Longevity supplement research anti-aging natural secrets

A newreport issued by the National Center for Health Statistics indicates improved longevity in the US. American adults are living longer, fewer babies are dying in infancy, and the gap between white and black life expectancy has narrowed during the past decade. In 2000, average life expectancy at birth hit record highs, with men at 74.1 years and women at 79.5 years. A century earlier, life expectancy was 48 years for men and 51 years for women. Those who reach age 65 now live to an average age of 81 for men and 84 for women. It is unclear whether this trend in longevity will continue.

2001--For men, life expectancy rose from 74.3 in 2000 to 74.4 years in 2001. Women's life expectancy rose from 79.7 to 79.8 years. White women have the highest life expectancy, 80.2 years, followed by black women (75.5 years), white men (75 years) and black men (68.6 years).

Longevity supplements
The field of longevity and anti-aging is full of promises and unsubstantiated claims. As of now, there is no definitive research in humans of any substances or techniques that have been proven to extend longevity. However, there are a number of steps we can take to potentially live longer. These include:

Longevity enhancers
1. Have a positive attitude and improve your coping skills to daily stresses. Embrace the philosophy that "It's not what happens to me, it's what I make of it."
In a sample of people aged 50 and older who were followed for an average of 23 years, respondents who reported having a positive attitude toward aging lived an average of more than 7 years longer than those who had a more dismal view of getting older. Do you want to be happier? Take a look at a book on Happiness.

2. Keep a healthy weight and reduce the number of calories consumed. Caloric restriction prolongs life in animals.
Cutting calories may do more than help people shed excess weight, research suggests. According to a new report, a low-calorie diet may also slow age-related changes in the heart's genes that can lead to chronic disease. In the study, "middle-aged" 14-month-old mice were fed either a normal diet or one restricted in calories. When the mice reached 30 months of age, or the equivalent of 90 years of a human life span, the researchers analyzed their heart tissue. The hearts of mice on the low-calorie diets showed nearly 20% fewer age-related genetic changes and also appeared to have less DNA damage than those of mice on regular diets. Restricting calories also inhibited potentially disease-causing changes in the immune system, and suppressed apoptosis, or programmed cell death.
   A telephone poll conducted by ABC News found that 73% of respondents would not restrict their caloric intake in order to live longer.
   Mouse study: eating less at any age prolongs life.
  
Eating a Mediterranean diet as opposed to a typical American diet, increases longevity.

3. Reduce consumption of foods cooked at high temperature. Consumption of red and processed meat modestly increases the death rate from cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Foods cooked at high heat linked to inflammation
People may be able to lower their risk of heart, diabetes, and possibly other diseases by consuming cool foods, or dishes cooked at relatively low temperatures, such as salads and tuna fish, preliminary research suggests.
Foods cooked at high temperatures spurred the production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), compounds in the blood that stimulate cells to produce inflammation. While AGEs are normally produced in the body at a slow rate, they can be toxic and form more quickly when food is heated to high temperatures. Inflammation is associated with heart disease among all people, but people with diabetes are thought to be particularly vulnerable. People who consumed foods cooked at lower temperatures had lower levels of both AGEs and inflammatory proteins than people who consumed the same foods cooked at higher temperatures. After 6 weeks, levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and concentrations of the inflammatory protein C-reactive protein (CRP) had also risen among those consuming the diet high in AGEs and declined among those in the reduced AGE group. TNF-alpha and CRP are both markers showing increased inflammation.

4. Regular exercise and keep physically active.
Regular stretching or yoga is helpful in keeping joints and ligaments supple. Older adults who are able to boost their walking speed over time live longer lives. Testing older patients' walking speed could be one simple way to predict long-term health and survival. A study of 439 adults age 65 and older, found that those who improved their walking speed over one year were less likely to die over the next eight years.

Older adults who are able to boost their walking speed over time live longer lives. Testing older patients' walking speed could be one simple way to predict long-term health and survival. A study of 439 adults age 65 and older, found that those who improved their walking speed over one year were less likely to die over the next eight years.

