Saturday, September 18, 2010

Anti Aging: What works?

The aging process is still a mystery. If you want to experiment on yourself, here are some things to try which have shown promising results:

MK-677, acetyl-L-carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid, Rapamycin and seven to nine walnuts per day.
At present, the biological basis of ageing is unknown. Most scientists agree that substantial variability exists in the rates of ageing across different species, and that this to a large extent is genetically based. In model organisms and laboratory settings, researchers have been able to demonstrate that selected alterations in specific genes can extend lifespan (quite substantially in nematodes, less so in fruit flies, and even less in mice). Nevertheless, even in the relatively simple organisms, the mechanism of ageing remain to be elucidated.

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Prevention and reversal

Several drugs and food supplements have been shown to retard or reverse the biological effects of ageing in animal models; none has yet been proven to do so in humans.

Resveratrol, a chemical found in red grapes, has been shown to extend the lifespan of yeast by 60%, worms and flies by 30% and one species of fish by almost 60%. Small doses of heavy water increase fruit-fly lifespan by 30%, but large doses are toxic to complex organisms.

In 2002, a team led by Professor Bruce Ames at UC Berkeley discovered that feeding aged rats a combination of acetyl-L-carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid (both substances are already approved for human use and sold in health food stores) produced a rejuvenating effect.[38] Ames said, "With these two supplements together, these old rats got up and did the macarena. The brain looks better, they are full of energy - everything we looked at looks like a young animal." UC Berkeley has patented the use of these supplements in combination and a company, Juvenon, has been established to market the treatment.

In 2007, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, identified a critical gene in nematode worms that specifically links eating fewer calories with living longer. Professor Andrew Dillin and colleagues showed that the gene pha-4 regulates the longevity response to calorie restriction.[39] In the same year Dr Howard Chang of the Stanford University School of Medicine was able to rejuvenate the skin of two-year-old mice to resemble that of newborns by blocking the activity of the gene NF-kappa-B.[40]

In 2008, a team at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center genetically engineered mice to produce ten times the normal level of the telomerase enzyme.[41] The mice lived 26% longer than normal.[42] The same year a team led by Professor Michael O Thorner at the [43] University of Virginia discovered that the drug MK-677 restored 20% of muscle mass lost due to ageing in humans aged 60 to 81. The subjects' growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels increased to that typical of healthy young adults.[44]

In 2009, a drug called rapamycin, discovered in the 1970s in the soil of Easter Island in the South Pacific, was found to extend the life expectancy of 20-month-old mice by up to 38%.[45] Rapamycin is generally used to suppress the immune system and prevent the rejection of transplanted organs. Dr Arlan Richardson of the Barshop Institute said, "I never thought we would find an anti-ageing pill in my lifetime; however, rapamycin shows a great deal of promise to do just that." Professor Randy Strong of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio said, "We believe this is the first convincing evidence that the ageing process can be slowed and lifespan can be extended by a drug therapy starting at an advanced age."

Also in 2009, the British Journal of Nutrition reported a study at Tufts University in Boston which showed that brain function and motor skills in aged rats could be improved by adding walnuts to their diet. The human equivalent would be to eat seven to nine walnuts per day.[46]

In September 2009, researchers at UC Berkeley discovered they could restore youthful repair capability to muscle tissue taken from men aged 68 to 74 by in vitro treatment with mitogen-activated protein kinase.[47] This protein was found to be essential for the production of the stem cells necessary to repair muscle after exercise and is present at reduced levels in aged individuals. - wiki

A team of experimental biologists has successfully “abolished” cognitive decline in a population of aging, transgenic mice (TGM). Characteristics of “youthfulness”, such as learning capacity and physical activity, were restored in the mice following feeding of the 30 component supplement.


The same cocktail had been previously correlated to a modest increase in life span, but this most recent research focused on prolonging youthful functions –  “zestful living” –  instead of simply prolonging lifespan. ...

Here is the list of ingredients (and dosages) for the AASUP used in the study:


































































































Vitamin B10.72 mg/dayFlax Seed oil21.6 mg/day
Vitamin B30.72 mg/dayFolic Acid0.01 mg/day
Vitamin B60.72 mg/dayGarlic21.6 mcg/day
Vitamin B120.72 mcg/dayGinger7.2 mg/day
Vitamin C3.6 mg/dayGingko Biloba1.44 mg/day
Vitamin D2.5 IU/dayGinseng (Canadian)8.64 mg/day
Vitamin E1.44 IU/dayGreen Tea Extracts7.2 mg/day
Acetyl L-Carnitine14.4 mg/dayL-Glutathione0.36 mg/day
Alpha-Lipoic Acid0.72 mg/dayMagnesium0.72 mg/day
ASA2.5 mg/dayMelatonin0.01 mg/day
Beta Carotene50.0 IU/dayN-Acetyl Cysteine7.2 mg/day
Bioflavinoids4.32 mg/dayPotassium0.36 mg/day
Chromium Picolinate1.44 mcg/dayRutin0.72 mg/day
Cod Liver Oil5.04 IU/daySelenium1.08 mcg/day
CoEnzyme Q100.44 mg/dayZinc (chelated)0.14 mg/day
DHEA0.15 mg/day

The study, ‘A Dietary Supplement Abolishes Age-Related Cognitive Decline in Transgenic Mice Expressing Elevated Free Radical Processes’, by J.A. Lemon, D.R. Boreham and C.D. Rollo, was published last month in the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine.

- via beforeitsnews

2 comments:

Sam said...

Another common cure for aging: Death.

Elkanah Igbokwe said...

nice tips on nutrition, thanks for the post