and other organs that shrink with age Improving vision Improving memory Elevating mood and improving sleep Normalizing blood pressure Increasing cardiac output and stamina Improving immune function The HGH Study
Perhaps the largest study of the effects of growth hormone on humans has taken place at the Palm Springs Life Extension Institute under the direction of Dr. Edmund Chein, director of the institute, and his associate Dr. Leon Terry, a neuroendocrinologist from the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Dr. Chein follows a growth hormone protocol that involves restoring HGH levels for patients who are deficient (IGF-1 less than 350 mg/ml) with low dose, high frequency injections. Dr. Chein, by combining HGH injections with other hormones that are shown to be low, has developed a program that he claims has been 100% effective for all of his patients. He guarantees that his patients will experience an increase in bone density of 1.5 - 2.5% every six months, as well as a loss of 10% body fat and an increase of 10% muscle mass.
These processes may continue until the patient attains the body composition of a twenty year old. Recently, Dr. Terry collected the data of patients who have been treated at the Life Extension Institute and has written up the amazing results. The following assessment figures were derived from randomly selected, self-assessment questionnaires completed by 202 patients during the term of their therapy between the years of 1994 and 1996.
Assessment Effects of Growth Hormone Administration (Low Dose Frequency) in 202 patients. L. Cass Terry, M.D., Ph.D. and Edmund Chein, M.D. Medical College of Wisconsin and Palm Springs Life Extension Institute.
Strength, Exercise & Body Fat Improvement Muscle Strength 88% Body Fat Loss 72% Exercise Tolerance 81% Exercise Endurance 83% Skin & Hair Improvement Skin Texture 71% Skin Thickness 68% Skin Elasticity 71% Wrinkle Disappearance 51% New Hair Growth 38% Healing, Flexibility & Resistance Improvement Healing of old injuries 55% Healing of other injuries 61% Healing Capacity 71% Back Flexibility 53% Resistance to Common Illness 73% Sexual Function Improvement Sexual Potency/Frequency 75% Duration of Penile Erection 62% Frequency of Nighttime Urination 57% Hot Flashes 58% Menstrual Cycle Regulation 38% Energy, Emotions & Memory Improvement Energy Level 84% Emotional Stability 67% Attitude Toward Life 78% Memory 62%
In general, these improvements were reported to occur within one to three months of the onset of therapy with a tendency to continue improving over six months of treatment!
This could allow you to live long enough to take advantage of scientific breakthroughs yet to come and maybe further extend your healthy life span to 120, 130 years and more.
Details about the ultimate anti-ager can now be found in the book entitled Grow Young with HGH by Dr. Ronald Klatz, President of the Academy of Anti-Aging. Basing his work on the cutting edge of scientific research written up in thousands of reports, books, interviews and double blind studies, Dr. Klatz announces that the "ageless society" has truly begun.
People have always dreamt about the existence of an effective anti-aging deterrent, or a way of reversing age. Since the beginning of recorded time the pursuit of the "Magic Remedy" has taken many forms, ranging from the proverbial fountain of youth, to the more recent, scientifically well researched, Human Growth Hormone (HGH).
Scientists today feel that in the not too distant future the average life expectancy can and will be extended to 100 years of age or more. Some experts even feel that the human body can live well into the 120s and 140s. Reasons for this include better medicine, replacement surgery, nutrition, supplements and now, perhaps most important of all, HGH. Therapies for anti-aging are not exactly new.
Famous clinics such as Ana Aslan's clinic in Romania have attracted tens of thousands for Gerovital H3 injections - many of the rich and famous such as Konrad Adenauer, Gloria Swanson, Groucho Marx plus some 50,000 other patients have been injected with fresh fetal lamb cells at Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland. While these treatments may have merit, none have passed the standards of drug testing such as controlled, randomized, double blind clinical studies. However, on July 5, 1990 everything changed. Dr. Daniel Rudman published in the New England Journal of Medicine his clinical findings on the effects of anti-aging and HGH.
The results were startling to say the least. Working with volunteers aged 61 to 81 at the Medical College of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Dr. Rudman used synthetically manufactured HGH to replicate what is created naturally in the body's own pituitary gland. The initial observed results: Six months of injections reversed the aging process from 10 to 20 years in the patients who received HGH. In the controlled group that didn't receive HGH, the normal aging process continued. Since Dr. Rudman's initial findings, thousands of additional studies have supported the fact that HGH can and does not only retard aging, but also reverses the process as well.
HGH: The Miracle Anti-Aging Hormone that can help you...
Look Younger Lose weight Restore hair growth Regain hair color Reduce wrinkles Improve skin texture Improve skin elasticity Feel Younger Restore sex drive Increase energy Restore bone and muscle mass Reduce blood pressure Reduce cholesterol Regenerate heart, liver, kidneys, lungs
The Ultimate Anti-Ager, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is washing away the disease of aging. HGH affects almost every cell in the body, helping to regenerate skin, bones, heart, lungs, liver and kidneys to their former youthful levels.
The immune system is revitalized.
Heart attack and stroke risk factors are diminished.
Emphysema patients find their oxygen intake improves.
Osteoporosis is prevented.
Wrinkled skin is restored to youthfulness, diminished sexual organs are restored to former proportions, presbyopic eyes focus properly, hair color is restored…and that's just for starters!
The most effective Anti-Obesity "agent" ever discovered, HGH revs up the metabolism to former highs, selectively reducing the abdomen, hips, waist and thighs while at the same time increasing muscle mass. After six months of usage without exercise, an 8.8% increase in lean muscle mass and 14.4% loss of fat is reported as average.
As a powerful aphrodisiac, HGH restores sexual potency and sexuality in older men. A mood elevator, it restores a youthful sense of wellness and a zest for life along with the deepest levels of sleep.
Called "Cosmetic Surgery in a Bottle," facial wrinkles are smoothed.The skin regains thickness and youthful contours as it becomes more elastic and hydrated. Super healing properties can regrow burned skin and close ulcerated wounds.
Hair growth is improved and restored, nails strengthened, cellulite removed. Some of the latest research indicates that HGH may even hold great promise for Alzheimer's patients; and study after study adds yet another benefit...
In fact, everything that we associate with aging may be due totally, or in part, to the decline in HGH.
What Is HGH?
HGH or Human Growth Hormone (also called somatotrophin) is produced in the anterior of the pituitary gland deep inside the brain, where it is one of the most abundant hormones secreted. It influences the growth of cells, bones, muscles and organs throughout the body.
Production peaks at adolescence when accelerated growth occurs. If growing children have too little they remain as dwarfs, while if they have too much they become giants. HGH is one of many endocrine hormones, like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, melatonin and DHEA, that all decline in production with age. While many of these hormones can be replaced to deter some of the effects of aging, HGH reaches far beyond the scope of any of these hormones. Not only does it prevent biological aging, but it acts to significantly reverse a broad range of the signs and symptoms associated with the aging process.
Ample in our youth, production of HGH falls 80% from age 21 to 61.
Daily growth hormone secretion diminishes with age to the extent that a 60 year old may secrete only 25% of the HGH secreted by a 20 year old. By ages 70 to 80, virtually everyone is deficient in growth hormone, resulting in SDS, or Somatotrophin (growth hormone) Deficiency Syndrome.
Symptoms include loss of muscle and an increase of fat, decreased physical mobility, socialization and energy levels, diminished healing ability, a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and lower life expectancy. In otherwords, the symptoms of the disease called aging.
As you will see from the graph, practically everyone over the age of forty has SDS. The decline of growth hormone with age, sometimes referred to as somatopause, is directly associated with many symptoms of aging, including wrinkling, gray hair, decreased energy and sexual function, increased body fat and cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and more.
Many of these symptoms have been associated with younger adults who have growth hormone deficiency; in a sense, the biological age of these adults has exceeded their chronological age. The good news, however, is clinical evidence demonstrates that by replacing growth hormone we can dramatically reverse these symptoms to restore hair color and growth, regain bone tissue, increase energy and significantly reduce body fat, plus a score of other health benefits.
Turning Back the Biological Clock By 20 Years
In 1990, groundbreaking research by Daniel Rudman, M.D. shook the medical world. (Published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine) with the announcement that 12 men, aged 61 to 81 had reversed up to the equivalent of 20 years of aging in six months with growth hormone injections.
Until recently, growth hormone therapy has only been available in the form of injections that have been prohibitively expensive and difficult to use. The cost for HGH injections in the U.S. runs from $800 to $2,500 a month. Prices may start to drop as more pharmaceutical companies enter the marketplace. Nevertheless, they are still out of the range of most people…not only that some worry about the possibility of side effects of using an injected drug long term.
More interestingly - and within the price range of virtually every "baby boomer" - are the all natural HGH releasers or agonists known as secretagogues. These nutrients are designed to coax the pituitary to release its own growth hormone. Scientists have found that as we grow older we still produce HGH, but tissue levels fall because the pituitary gland does not release it. Secretagogues reverse this process naturally.