Fitness appears to be a more important determinant of longevity than belly size or overall fat. In a group of men and women who 60 years of age or older, those who were very obese but fit were no more likely to die over the study's 12-year follow-up period than normal weight or thin people were. But being at normal weight didn't reduce a person's mortality risk unless he or she was fit. Journal of the American Medical Association, December 5, 2007.

People 50 to 71 years old who got at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days a week -- as recommended in U.S. national guidelines -- were 27 percent less likely to die over the next six or seven years. Archives of Internal Medicine, Dec. 10/24, 2007.

5. Avoid smoking cigarettes.
Smokers die ten years younger on average than non-smokers
As if smokers need another reason to kick the habit, California scientists have discovered that nornicotine, a byproduct of nicotine, the substance that makes cigarettes so addictive, causes a type of chemical reaction in the body similar to that which occurs when sugar is scorched or food goes bad. This reaction is thought to play a role in diabetes, cancer and other diseases. The interaction between sugars and proteins can produce substances called advanced glycation endproducts, or AGEs. The accumulation of AGEs appears to contribute to the aging process and certain diseases.

6. Have strong connections to others, whether through family and relatives, marriage, children, pets, or connecting with nature, planet earth, and the universe.

7. Get a deep sleep

8. Keep your mind young and active by learning.

9. Try to surround yourself with nature. Green trees in the neighborhood, sunshine in home, are linked to longevity.

10. Avoid injuries to live longer - Certain sports dramatically increase the risk for musculoskeletal damage, thus reducing longevity. Cheerleading is behind a greater share of severe injuries in student-athletes.

Unfortunately, one of the most important influences on longevity is genetics, something we cannot influence with our present scientific knowledge. People who have parents and grandparents who live long are more likely to also live a long life.

Additional potential longevity enhancers:
Being financially stable
Having a satisfying career
Healing old and new emotional wounds
Having a personal religious or philosophical belief system that gives meaning to this world.
Driving safely, wearing seat belts, minimizing the use of cell phones while driving.
See this link to reduce wrinkles.

Supplements for Longevity
There is currently no evidence that taking supplements or hormones (such as growth hormone) will make us live longer. However, it seems reasonably safe to take small amounts of certain supplements that have shown preliminary research to be helpful.

Antioxidants may or not help if taken as supplements
Acetyl-l-carnitine and the popular Lipoic Acid are interesting nutrients that may be beneficial, more research is needed before making recommendations.
Carnosine appears to be able to extend the lifespan of cultured cells, and rejuvenate senescent cells.

Use of carnosine as a natural anti-senescence drug for human beings.
Wang AM, Ma C, Xie ZH, Shen F.Biochemistry (Mosc) 2000 Jul;65(7):869-71. Department of Biochemistry, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, PR China.
Carnosine is an endogenous free-radical scavenger. The latest research indicates that apart from the function of protecting cells from oxidation-induced stress damage, carnosine appears to be able to extend the lifespan of cultured cells, rejuvenate senescent cells, inhibit the toxic effects of amyloid peptide (A beta), malondialdehyde, and hypochlorite to cells, inhibit glycosylation of proteins and protein-DNA and protein-protein cross-linking, and maintain cellular homeostasis. Also, carnosine seems to delay the impairment of eyesight with aging, effectively preventing and treating senile cataract and other age-related diseases. Therefore, carnosine may be applied to human being as a drug against aging.

Longevity fact
Japanese girls born in 2007 can expect to live until they are 86 years old, which would make them the longest survivors in the world. Boys born in 2007 can expect to live to the age of 79, ranking third after Iceland and Hong Kong.