These are natural substances that have been well documented to increase growth hormone; and which may for some even exceed the effectiveness of HGH injections. According to researchers, these cutting edge natural secretagogues (HGH precursors) may have the ability to more closely mimic the body's youthful HGH secretion patterns than any other HGH therapies previously available.
Therapeutic Effects of Restoring HGH
Why is there so much focus on growth hormone restoration, and what does all of this mean for those of you who will suddenly have the HGH replacement substances available?
To put it simply, there is no other substance known to man that has such far reaching ability to prevent and reverse the aging process. At first appearance, it may seem too good to be true that a single hormone could have so many far-reaching effects. But as we look more closely at the scientific evidence from human studies and at the physiologic interaction between growth hormone and the body's various symptoms that affect these areas, everything begins to fall into place.
Dr. Daniel Rudman, an endocrinologist from Madison, Wisconsin, pioneered the original peer-reviewed research on HGH in humans. By the time Dr. Rudman began his work in 1985, growth hormone use had already been well established through its use in children with HGH deficiency.
Decades earlier, growth hormone from pituitary extract had been shown to decrease body fat significantly in laboratory rats. Dr. Rudman hypothesized that the changes in body composition which became apparent around age 35 had to do with declining hormone levels, and he began by testing HGH to examine its effects on lean body mass and body fat. Dr. Rudman studied 26 men between the ages of 61 and 81 who experienced significant changes in body composition with age, but who were otherwise healthy. All these men had significantly low levels of growth hormone.
Despite the fact that they did not alter their diet, exercise or smoking habits - the men who were given HGH gained an average of 8.8% in lean body mass while losing 14% of their body fat.
The subjects of the study reversed the parameters of aging by 10-20 years.
They experienced localized increase in bone density and their skin became thicker and firmer. According to Dr. Rudman and his associates the subjects of the study reversed the parameters of aging by 10-20 years. This study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, represented the biggest breakthrough in anti-aging medicine at the time and led to a wide acceptance that, in the words of Dr. Rudman, "The overall deterioration of the body that comes with growing old is not inevitable." Similar dramatic studies show that HGH may reverse human biological aging by:
Restoring muscle mass Decreasing body fat Thickening the skin Reducing wrinkles Restoring lost hair Restoring hair color Increasing energy Increasing sexual function Improving cholesterol profile Restoring size of liver, pancreas, heart and other organs that shrink with age Improving vision Improving memory Elevating mood and improving sleep Normalizing blood pressure Increasing cardiac output and stamina Improving immune function The HGH Study
Perhaps the largest study of the effects of growth hormone on humans has taken place at the Palm Springs Life Extension Institute under the direction of Dr. Edmund Chein, director of the institute, and his associate Dr. Leon Terry, a neuroendocrinologist from the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Dr. Chein follows a growth hormone protocol that involves restoring HGH levels for patients who are deficient (IGF-1 less than 350 mg/ml) with low dose, high frequency injections. Dr. Chein, by combining HGH injections with other hormones that are shown to be low, has developed a program that he claims has been 100% effective for all of his patients. He guarantees that his patients will experience an increase in bone density of 1.5 - 2.5% every six months, as well as a loss of 10% body fat and an increase of 10% muscle mass.
These processes may continue until the patient attains the body composition of a twenty year old. Recently, Dr. Terry collected the data of patients who have been treated at the Life Extension Institute and has written up the amazing results. The following assessment figures were derived from randomly selected, self-assessment questionnaires completed by 202 patients during the term of their therapy between the years of 1994 and 1996.
Assessment Effects of Growth Hormone Administration (Low Dose Frequency) in 202 patients. L. Cass Terry, M.D., Ph.D. and Edmund Chein, M.D. Medical College of Wisconsin and Palm Springs Life Extension Institute.
Strength, Exercise & Body Fat Improvement Muscle Strength 88% Body Fat Loss 72% Exercise Tolerance 81% Exercise Endurance 83% Skin & Hair Improvement Skin Texture 71% Skin Thickness 68% Skin Elasticity 71% Wrinkle Disappearance 51% New Hair Growth 38% Healing, Flexibility & Resistance Improvement Healing of old injuries 55% Healing of other injuries 61% Healing Capacity 71% Back Flexibility 53% Resistance to Common Illness 73% Sexual Function Improvement Sexual Potency/Frequency 75% Duration of Penile Erection 62% Frequency of Nighttime Urination 57% Hot Flashes 58% Menstrual Cycle Regulation 38% Energy, Emotions & Memory Improvement Energy Level 84% Emotional Stability 67% Attitude Toward Life 78% Memory 62%
In general, these improvements were reported to occur within one to three months of the onset of therapy with a tendency to continue improving over six months of treatment!
Reversing Aging Naturally
Other studies have established that as the body's own growth hormone releasing patterns are more closely mimicked, so results become more profound and side effects are minimized. Recognizing the importance of restoring growth hormone to physiologic levels in this manner leads us to examine the effects of natural secretagogues.
Natural secretagogues (hormone precursors) may be our best hope for raising growth hormone in an entirely physiologic manner, because they stimulate the endocrine system to release its own growth hormone. In a process called "stacking," that is, packaging the right nutrients in the right proportions and taking them at the right time, you can derive optimal benefits - without using synthetics and needles. This, combined with a program of dietary manipulation and HGH-releasing exercises, offers even greater results.
Among the HGH-releasers listed by Dr. Klatz are the amino acids. He writes, "The smart money says to stack lysine with arginine, ornithine and/or glutamine." Arginine is an essential amino acid, meaning it is not manufactured in the body; it has to be supplied in the food we eat. Claims for arginine include an increase in fat burning and muscle building. Arginine strengthens the thymus gland, increasing its weight and activity, boosting immunity and fighting cancer. It also promotes healing of burns and wounds while generally protecting and detoxifying the body. Finally it enhances male fertility. The amino acid Lysine boosts the effectiveness of arginine and affects growth. On its own it has also been attributed with fighting viruses such as herpes. Ornithine can be synthesized in the body. Similar in structure, it can be made from arginine. It helps to stimulate HGH release. Glutamine is a conditional essential amino acid.
While abundant and one of the most used amino acids, it may not always be made by the body in sufficient quantities in times of stress. The gut and the immune system "practically live on it," says Dr. Klatz. Without sufficiently available levels, the gut atrophies, nutrients are less well absorbed, and muscle and immunity are also lost. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), one of the most potent stimulators of HGH-release from the pituitary to date, is a precursor to, and breakdown product of, GBH (gamma-hydroxybutyrate). This is a substance that occurs naturally in every cell of the body, including the brain. A neurotransmitter, it is involved in regulating the anterior pituitary - the place where HGH is secreted.
"There is reason to believe combining glutamine, arginine, ornithine and lysine will have a synergistic effect," says Dr. Klatz.
The glutamine-arginine-lysine stack releases insulin as well as growth hormone. Generally when HGH levels are rising, insulin levels are falling. However, if it is possible to raise insulin levels at the same time as growth hormone, it has a very high anabolic effect. That is to say the body builds up muscle and tissue, and carries out cell repair essential to reverse aging. "You don't have to increase growth hormone very much to get a 10% to 20% rise in IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor type 1) levels, which can have a definite effect on the body," adds Mauro Di Pasquale, M.D., world-class powerlifter and one of the most knowledgeable experts in the field of anabolic and HGH-releasing compounds. (Insulin-like growth factor is at the other end of the growth hormone chain. It is the substance that actually produces most of the effects associated with HGH.)
Secretagogue hGH
Secretagogue hGH
Perhaps one of the most interesting differences between HGH and other hormones is that the body keeps making large amounts of HGH right into old age, while other hormones diminish in their production.
The challenge in restoring youthful levels of HGH for most of us is not increasing our production or injecting the hormone itself, but releasing it from its sequestered state. We now know how to unlock the gates that keep HGH from circulating in the body. On the cutting-edge of today's anti-aging research is Secretagogue hGH, an all-natural product, which has produced startling results; and may very well become the basis for increasing the length and quality of our life. Secretagogue hGH was produced after years of research and development, and is the world's first effective, controlled safe dosage, efferves- cent Growth Hormone Release Stimulator. At a price virtually everyone can afford, the product works by assisting the body's own ability to secrete HGH naturally, three to four times more effectively than the direct hormone injections.
For less than $4.00 a day, anyone can now avail themselves of the vast benefits of renewed Growth Hormone levels once reserved for the wealthy, and in a natural, easy to take measured oral dosage. A three-month commitment to the program is highly recommended, although many people will notice an immediate effect. Furthermore, there are no reported complications as opposed to synthetic HGH injections which may cause various side effects, if abused. Secretagogue hGH utilizes an exclusive Growth Hormone Releasing Complex (GHRC) and a proprietary cutting-edge delivery system that addresses gastric absorption, transport through the bloodstream, and attachment to appropriate receptor sites. What is particularly exciting is that only natural substances are used. Early clinical testing with the product stimulated the body's own production of growth hormones with an amazing effectiveness. Additionally, this product addresses the entire endocrine influence on HGH release through insulin regulation, inhibition of somatostatin, stimulation of GHRH, and conversion to IGF-1.
The skeptics said it couldn't be done, but the existence of this miracle product proves otherwise!
Secretagogue hGH is a promoter of HGH-release and IGF-1 formation. It is designed to stimulate the release of growth hormone in males and females, who are prematurely aging due to a HGH deficiency. (Women who have had a hysterectomy with removal of the ovaries, or who suffer from other chronic degenerative diseases, may benefit greatly from this product.) Secretagogue hGH is truly an amazing substance, which is both safe and effective with no side effects.
Secretagogue hGH Vs Injectable HGH
Product Comparison Secretagogue hGH Injectable HGH Product Composition 100% Natural 100% Synthetic Delivery System Taken Oraly 2 Injections Daily Overdose Possibilities None Possible Immediacy of Effect Immediately Several Weeks Ligality in the U.S. Totally (Natural Food) Severely Restricted Reported Complications None Yes with Overdosing Other HGH Compatibility Yes Perhaps Monthly Product Cost $100.00 (approx.) $1,200 to $2,500 Annual Product Cost $1,200.00 (approx.) $14,400 to $30,000
Physician Supervised Clinical Study #1 Secretagogue hGH as a Natural HGH-Releaser/Stimulator (1-22 Day Effects)
| Subjects | Pre-IGF-1 Test | Test Post IGF-1 | Test % Change | # of Days |
| Patient #1 | 73 on 01/14/97 | 141 on 01/25/97 | +93.2% | 11 days |
| Patient #2 | 21 on 01/14/97 | 69 on 02/05/97 | +228.5% | 22 days |
| Patient #3 | 110 on 01/18/97 | 180 on 02/04/97 | +63.6% | 18 days |
| Patient #4 | 357 on 01/24/97 | 388 on 01/25/97 | +8.7% | 1 days |
| Patient #5 | 167 on 01/24/97 | 178 on 01/25/97 | +6.6% | 1 days |
| Patient #6 | 242 on 01/24/97 | 73 on 01/25/97 | +12.8% | 2 1 days |
| Patient #7 | 255 on 01/27/97 | 269 on 01/29/97 | +5.5% | 2 days |
| Patient #8 | 93 on 01/31/97 | 127 on 02/05/97 | +36.6% | 6 days |
Overall Average Increase: +56.9% Overall Average Days: 7.75 days
Comments: Patients numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 were patients with low IGF-1 (Growth Hormone Levels). Patients 5, 7, 8 were healthy body builders who were tested to monitor the immediate effects of Secretagogue hGH on physically fit patients. Each patient used the product with juice or water before retiring on an empty stomach. Physician Supervised Clinical Study #2 Secretagogue hGH as a Natural HGH-Releaser/Stimulator (30-161 Day Effects)
| Subjects | Pre-IGF-1 Test | Test Post IGF-1 | Test % Change | # of Days |
| Patient #1 | 106 on 04/18/97 | 203 on 05/27/97 | +91.5% | 39 days |
| Patient #2 | 115 on 01/31/97 | 218 on 05/27/97 | +89.6% | 116 days |
| Patient #3 | 131 on 03/15/97 | 247 on 05/16/97 | +88.6% | 62 days |
| Patient #4 | 229 on 02/01/97 | 259 on 04/05/97 | +13.1% | 63 days |
| Patient #5 | 183 on 03/21/97 | 261 on 05/20/97 | +42.6% | 60 days |
| Patient #6 | 36 on 04/08/97 | 101 on 05/30/97 | +180.6% | 52 days |
| Patient #7 | 97 on 02/28/977 | 132 on 04/04/97 | +36.1% | 35 days |
| Patient #8 | 142 on 02/04/97 | 264 on 05/31/97 | +85.9% | 116 days |
| Patient #9 | 189 on 05/09/97 | 228 on 07/02/97 | +20.6% | 54 days |
| Patient #10 | 112 on 12/17/97 | 206 on 05/27/97 | +84% | 161 days |
| Patient #11 | 131 on 04/21/97 | 209 on 05/28/97 | +59.5% | 37 days |
| Patient #12 | 62 on 04/28/97 | 171 on 05/28/97 | +175.8% | 30 days |
| Patient #13 | 123 on 01/22/97 | 188 on 03/25/97 | +52.9% | 62 days |
| Patient #14 | 159 on 04/23/97 | 258 on 06/03/97 | +62.3% | 41 days |
| Patient #15 | 53 on 04/25/97 | 158 on 05/28/97 | +198.1% | 33 days |
| Patient #16 | 51 on 04/29/97 | 126 on 06/03/97 | +147% | 35 days |
| Patient #17 | 69 on 04/21/97 | 223 on 07/07/97 | +223.2% | 77 days |
| Patient #18 | 73 on 01/14/97 | 206 on 05/27/97 | +182% | 161 days |
Overall Average Increase: +105.8% Overall Average Days: 68.6 days
To date, no other anti-aging research or product has even come close to getting such tremendous results.
Conclusion
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is important for a number of reasons in older individuals. It slows down and even reverses many of the aging processes that occur in the body. Since aging is now considered a disease and not just a normal occurrence, anyone who wants to maintain their youthful vigor and endurance should include an effective growth hormone therapy as part of their health regiment.
Until now, HGH has only been available by expensive injection for the world's wealthiest people. It has been used in Europe and the United States for approximately 15 years with gratifying results. Finally, after several years in development, PRO hGH, the world's first all-natural growth hormone releasing complex, is now available to those who are interested not only in staying young but also reversing back their biological clocks. Based on numerous studies with Human Growth Hormone, medical science has already proven that it is possible to reverse 10 - 20 years of aging in as little as six months of therapy.
Secretagogue hGH, therefore, represents the greatest and most important discovery in the field of life extension and age reversal; and is our best hope against the "war" on aging. Secretagogue hGH is a food supplement and NOT a drug. It is a synergistic combination of Amino Acids, Protein Fragments and Pharmacological Sugars - all from Natural Plant Sources. It is actually a stimulator of Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), which is as potent as the actual growth hormone itself.
The problem in the past has been that this insulin-like growth hormone or growth factor has been broken down in the stomach by the bile acids and has not been available for absorption. Secretagogue hGH with its proprietary delivery system eliminates this problem in an all-natural plant based proprietary formula which can be taken orally and may do some of the following:
1. Reverse many of the problems that are caused by aging, such as wrinkled skin, increased body fat, decreased muscle mass, increased cholesterol and blood pressure, decreased stamina and energy, decreased mental function, impaired neurological functions such as Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis.
2. Retard the aging process in the body. So here's to the next six to 12 months…may we all become 10 to 20 years younger!
SourceAging
Hot Topic: What Is Anti-Aging?
Anti-aging can be a difficult topic to address. A war is currently being fought over the meaning of "anti-aging" (as research, medicine, brand, or simply adjective) and thus even mentioning the term is likely to prejudice many readers. We will try to put this all into context while being as neutral as possible.
Defining Anti-Aging
Like it or not, "anti-aging" now has a number of quite different common meanings and connotations. Each is championed by a particular group or loose coalition of interests, but advocates for these groups have a way of diving into the fray without defining their terms. This makes reading about anti-aging techniques, technologies, medicine, products, and debates very confusing for the newcomer.
* For the scientific community, anti-aging research refers exclusively to slowing, preventing, or reversing the aging process. There is, as of 2007, no medical technology that allows this to be done - although the jury is still out on calorie restriction in humans. Nor is there any currently available method (short of waiting for people to die) to accurately measure the effects of an alleged anti-aging therapy.
* In the medical and more reputable business community, anti-aging medicine means early detection, prevention, and reversal of age-related diseases. This is quite different from tackling the aging process itself, and a wide array of strategies and therapies are currently available. Calorie restriction, for example, is a demonstrated way to lower risk for a wide range of age-related degenerative conditions.
* The wider business community - including a great many fraudulent and frivolous ventures - views "anti-aging" as a valuable brand and a demonstrated way to increase sales. At the worse end of the scale, this leads to snake oil salesmen, "anti-aging" cremes that may or may not make your skin look younger, and infomercials that tout the "anti-aging" benefits of exercise machines. Broadly, and very charitably, we can look at these varied definitions of anti-aging as meaning "to look and feel younger in some way" - which has no bearing on how long you live or how healthy you actually are.
The confusion of most interest is between the first two definitions. Many interventions lengthen life span for individuals by preventing or curing specific age-related diseases that would otherwise prove fatal. For example, ask yourself whether preventing heart disease or diabetes is anti-aging medicine. This would have no effect on the aging process, but it would help many people to live longer, healthier lives. Is this anti-aging research? Scientists say no, some medical and business groups say yes.
Scientists are appalled at what is going on in the anti-aging marketplace. The more reputable businesses in that marketplace are appalled by the hucksters and adventurous branding. Anti-aging is both a valuable brand and important science that all these groups are attempting to control or profit from - in many cases their aims are at odds with one another.