Mitochondria and acetyl-l-carnitine
Mitochondrial decay has been postulated to be a significant underlying part of the aging process. Decline in mitochondrial function may lead to cellular energy deficits, especially in times of greater energy demand, and compromise vital ATP-dependent cellular operations, including detoxification, repair systems, DNA replication, and osmotic balance. Mitochondrial decay may also lead to enhanced oxidant production and thus render the cell more prone to oxidative insult. In particular, the heart may be especially susceptible to mitochondrial dysfunction due to myocardial dependency on beta-oxidation of fatty acids for energy and the postmitotic nature of cardiac myocytes, which would allow for greater accumulation of mitochondrial mutations and deletions. Thus, maintenance of mitochondrial function may be important to maintain overall myocardial function. Herein, we review the major age-related changes that occur to mitochondria in the aging heart and the evidence that two such supplements, acetyl-l-carnitine (ALCAR) and (R)-alpha-lipoic acid, may improve myocardial bioenergetics and lower the increased oxidative stress associated with aging. We and others have shown that feeding old rats ALCAR reverses the age-related decline in carnitine levels and improves mitochondrial beta-oxidation in a number of tissues studied. However, ALCAR supplementation does not appear to reverse the age-related decline in cardiac antioxidant status and thus may not substantially alter indices of oxidative stress. Lipoic acid, a potent thiol antioxidant and mitochondrial metabolite, appears to increase low molecular weight antioxidant status and thereby decreases age-associated oxidative insult. Thus, ALCAR along with lipoic acid may be effective supplemental regimens to maintain myocardial function.

Smokers: Pop a Vitamin C Pill Before You Puff
Almost everyone is aware of the harm cigarette smoke causes to lung tissue and reduce longevity, but not as many people realize that smoking causes damage to arteries, and this harm occurs relatively quickly. Short-term cigarette smoking is associated with endothelial dysfunction. The endothelium is the the layer of cells that lines the heart and blood vessels and smoking is known to cause dysfunction of this important tissue. A study conducted at the Athens University Medical School in Athens, Greece, examined the effect of orally administered ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on cigarette smoking-induced endothelial dysfunction. In this double-blind, randomized, crossover study, 19 healthy subjects were examined by high-resolution ultrasonography of the brachial artery (the artery in the arm) before and 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after smoking a cigarette. Measurements were performed on two different days, 2 hours after oral administration of 2 grams of ascorbic acid or placebo. After smoking, blood flow dropped to less than half of the baseline value. Thereafter in the placebo group, blood flow increased to 70% of baseline value in 90 minutes, but in the ascorbic acid group blood flow increased to 70% of baseline value in half the time. The researchers conclude, "Oral administration of ascorbic acid attenuates endothelial dysfunction after short-term cigarette smoking by shortening its duration."
   Comments: For those who are not able to stop their smoking habit, it would seem that taking vitamin C partially mitigates the harm caused to the blood vessels. A dose of 200 to 500 mg of vitamin C taken once or twice a day seems reasonable.

November 2006 Longevity Report
Americans are living longer, with life span at a record average of just short of 80 years, according to the annual report on the nation's health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At birth, life expectancy for females is just over 80 years and nearly 75 for males. The gap in life expectancy between white and black Americans also has narrowed from seven years in 1990 to five years in 2004. Life expectancy at birth reached a record 77.9 years in 2004, up from 77.5 in 2003 and from 75.4 in 1990.

2004 - A report issued by the National Center for Health Statistics indicates improved longevity in the US. American adults are living longer, fewer babies are dying in infancy, and the gap between white and black life expectancy has narrowed during the past decade. In 2000, average life expectancy at birth hit record highs, with men at 74.1 years and women at 79.5 years. A century earlier, life expectancy was 48 years for men and 51 years for women. Those who reach age 65 now live to an average age of 81 for men and 84 for women. It is unclear whether this trend in longevity will continue.

2001--For men, life expectancy rose from 74.3 in 2000 to 74.4 years in 2001. Women's life expectancy rose from 79.7 to 79.8 years. White women have the highest life expectancy, 80.2 years, followed by black women (75.5 years), white men (75 years) and black men (68.6 years).

The field of longevity and anti-aging is full of promises and unsubstantiated claims. As of now, there is no definitive research in humans of any substances or techniques that have been proven to extend longevity. However, there are a number of steps we can take to potentially live longer. These include:

Additional potential longevity enhancers:
Being financially stable
Having a satisfying career
Healing old and new emotional wounds
Having a personal religious or philosophical belief system that gives meaning to this world.
Driving safely, wearing seat belts, minimizing the use of cell phones while driving.

Supplements for Longevity
There is currently no evidence that taking supplements or hormones (such as growth hormone) will make us live longer. However, it seems reasonably safe to take small amounts of certain supplements that have shown preliminary research to be helpful.