Why Can't They All Just Get Along?
The war over the meaning of "anti-aging" is being fought over money and the perception of legitimacy. It is this perception of legitimacy that determines funding for scientific research and revenues for businesses. Scientists feel, quite rightly, that the noise and nonsense coming from the anti-aging marketplace is damaging the prospects for serious, scientific anti-aging research. If everyone knows that anti-aging means high-priced cream from Revlon marketed to the gullible and brand-aware, no scientist is going to get funding for a serious proposal in aging research that uses the word "anti-aging." Worse than that, people start to assume that real efforts to reverse aging must be impossible - and large scale science requires public support and understanding.
Businesses in the "anti-aging" marketplace make money from the aura of legitimacy whether or not their products perform as advertised, and so a lot of effort is expended to create and maintain this perception of legitimacy. Those businesspeople with working, accurately marketed products carry out their own fight against opportunists, frauds and "marketeers" - businesses that are damaging the market and diluting the brand. Ironically, this is much the same argument used against the more legitimate businesses by scientists.
A common objection to the way in which some anti-aging businesses establish legitimacy is that they cherry pick supportive studies in areas in which the facts are still unsure and scientists are still working towards a conclusion. A few positive studies are not enough to settle any question or recommend any course of action in the complex world of medicine.
The vast amount of money spent on products that claim to turn back the clock demonstrates that people want real anti-aging medicines. The trouble is that these real anti-aging therapies simply don't exist. Or do they? It all depends on how you define "anti-aging."
The concept of "optimizing natural longevity" in useful when trying to draw a distinct line between what you can do now to lead a longer, healthier life, and what will be possible in the future. We can presume that there exists, for each person, some maximum life span - an "optimized natural longevity" - that can reach using modern medicine and appropriate lifestyle and diet choices. You can adopt calorie restriction, exercise, keep up a good relationship with a physician, and spend an appropriate amount on supplements and healthcare. Each of these items will help you to optimize your natural longevity - enable you to live a few years longer and in better health than you would otherwise have done. Does this make them anti-aging, preventative medicine, good maintenance, or merely not damaging yourself quite so much?
If an improved supplement comes onto the market that adds a few years of life for some people through a poorly understood biochemical mechanism, is that "anti-aging?" How about improvements in general healthcare for the elderly that have the same effect? Or a way to cure heart disease? All of these things are clearly going to extend healthy life span by some modest amount for at least some people - but they are not affecting the aging process. We could spend a lot of time arguing one way or another (and proposing further, more ambiguous examples).
We Are Not There Yet
Here is a final thought to mull over: if we possessed medical technologies that could extend the healthy human life span to 150 years (or more) - such as those proposed by biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey in his Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence - it's a fair bet that no-one would be arguing about the semantics of anti-aging research and medicine. In large part, these battles over meaning and legitimacy stem from the absence of anti-aging medicine that can greatly extend healthy life span. A year here and a year there are better than nothing, but far more effective medical technologies are possible.
This is why a focus on medical research and funding is vital to healthy life extension. We are simply not there yet. If a tenth of the effort spent on redefining anti-aging, selling junk, or trying to optimize natural longevity was spent on the medicine of the future - like regenerative medicine, repairing mitochondria, gene therapies or nanomedicine - just imagine where we could be by now! The medicine (and lifestyle choices like calorie restriction) that we have access to in the here and now are largely ineffective in the grand scheme of what is possible. Science can do far, far better in the long run, but getting there is going to take work, activism and support. What are you waiting for?
Source
Anti-aging can be a difficult topic to address. A war is currently being fought over the meaning of "anti-aging" (as research, medicine, brand, or simply adjective) and thus even mentioning the term is likely to prejudice many readers. We will try to put this all into context while being as neutral as possible.
Defining Anti-Aging
Like it or not, "anti-aging" now has a number of quite different common meanings and connotations. Each is championed by a particular group or loose coalition of interests, but advocates for these groups have a way of diving into the fray without defining their terms. This makes reading about anti-aging techniques, technologies, medicine, products, and debates very confusing for the newcomer.
* For the scientific community, anti-aging research refers exclusively to slowing, preventing, or reversing the aging process. There is, as of 2007, no medical technology that allows this to be done - although the jury is still out on calorie restriction in humans. Nor is there any currently available method (short of waiting for people to die) to accurately measure the effects of an alleged anti-aging therapy.
* In the medical and more reputable business community, anti-aging medicine means early detection, prevention, and reversal of age-related diseases. This is quite different from tackling the aging process itself, and a wide array of strategies and therapies are currently available. Calorie restriction, for example, is a demonstrated way to lower risk for a wide range of age-related degenerative conditions.
* The wider business community - including a great many fraudulent and frivolous ventures - views "anti-aging" as a valuable brand and a demonstrated way to increase sales. At the worse end of the scale, this leads to snake oil salesmen, "anti-aging" cremes that may or may not make your skin look younger, and infomercials that tout the "anti-aging" benefits of exercise machines. Broadly, and very charitably, we can look at these varied definitions of anti-aging as meaning "to look and feel younger in some way" - which has no bearing on how long you live or how healthy you actually are.
The confusion of most interest is between the first two definitions. Many interventions lengthen life span for individuals by preventing or curing specific age-related diseases that would otherwise prove fatal. For example, ask yourself whether preventing heart disease or diabetes is anti-aging medicine. This would have no effect on the aging process, but it would help many people to live longer, healthier lives. Is this anti-aging research? Scientists say no, some medical and business groups say yes.
Scientists are appalled at what is going on in the anti-aging marketplace. The more reputable businesses in that marketplace are appalled by the hucksters and adventurous branding. Anti-aging is both a valuable brand and important science that all these groups are attempting to control or profit from - in many cases their aims are at odds with one another.
Why Can't They All Just Get Along?
The war over the meaning of "anti-aging" is being fought over money and the perception of legitimacy. It is this perception of legitimacy that determines funding for scientific research and revenues for businesses. Scientists feel, quite rightly, that the noise and nonsense coming from the anti-aging marketplace is damaging the prospects for serious, scientific anti-aging research. If everyone knows that anti-aging means high-priced cream from Revlon marketed to the gullible and brand-aware, no scientist is going to get funding for a serious proposal in aging research that uses the word "anti-aging." Worse than that, people start to assume that real efforts to reverse aging must be impossible - and large scale science requires public support and understanding.
Businesses in the "anti-aging" marketplace make money from the aura of legitimacy whether or not their products perform as advertised, and so a lot of effort is expended to create and maintain this perception of legitimacy. Those businesspeople with working, accurately marketed products carry out their own fight against opportunists, frauds and "marketeers" - businesses that are damaging the market and diluting the brand. Ironically, this is much the same argument used against the more legitimate businesses by scientists.
A common objection to the way in which some anti-aging businesses establish legitimacy is that they cherry pick supportive studies in areas in which the facts are still unsure and scientists are still working towards a conclusion. A few positive studies are not enough to settle any question or recommend any course of action in the complex world of medicine.
The vast amount of money spent on products that claim to turn back the clock demonstrates that people want real anti-aging medicines. The trouble is that these real anti-aging therapies simply don't exist. Or do they? It all depends on how you define "anti-aging."
The concept of "optimizing natural longevity" in useful when trying to draw a distinct line between what you can do now to lead a longer, healthier life, and what will be possible in the future. We can presume that there exists, for each person, some maximum life span - an "optimized natural longevity" - that can reach using modern medicine and appropriate lifestyle and diet choices. You can adopt calorie restriction, exercise, keep up a good relationship with a physician, and spend an appropriate amount on supplements and healthcare. Each of these items will help you to optimize your natural longevity - enable you to live a few years longer and in better health than you would otherwise have done. Does this make them anti-aging, preventative medicine, good maintenance, or merely not damaging yourself quite so much?
If an improved supplement comes onto the market that adds a few years of life for some people through a poorly understood biochemical mechanism, is that "anti-aging?" How about improvements in general healthcare for the elderly that have the same effect? Or a way to cure heart disease? All of these things are clearly going to extend healthy life span by some modest amount for at least some people - but they are not affecting the aging process. We could spend a lot of time arguing one way or another (and proposing further, more ambiguous examples).
We Are Not There Yet
Here is a final thought to mull over: if we possessed medical technologies that could extend the healthy human life span to 150 years (or more) - such as those proposed by biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey in his Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence - it's a fair bet that no-one would be arguing about the semantics of anti-aging research and medicine. In large part, these battles over meaning and legitimacy stem from the absence of anti-aging medicine that can greatly extend healthy life span. A year here and a year there are better than nothing, but far more effective medical technologies are possible.
This is why a focus on medical research and funding is vital to healthy life extension. We are simply not there yet. If a tenth of the effort spent on redefining anti-aging, selling junk, or trying to optimize natural longevity was spent on the medicine of the future - like regenerative medicine, repairing mitochondria, gene therapies or nanomedicine - just imagine where we could be by now! The medicine (and lifestyle choices like calorie restriction) that we have access to in the here and now are largely ineffective in the grand scheme of what is possible. Science can do far, far better in the long run, but getting there is going to take work, activism and support. What are you waiting for?