Longevity Gene
A variation in a particular gene involved in regulating cholesterol is known to be associated with longevity, and now it seems it also confers mental sharpness in old age. Researchers examined whether a variant of the CETP gene, called the V type, played a role in preserving cognitive function in 158 Ashkenazi Jews with exceptional longevity. Their average age was 99.2 years. Overall, 29 percent of the subjects with good cognitive function had the V type CETP gene, compared to 14 percent with poor cognitive function. Looked at the other way, 61 percent of those with the V type had good cognitive function versus 30 percent of those with another type. The team then studied 173 subjects from the Einstein Aging Study to confirm the role of CETP in a younger cohort. The CETP V type was approximately five times more common in subjects without dementia than in those with dementia. Neurology, December 2006.

Longevity Predictor
Nine factors were good predictors of which middle-aged men would live healthily into their 80s and beyond, concluded a 40-year longevity study of nearly 6,000 Japanese-American men living in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The factors include, not being overweight; having low blood pressure; low blood sugar levels; low levels of bad cholesterol; not drinking alcohol excessively; not becoming overweight; not smoking; having a strong grip, achieving a high level of education; and being married. Grip strength, which can be measured by a test, is a strong indication of upper body strength. It is further proof "that it is important to be physically robust in midlife...consistent with theories of aging that suggest that better built organisms last longer," the study said. The men in the study were an average of 54 years old when it began in 1965. Those who managed to meet all the healthful criteria had an 80 percent chance of living to age 80, and also were much more likely to attain old age while avoiding illness. Of the 5,820 original study participants, 2,451 (42 percent) survived to age 85, and 655 participants (11 percent) reached that age without suffering serious health problems such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. "Your chances were more than 60 percent of being healthy at that age if you avoided these risk factors, yet if you had six or more of these risk factors you had less than a 10 percent chance of living into your mid-80s," said study author Dr. Bradley Willcox of Pacific Health Research Institute in Honolulu. The over-85 age bracket is the fastest growing in industrialized countries, but it also comprises the biggest consumers of health care resources, the study said. Women tend to outlive men, the study said. More than twice as many American women than men live to age 85, and three times as many women live into their nineties, the longevity report in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association said.

Longevity risk for various jobs
Firefighters have a risk of 10.6 deaths per 100,000 people per year, compared to 3.9 for all occupations and 0.4 for office workers. Being a truck driver is riskier than being a firefighter, with 44 deaths per 100,000 people per year. Bicyclists face a death rate of 2.1 per 100,000 people a year, compared to 0.49 for skiers. Swimming has a death risk of 0.88 per 100,000 people a year but climbing mountains in the Himalayas carries a 13,000 per 100,000 climbers per year risk. For transport, the researchers estimated risks both in terms of 100,000 people per year and per 100 million miles traveled. Traveling by commercial airliner carries a risk of 0.03 deaths per 100 million miles or 0.15 deaths per 100,000 people a year. Car and light truck travel has a 0.7 fatality risk per 100 million miles or 11 per 100,000 people per year, compared to 450 for motorcycle travel and 1.3 for using a cell phone while driving.

Education
From 1990 to 2000, life expectancy for people with at least some college education rose 1.6 years while remaining static for less-educated people. In 2000, those in the less-educated group could be expected at age 25 to live to about age 75 while those in the more-educated group could be expected to reach 82.

Work and longevity
There may be a connection between retirement and mortality in apparently healthy people. In a study of nearly 17,000 Greek adults, researchers found that those who were retired at enrollment were 51 percent more likely to die during the study period than their same-age counterparts who were still working. Among retirees, those who left the workforce at a younger age were at greater risk of dying during the study. American Journal of Epidemiology, March 2008.

Menstrual cycle onset and longevity
Women who have their first menstrual period at a younger-than-average age live shorter lives than their peers. In a long-term study of more than 61,000 Norwegian women,  girls who began menstruating at a relatively young age - 12 or younger -- had a slightly higher risk of dying during the study period. Among women who had their first period at the age of 10 or 11, the risk of death was roughly 10 percent higher than that of women who began menstruating at age 14 -- the average for the study group.

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