Source
Monday, November 5, 2007
Preventing Hearing Loss
Age-related hearing loss is mainly caused by a loss of the tiny hair cells that act as sounds receptors and free radical damage that "clogs up" tissues that act as sound amplifiers. As many as 50 million people in the U.S. could have impaired hearing by 2050.
Young people are losing their hearing 2.5 times faster than their parents' generation due to more exposure to loud music and noisy environments. That means that when young people today are 40, their hearing ability will be more like a 60 or 70 year-olds' hearing.
Hearing loss caused by exposure to loud noises can be prevented. Here is a list of general tips for reducing your risk of age-related hearing loss and preventing existing damage from progressing:
* Limit the time you are exposed to loud noises.
* Earplugs should be used when you are exposed to firearms, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, jet skies, power tools, loud appliances, snowmobiles, or any other loud noises.
Sponsored Links
Affordable Hearing AidDon't spend $1000s, CIC's from $269 to advanced digital open fit $549www.earwear.net
Longevity Real HGHRRead info about this Anti-Aging Supplement Ingredients & more.www.ModernAging.com
Losing Your Hearing?Hearing Aids Sales & Consultants Serving Tucson & SurroundingHearingAidCenterInc.com
* If you use headphones to listen to music all day long, do not have the volume up above 50 percent. And never exceed 80 percent, even if you're listening for a short time.
* Do not try to clean your ear canal with a cotton swab or other tool. You may push ear wax further down the ear canal which, over time, can cause it to accumulate and cause hearing loss. Have a health care professional clean your ears when necessary.
* Keep your heart and veins healthy. High blood pressure and problems with circulation could cause hearing loss since changes to your blood supply can affect the delicate structures of your ear.
Sources:
American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting, 2007. Presentation by Steven Greenberg.
National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders. Presbycusis. NIH Pub. No. 97-4235.
Young people are losing their hearing 2.5 times faster than their parents' generation due to more exposure to loud music and noisy environments. That means that when young people today are 40, their hearing ability will be more like a 60 or 70 year-olds' hearing.
Hearing loss caused by exposure to loud noises can be prevented. Here is a list of general tips for reducing your risk of age-related hearing loss and preventing existing damage from progressing:
* Limit the time you are exposed to loud noises.
* Earplugs should be used when you are exposed to firearms, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, jet skies, power tools, loud appliances, snowmobiles, or any other loud noises.
Sponsored Links
Affordable Hearing AidDon't spend $1000s, CIC's from $269 to advanced digital open fit $549www.earwear.net
Longevity Real HGHRRead info about this Anti-Aging Supplement Ingredients & more.www.ModernAging.com
Losing Your Hearing?Hearing Aids Sales & Consultants Serving Tucson & SurroundingHearingAidCenterInc.com
* If you use headphones to listen to music all day long, do not have the volume up above 50 percent. And never exceed 80 percent, even if you're listening for a short time.
* Do not try to clean your ear canal with a cotton swab or other tool. You may push ear wax further down the ear canal which, over time, can cause it to accumulate and cause hearing loss. Have a health care professional clean your ears when necessary.
* Keep your heart and veins healthy. High blood pressure and problems with circulation could cause hearing loss since changes to your blood supply can affect the delicate structures of your ear.
Sources:
American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting, 2007. Presentation by Steven Greenberg.
National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders. Presbycusis. NIH Pub. No. 97-4235.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Can Humans Live Longer? The Missing Anti-Aging Hormone
Can humans really do anything to prolong life? A recent article by Christopher Wanjek in the Washington Post said "Humans can reap no such benefits from the continuing flood of anti-aging potions and precepts, which are at best naively optimistic and at worst fraudulent and harmful. Wanjeck goes on to say that "every book, powder or pill that promises a fountain of youth..... is just plain wrong."
"There is no intervention that has been proven to slow, stop or reverse aging. Period," says Leonard Hayflick, professor of anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, a leader in the study of aging. Even New Age physician Deepak Chopra chimed in by saying legitimate anti-aging remedies can only keep a person from dying young, but they don't increase the life span.1
Human growth hormone, widely extolled on radio infomercials across America for its anti-aging properties, may produce side effects including the elevation of growth hormones that trigger the growth of tumors. Growth hormone is more appropriate for very old adults who have lost muscle mass and can't get up out of a chair any longer, not for middle-aged adults fighting the first signs of aging.2
So is there anything that adults can do to lengthen the human life span? Scientists want you to wait (as if everybody has the time) for gene therapy. The latest breakthrough is the so-called Methuselah gene, a portion of DNA that confers healthy old age to those who carry its active form.3 But don't wait around for genetics to prolong life. Gene therapy has yet to cure any disease, is likely to be too costly for the average person to afford and is more likely to be inserted in new genes in the offspring of the next generation.
Why wait for an antioxidant breakthrough?
Thomas Johnson at the University of Colorado-Boulder, is looking in another direction. Johnson found that by tweaking a certain gene in roundworms he could create a super antioxidant gene that would double the worm's life span.4
But while researchers conduct their antioxidant studies on roundworms, what can we do? Actually youth seekers need look no further than the vitamin shelf at local stores for a well substantiated. anti-aging compound – vitamin C. While researchers attempt to make careers out of their research and thus delay any conclusions indefinitely, vitamin C may be the anti-aging miracle humanity can begin to use today. The story is not new, it's just not been widely told.
Humans have the capacity to live for hundreds of years
The good news is that there is scientific evidence that humans have the capacity to lengthen their average life span by hundreds of years. The evidence for vitamin C as a key anti-aging agent is compelling and rooted in the genetic makeup of humans. All humans are mutants. Homo sapiens, guinea pigs, monkeys, bats, some fish and many birds, do not produce their own vitamin C. The rest of the animal kingdom synthesizes their own vitamin C. For them, ascorbic acid is a hormone, not a dietary-acquired vitamin. Animals employ different organs to produce vitamin C. Some birds and reptiles use their kidneys and perching birds and mammals make vitamin C in their liver.5
Humans once made vitamin C in their liver by the production of four enzymes which convert circulating sugars into ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Humans today only make 3 of the 4 enzymes required to convert glucose (sugar) into ascorbic acid. A progressive mutation at some time in past generations deactivated the gene for the enzyme gulonolactone oxidase and slowly as the mutation progressed the synthesis of vitamin C came to an end in humans.
Mammals who make their own vitamin C can live 8-10 times beyond their age of physical maturity. Mammals without this ability have a difficult time reaching 3-4 times. Researchers believe the reinstallation of the gulonolactone oxidase enzyme in humans would extend the lifespan to hundreds of years.
This means that humans at one time in the past, prior to this gene mutation, lived for hundreds of years. This doesn't fit with the current evolutionary scheme of biology which postulates that humans evolved from monkeys and early man lived no longer than 40 years.
Darwinian theory off the mark
In 1966 Irwin Stone, a chemical engineer, theorized that the mutation of the gulonolactone oxidase enzyme in humans had been part of human evolution. There had been a branching of the Prosimii and the Anthropoidea orders of monkeys. The Anthropoidea developed the inactive gene for vitamin C and that branch evolved into humans.6
Health writer Jack Challem in 1997 also hypothesized that either a virus or free radical attack caused the genetic defect that disabled the enzyme necessary for vitamin C synthesis and that this in turn led to mutations that propelled the evolution of monkeys to humans.7
Of course, mutations are destructive and regressive, not progressive advancements of the genome. According to Darwin's theory of natural selection (survival of the fittest), humans or monkeys who could not produce their own vitamin C would have been less likely to thrive. Of course these theories are based upon suppositions which depict branch-like evolution from simple life forms to monkeys and finally humans. With no intermediate species (no missing links), these evolutionary tree charts are still nothing more than cartoons.
According to paleontologists early humans lived for about 40 years and only in recent times has the human life span dramatically shifted upwards. But then again, we have that evidence that humans at one time in the past made their own vitamin C. What evidence do we have, if any, that humans at some time in the past lived for hundreds of years?
When did humans live for hundreds of years?
An examination of the historical records of the Holy Bible reveals that Adam was recorded to have lived for 930 years (Genesis 5:5), and Noah for 950 years (Genesis 9:29). According to the Biblical record the human genome was severely narrowed at that time, down to just eight members of Noah's family as gene carriers. Thereafter the human life span was recorded to slowly dissipate. After the Flood, Bible genealogies indicate Shem lived 600 years, followed by Arphaxad who lived 438 years, and through other generations on down to Abraham who lived 175 years and finally to Moses who lived 120 years (Deuteronomy 34:7). This description would fit the progressive mutation of the gulonolactone oxidase gene. Humans still house this gene, it is just defunct and called a pseudogene. Thus the Biblical genealogies may not be far-fetched fairy tales.
Can the enzyme to produce vitamin C be re-installed in humans?
What if the gulonolactone oxidase gene could somehow be re-inserted into the human genome?
We know that guinea pigs who lack gulonolactone oxidase have been given this enzyme by injection and are able to survive on a diet deficient in vitamin C.8
Scientists have taken the gulonolactone oxidase DNA from rat liver and successfully tranplanted it into the tomato genome.9 The gulonolactone oxidase gene has also been successfully transferred into a teleost fish (Oryzias latipes) via microinjection into fertilized fish eggs.10
With all of the widely heralded prospects for gene therapy there hasn't been a peep about the feasability of inserting the gulonolactone oxidase gene into the human genome. Yet the profound impact of such a development, if successful, would obviously be monumental. Diabetes, blood vessel disease, cataracts, gallstones, to name a few age-related maladies, would be eradicated. The breakdown of collagen with advancing age would be slowed. The world human population jumped from 1.6 to 6..1 billion in the past century, 2 billion of that growth coming since 1960, largely from improvements in sanitation, food fortification and modern medicines.11 Imagine the social, political and medical ramifications if humans could live for hundreds of years?
Does vitamin C supplementation work?
As early as 1984 researchers knew that supplementation of drinking water with vitamin C increased the average life span of mice by as much as 20 percent.12
Nobel prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling suggested humans supplement their diet continually through the day to mimic what the liver would make if the gene for the gulonolactone oxidase enzyme were still active. Dr. Pauling advocated supplementation with mineral ascorbates, the same alkaline form of vitamin C the liver produces in mammals, not ascorbic acid which can sometimes be irritating to the stomach and can even eat away tooth enamel.13
How much vitamin C should humans ingest? If you want to get all your vitamin C from foods, consumption of the recommended 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables a day is likely to provide 200-250 milligrams. A mouse makes about 275 milligrams of vitamin C per day per kilogram (2.2 lbs) of body weight. If a mouse weighed 154 pounds, about the weight of a human, this would amount to about 19,250 milligrams of vitamin C per day. A 160-pound goat produces about 13,000 milligrams per day, and more under stress. A dog or cat will produce about 40 milligrams of vitamin C per kilogram of body weight per day, or the equivalent of 2800 mgs per day if these animals were about the same size as humans. So using animals as a rule of thumb, humans may benefit from consumption of anywhere from 2,000-20,000 milligrams per day. The only common side effect from high-dose vitamin C is a transient diarrhea-like buildup of water in the lower bowel. Government health authorities recommend only about 90 milligrams of vitamin C a day for adults, but that's just the minimum amount to prevent scurvy and promote general health, not to achieve optimal health and longevity. Studies indicate the vitamin C intake for Americans is around 110 milligrams per day, but adequate vitamin C status, even with food fortification, is still not guaranteed. According to one study, about 1-2 percent of college students exhibited true deficiency and marginal deficiencies were found in an additional 12-16 percent of students.14
Can vitamin C prolong life?
Is there any evidence that increased vitamin C consumption can prolong the human life span? A study of 11,000 Americans over 10 years revealed that individuals with the highest level of vitamin C intake, only about 300 milligrams, suffered 35 percent fewer deaths than those with the lowest intake, about 50 milligrams a day. This amounts to about 6 added years of life to those who consume higher levels of vitamin C. Since 300 mg of vitamin C is difficult to obtain from dietary sources alone, the primary group that exhibited increased life span were the vitamin C supplement users.15 A person would have to consume five oranges a day to get 300 milligrams of vitamin C from their diet alone.
There are other corroborating studies that back up the idea of vitamin C supplementation and longevity.
A study over a 12-16-year period showed that males with the highest blood serum levels of vitamin C experienced a 57 percent drop in their risk of dying from any cause compared to males with low circulating levels of vitamin C.16
Among men and women ages 45-79 years, just a 50 milligram increase in vitamin C consumption was able to reduce the relative all-cause mortality rate by 20 percent.17
Another study published in 2001 also confirms a 25-29 percent decreased all-cause mortality rate among adults with normal to high circulating levels of vitamin C.18
It is interesting to note that vitamin C acts as an agent in various models of anti-aging. Vitamin C would be a key antioxidant in the free radical theory of aging.19 Researchers have demonstrated that vitamin C slows down telomere shortening by 52-62 percent in a controlled experiment.20 Telomeres are the end caps of DNA that shorten with many generations and limit the number of replications of DNA.
Is high-dose vitamin C genotoxic?
However, with all of this positive information about vitamin C, the news media recently chose to widely circulate a misleading test-tube study claiming high-dose vitamin C is toxic to DNA which could cause cancer. Researchers recommended vitamin C supplements be restricted to no more than 200 milligrams per day. This report caused the public to temporarily pause regarding vitamin C supplements.21 However, the 200-milligram limit conflicts with government health authorities who recommend consumption of 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day which would likely provide more than the 200 milligram amount. Virtually all evidence from dietary studies confirm the health benefits of foods that provide high amounts of vitamin C. Another earlier study published in Nature indicated 500 milligrams of vitamin C in humans may produce damage to DNA in lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.22 However, other studies reveal that vitamin C actually protects against DNA damage to lymphocytes but this protective effect is greatly enhanced when accompanied by bioflavonoids which usually accompany vitamin C in nature.23 Bioflavonoids are plant pigments commonly found in citrus, berries, grapes and tea leaves. The better store brands of buffered vitamin C powder (mineral ascorbates) include bioflavonoids. Furthermore, five other subsequent human studies were conducted using high-dose vitamin C up to 5000 milligrams per day and could not find evidence that vitamin C induces gene mutations.24
Then there is the aforementioned evidence from the animal kingdom where animals produce thousands of milligrams of vitamin C daily without evidence this induces cancer. A modern mountain gorilla living in its natural habitat, that produces no vitamin C on its own, would obtain 4,500 milligrams of vitamin C per day from native foodstuffs.25 A 15 pound howler monkey takes in 600 milligrams of vitamin C per day and an 18 pound spider monkey consumes about 744 mg of vitamin C per day.26 There is no evidence that these levels of vitamin C from dietary sources induce any DNA mutations or cancer in these animals.
Furthermore, there are studies which reveal significant health benefits for humans who consume vitamin C in excess of the newly established 90 milligram reference daily intake. For example, human studies reveal that 300 milligrams of daily vitamin C appears to reduce the risk of blinding cataracts, an otherwise inevitable consequence of aging, by 77-83 percent.27 A 500-milligram daily dose of vitamin C has been found to significantly reduce blood pressure among hypertensive patients who previously had to use prescription medications.28
Anyone interested in anti-aging should begin with vitamin C, the missing human hormone.
Part II: What we can learn about anti-aging from mynah birds, fruit flies and leeches
References
1. Wanjek C, Time in a bottle, Washington Post, Jan 29, 2002
2. Riedl M, et al, Growth hormone in the elderly man, Wien Med Wochenschr 151: 426-29, 2001.
3. McKie R, Discovery of Methuselah gene unlocks secret of long life, The Observer, Feb. 3, 2002.
4. Fischer JS, The cells of immortality, US New Online, March 20, 2000.
5. McCluskey ES, Which vertebrates make vitamin C?, Origins 12: 96-100, 1985.
6. Stone I, The natural history of ascorbic acid in the evolution of the mammals and primates and its significance for present day man, Orthomolecular Psychiatry 1: 82-89, 1972; Stone I, Homo sapiens ascorbicus, a biochemically corrected robust human mutant, Medical Hypotheses 5: 711-21, 1979..
7. Challem JJ, Did the loss of endogenous ascorbate propel the evolution of Anthropoidea and Homo sapiens? Medical Hypotheses 48: 387-92, 1997.
8. Sato PH, et al, Treatment of a metabolic disease, scurvy, by administration of a missing enzyme, Biochem Med Metab Biol 35: 59-64, 1986; Hadley K, Sato P, A protocol for the successful long-term enzyme replacement therapy of scurvy in guinea pigs, J Inherit Metabolic Diseases 11: 387-96, 1988.
9. Tsuyoshi I, et al, The American Society of Plant Physiologists, Plant Biology '97, Abstract 1545.
10. Toyohara H, et al, Transgenic expression of L-gulono-gamme-lactone oxidase in medaka (Oryzias latipes), a teleost fish that lacks this enzyme necessary for L-ascorbic acid biosynthesis, Biochem Biophys Res Commun 223: 650-53, 1996.
11. Human population: fundamentals of growth, Population Reference Bureau, 2002.
12. Massie HR, et al, Dietary vitamin C improves the survival of mice, Gerontology 30: 371-75, 1984
13. Pauling L, How to Live Longer and Feel Better, July 1996.
14. Johnston CS, et al, Vitamin C status of a compus population: college students get a C minus, J Am College Health 46: 209-13, 1998.
15. Cowley G, Church V, Live longer with vitamin C, Newsweek May 18, 1992 and Enstrom JE, et al, Vitamin C intake and mortality among a sample of the United States population, Epidemiology 3: 194-202, 1992.
16. Loria CM, et al, Vitamin C status and mortality in US adults, American Journal Clinical Nutrition 72: 139-45, 2000.
17. Khaw, K, et al, Relation between plasma ascorbic acid and mortality in men and women in EPIC-Norfolk prospective study: a prospective population study, The Lancet 357: March 3, 2001.
18. Simon JA, et al, Relation of serum ascorbic acid to mortality among US adults, J Am College Nutrition 20: June 2001.
19. Harman D, Piette LH, Free radical theory of aging: free radical reactions in serium, J Gerontology 21: 560-65, 1966.
20. Furumoto K, et al, Age-dependent telomere shortening is slowed down by enrichment of intracellular vitamin C via suppression of oxidative stress, Life Sciences 63: 935-48, 1998.
21. Lee SH, et al, Vitamin C-induced decomposition of lipid hydroperoxides to endogenous genotoxins, Science 292: 2083-86, 2001.
22. Podmore ID, et al, Vitamin C exhibits pro-oxidant properties, Nature 392: 559, 1998.
23. Noroozi M, et al, Effects of flavonoids and vitamin C on oxidative DNA damage to human lymphocytes, Am J Clin Nutrition 67: 1210-18, 1998.
24. Sardi B, The two faces of vitamin C, Science 293: 5537, 2001.
25. Bourne C, Vitamin C and immunity, British J Nutrition 2: 341, 1949.
26. Milton K, Eating what comes naturally: an examination of some differences between the dietary components of humans and wild primates, Dept. Antropology, University of Calif. Berkeley, 14th Intl' Congress on Anthropological and ethnological Sciences, July 26, 1998.
27. Jacques PF, et al, Long-term vitamin C supplement use and prevalence of early age-related lens opacities, Am J Clinical Nutrition 66: 911-16, 1997.
28. Duffy SJ, et al, Treatment of hypertension with ascorbic acid, The Lancet 354: Dec. 11, 1995.
Source
"There is no intervention that has been proven to slow, stop or reverse aging. Period," says Leonard Hayflick, professor of anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, a leader in the study of aging. Even New Age physician Deepak Chopra chimed in by saying legitimate anti-aging remedies can only keep a person from dying young, but they don't increase the life span.1
Human growth hormone, widely extolled on radio infomercials across America for its anti-aging properties, may produce side effects including the elevation of growth hormones that trigger the growth of tumors. Growth hormone is more appropriate for very old adults who have lost muscle mass and can't get up out of a chair any longer, not for middle-aged adults fighting the first signs of aging.2
So is there anything that adults can do to lengthen the human life span? Scientists want you to wait (as if everybody has the time) for gene therapy. The latest breakthrough is the so-called Methuselah gene, a portion of DNA that confers healthy old age to those who carry its active form.3 But don't wait around for genetics to prolong life. Gene therapy has yet to cure any disease, is likely to be too costly for the average person to afford and is more likely to be inserted in new genes in the offspring of the next generation.
Why wait for an antioxidant breakthrough?
Thomas Johnson at the University of Colorado-Boulder, is looking in another direction. Johnson found that by tweaking a certain gene in roundworms he could create a super antioxidant gene that would double the worm's life span.4
But while researchers conduct their antioxidant studies on roundworms, what can we do? Actually youth seekers need look no further than the vitamin shelf at local stores for a well substantiated. anti-aging compound – vitamin C. While researchers attempt to make careers out of their research and thus delay any conclusions indefinitely, vitamin C may be the anti-aging miracle humanity can begin to use today. The story is not new, it's just not been widely told.
Humans have the capacity to live for hundreds of years
The good news is that there is scientific evidence that humans have the capacity to lengthen their average life span by hundreds of years. The evidence for vitamin C as a key anti-aging agent is compelling and rooted in the genetic makeup of humans. All humans are mutants. Homo sapiens, guinea pigs, monkeys, bats, some fish and many birds, do not produce their own vitamin C. The rest of the animal kingdom synthesizes their own vitamin C. For them, ascorbic acid is a hormone, not a dietary-acquired vitamin. Animals employ different organs to produce vitamin C. Some birds and reptiles use their kidneys and perching birds and mammals make vitamin C in their liver.5
Humans once made vitamin C in their liver by the production of four enzymes which convert circulating sugars into ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Humans today only make 3 of the 4 enzymes required to convert glucose (sugar) into ascorbic acid. A progressive mutation at some time in past generations deactivated the gene for the enzyme gulonolactone oxidase and slowly as the mutation progressed the synthesis of vitamin C came to an end in humans.
Mammals who make their own vitamin C can live 8-10 times beyond their age of physical maturity. Mammals without this ability have a difficult time reaching 3-4 times. Researchers believe the reinstallation of the gulonolactone oxidase enzyme in humans would extend the lifespan to hundreds of years.
This means that humans at one time in the past, prior to this gene mutation, lived for hundreds of years. This doesn't fit with the current evolutionary scheme of biology which postulates that humans evolved from monkeys and early man lived no longer than 40 years.
Darwinian theory off the mark
In 1966 Irwin Stone, a chemical engineer, theorized that the mutation of the gulonolactone oxidase enzyme in humans had been part of human evolution. There had been a branching of the Prosimii and the Anthropoidea orders of monkeys. The Anthropoidea developed the inactive gene for vitamin C and that branch evolved into humans.6
Health writer Jack Challem in 1997 also hypothesized that either a virus or free radical attack caused the genetic defect that disabled the enzyme necessary for vitamin C synthesis and that this in turn led to mutations that propelled the evolution of monkeys to humans.7
Of course, mutations are destructive and regressive, not progressive advancements of the genome. According to Darwin's theory of natural selection (survival of the fittest), humans or monkeys who could not produce their own vitamin C would have been less likely to thrive. Of course these theories are based upon suppositions which depict branch-like evolution from simple life forms to monkeys and finally humans. With no intermediate species (no missing links), these evolutionary tree charts are still nothing more than cartoons.
According to paleontologists early humans lived for about 40 years and only in recent times has the human life span dramatically shifted upwards. But then again, we have that evidence that humans at one time in the past made their own vitamin C. What evidence do we have, if any, that humans at some time in the past lived for hundreds of years?
When did humans live for hundreds of years?
An examination of the historical records of the Holy Bible reveals that Adam was recorded to have lived for 930 years (Genesis 5:5), and Noah for 950 years (Genesis 9:29). According to the Biblical record the human genome was severely narrowed at that time, down to just eight members of Noah's family as gene carriers. Thereafter the human life span was recorded to slowly dissipate. After the Flood, Bible genealogies indicate Shem lived 600 years, followed by Arphaxad who lived 438 years, and through other generations on down to Abraham who lived 175 years and finally to Moses who lived 120 years (Deuteronomy 34:7). This description would fit the progressive mutation of the gulonolactone oxidase gene. Humans still house this gene, it is just defunct and called a pseudogene. Thus the Biblical genealogies may not be far-fetched fairy tales.
Can the enzyme to produce vitamin C be re-installed in humans?
What if the gulonolactone oxidase gene could somehow be re-inserted into the human genome?
We know that guinea pigs who lack gulonolactone oxidase have been given this enzyme by injection and are able to survive on a diet deficient in vitamin C.8
Scientists have taken the gulonolactone oxidase DNA from rat liver and successfully tranplanted it into the tomato genome.9 The gulonolactone oxidase gene has also been successfully transferred into a teleost fish (Oryzias latipes) via microinjection into fertilized fish eggs.10
With all of the widely heralded prospects for gene therapy there hasn't been a peep about the feasability of inserting the gulonolactone oxidase gene into the human genome. Yet the profound impact of such a development, if successful, would obviously be monumental. Diabetes, blood vessel disease, cataracts, gallstones, to name a few age-related maladies, would be eradicated. The breakdown of collagen with advancing age would be slowed. The world human population jumped from 1.6 to 6..1 billion in the past century, 2 billion of that growth coming since 1960, largely from improvements in sanitation, food fortification and modern medicines.11 Imagine the social, political and medical ramifications if humans could live for hundreds of years?
Does vitamin C supplementation work?
As early as 1984 researchers knew that supplementation of drinking water with vitamin C increased the average life span of mice by as much as 20 percent.12
Nobel prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling suggested humans supplement their diet continually through the day to mimic what the liver would make if the gene for the gulonolactone oxidase enzyme were still active. Dr. Pauling advocated supplementation with mineral ascorbates, the same alkaline form of vitamin C the liver produces in mammals, not ascorbic acid which can sometimes be irritating to the stomach and can even eat away tooth enamel.13
How much vitamin C should humans ingest? If you want to get all your vitamin C from foods, consumption of the recommended 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables a day is likely to provide 200-250 milligrams. A mouse makes about 275 milligrams of vitamin C per day per kilogram (2.2 lbs) of body weight. If a mouse weighed 154 pounds, about the weight of a human, this would amount to about 19,250 milligrams of vitamin C per day. A 160-pound goat produces about 13,000 milligrams per day, and more under stress. A dog or cat will produce about 40 milligrams of vitamin C per kilogram of body weight per day, or the equivalent of 2800 mgs per day if these animals were about the same size as humans. So using animals as a rule of thumb, humans may benefit from consumption of anywhere from 2,000-20,000 milligrams per day. The only common side effect from high-dose vitamin C is a transient diarrhea-like buildup of water in the lower bowel. Government health authorities recommend only about 90 milligrams of vitamin C a day for adults, but that's just the minimum amount to prevent scurvy and promote general health, not to achieve optimal health and longevity. Studies indicate the vitamin C intake for Americans is around 110 milligrams per day, but adequate vitamin C status, even with food fortification, is still not guaranteed. According to one study, about 1-2 percent of college students exhibited true deficiency and marginal deficiencies were found in an additional 12-16 percent of students.14
Can vitamin C prolong life?
Is there any evidence that increased vitamin C consumption can prolong the human life span? A study of 11,000 Americans over 10 years revealed that individuals with the highest level of vitamin C intake, only about 300 milligrams, suffered 35 percent fewer deaths than those with the lowest intake, about 50 milligrams a day. This amounts to about 6 added years of life to those who consume higher levels of vitamin C. Since 300 mg of vitamin C is difficult to obtain from dietary sources alone, the primary group that exhibited increased life span were the vitamin C supplement users.15 A person would have to consume five oranges a day to get 300 milligrams of vitamin C from their diet alone.
There are other corroborating studies that back up the idea of vitamin C supplementation and longevity.
A study over a 12-16-year period showed that males with the highest blood serum levels of vitamin C experienced a 57 percent drop in their risk of dying from any cause compared to males with low circulating levels of vitamin C.16
Among men and women ages 45-79 years, just a 50 milligram increase in vitamin C consumption was able to reduce the relative all-cause mortality rate by 20 percent.17
Another study published in 2001 also confirms a 25-29 percent decreased all-cause mortality rate among adults with normal to high circulating levels of vitamin C.18
It is interesting to note that vitamin C acts as an agent in various models of anti-aging. Vitamin C would be a key antioxidant in the free radical theory of aging.19 Researchers have demonstrated that vitamin C slows down telomere shortening by 52-62 percent in a controlled experiment.20 Telomeres are the end caps of DNA that shorten with many generations and limit the number of replications of DNA.
Is high-dose vitamin C genotoxic?
However, with all of this positive information about vitamin C, the news media recently chose to widely circulate a misleading test-tube study claiming high-dose vitamin C is toxic to DNA which could cause cancer. Researchers recommended vitamin C supplements be restricted to no more than 200 milligrams per day. This report caused the public to temporarily pause regarding vitamin C supplements.21 However, the 200-milligram limit conflicts with government health authorities who recommend consumption of 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day which would likely provide more than the 200 milligram amount. Virtually all evidence from dietary studies confirm the health benefits of foods that provide high amounts of vitamin C. Another earlier study published in Nature indicated 500 milligrams of vitamin C in humans may produce damage to DNA in lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.22 However, other studies reveal that vitamin C actually protects against DNA damage to lymphocytes but this protective effect is greatly enhanced when accompanied by bioflavonoids which usually accompany vitamin C in nature.23 Bioflavonoids are plant pigments commonly found in citrus, berries, grapes and tea leaves. The better store brands of buffered vitamin C powder (mineral ascorbates) include bioflavonoids. Furthermore, five other subsequent human studies were conducted using high-dose vitamin C up to 5000 milligrams per day and could not find evidence that vitamin C induces gene mutations.24
Then there is the aforementioned evidence from the animal kingdom where animals produce thousands of milligrams of vitamin C daily without evidence this induces cancer. A modern mountain gorilla living in its natural habitat, that produces no vitamin C on its own, would obtain 4,500 milligrams of vitamin C per day from native foodstuffs.25 A 15 pound howler monkey takes in 600 milligrams of vitamin C per day and an 18 pound spider monkey consumes about 744 mg of vitamin C per day.26 There is no evidence that these levels of vitamin C from dietary sources induce any DNA mutations or cancer in these animals.
Furthermore, there are studies which reveal significant health benefits for humans who consume vitamin C in excess of the newly established 90 milligram reference daily intake. For example, human studies reveal that 300 milligrams of daily vitamin C appears to reduce the risk of blinding cataracts, an otherwise inevitable consequence of aging, by 77-83 percent.27 A 500-milligram daily dose of vitamin C has been found to significantly reduce blood pressure among hypertensive patients who previously had to use prescription medications.28
Anyone interested in anti-aging should begin with vitamin C, the missing human hormone.
Part II: What we can learn about anti-aging from mynah birds, fruit flies and leeches
References
1. Wanjek C, Time in a bottle, Washington Post, Jan 29, 2002
2. Riedl M, et al, Growth hormone in the elderly man, Wien Med Wochenschr 151: 426-29, 2001.
3. McKie R, Discovery of Methuselah gene unlocks secret of long life, The Observer, Feb. 3, 2002.
4. Fischer JS, The cells of immortality, US New Online, March 20, 2000.
5. McCluskey ES, Which vertebrates make vitamin C?, Origins 12: 96-100, 1985.
6. Stone I, The natural history of ascorbic acid in the evolution of the mammals and primates and its significance for present day man, Orthomolecular Psychiatry 1: 82-89, 1972; Stone I, Homo sapiens ascorbicus, a biochemically corrected robust human mutant, Medical Hypotheses 5: 711-21, 1979..
7. Challem JJ, Did the loss of endogenous ascorbate propel the evolution of Anthropoidea and Homo sapiens? Medical Hypotheses 48: 387-92, 1997.
8. Sato PH, et al, Treatment of a metabolic disease, scurvy, by administration of a missing enzyme, Biochem Med Metab Biol 35: 59-64, 1986; Hadley K, Sato P, A protocol for the successful long-term enzyme replacement therapy of scurvy in guinea pigs, J Inherit Metabolic Diseases 11: 387-96, 1988.
9. Tsuyoshi I, et al, The American Society of Plant Physiologists, Plant Biology '97, Abstract 1545.
10. Toyohara H, et al, Transgenic expression of L-gulono-gamme-lactone oxidase in medaka (Oryzias latipes), a teleost fish that lacks this enzyme necessary for L-ascorbic acid biosynthesis, Biochem Biophys Res Commun 223: 650-53, 1996.
11. Human population: fundamentals of growth, Population Reference Bureau, 2002.
12. Massie HR, et al, Dietary vitamin C improves the survival of mice, Gerontology 30: 371-75, 1984
13. Pauling L, How to Live Longer and Feel Better, July 1996.
14. Johnston CS, et al, Vitamin C status of a compus population: college students get a C minus, J Am College Health 46: 209-13, 1998.
15. Cowley G, Church V, Live longer with vitamin C, Newsweek May 18, 1992 and Enstrom JE, et al, Vitamin C intake and mortality among a sample of the United States population, Epidemiology 3: 194-202, 1992.
16. Loria CM, et al, Vitamin C status and mortality in US adults, American Journal Clinical Nutrition 72: 139-45, 2000.
17. Khaw, K, et al, Relation between plasma ascorbic acid and mortality in men and women in EPIC-Norfolk prospective study: a prospective population study, The Lancet 357: March 3, 2001.
18. Simon JA, et al, Relation of serum ascorbic acid to mortality among US adults, J Am College Nutrition 20: June 2001.
19. Harman D, Piette LH, Free radical theory of aging: free radical reactions in serium, J Gerontology 21: 560-65, 1966.
20. Furumoto K, et al, Age-dependent telomere shortening is slowed down by enrichment of intracellular vitamin C via suppression of oxidative stress, Life Sciences 63: 935-48, 1998.
21. Lee SH, et al, Vitamin C-induced decomposition of lipid hydroperoxides to endogenous genotoxins, Science 292: 2083-86, 2001.
22. Podmore ID, et al, Vitamin C exhibits pro-oxidant properties, Nature 392: 559, 1998.
23. Noroozi M, et al, Effects of flavonoids and vitamin C on oxidative DNA damage to human lymphocytes, Am J Clin Nutrition 67: 1210-18, 1998.
24. Sardi B, The two faces of vitamin C, Science 293: 5537, 2001.
25. Bourne C, Vitamin C and immunity, British J Nutrition 2: 341, 1949.
26. Milton K, Eating what comes naturally: an examination of some differences between the dietary components of humans and wild primates, Dept. Antropology, University of Calif. Berkeley, 14th Intl' Congress on Anthropological and ethnological Sciences, July 26, 1998.
27. Jacques PF, et al, Long-term vitamin C supplement use and prevalence of early age-related lens opacities, Am J Clinical Nutrition 66: 911-16, 1997.
28. Duffy SJ, et al, Treatment of hypertension with ascorbic acid, The Lancet 354: Dec. 11, 1995.
Source
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
