Nutritional Supplements

As the average person ages, their bones lose calcium, they become less sensitive to insulin (more diabetic), the HDL/LDL cholesterol ratio goes in the wrong direction, blood pressure increases , the prostate enlarges, kidney function declines, sex drive and capability plummets, and risk of degenerative disease, including cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, macular degeneration, cataracts, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's disease, goes up. Modern medicine can't do much to cure these conditions, but optimum nutrition does an outstanding job of preventing them from occurring in the first place.

Until not too long ago ago, vitamins were thought of as molecules that prevented certain deficiency diseases such as scurvy, rickets, or beriberi.  The measurement of whether you were getting enough of this substance was whether or not you got the disease.  Other than that, they were thought to be rather inconsequential to human health.

Today we know that health and aging are intimately related to nutrition.  And the idea has changed from "How can I prevent deficiency?", to "How can I optimize my nutrition in order to minimize the aging process itself?"

One of the ways the body ages is by oxidizing, in the same way that silver oxidizes, and iron rusts.  Antioxidants inhibit this oxidation process, and are therefore thought to slow the aging process.  The two most well-known antioxidants are vitamin C and E, but many other unique antioxidants have been extracted from foods like green tea, grape seed, grape skin, and rosemary.  And they all work better in concert than alone.

Another way we age is through glycation, the same process in which leather tans and glaze turns brown in the oven. In this process, sugar molecules in our bodies cause protein molecules to link together, basically stiffening the body tissue , and leading to diseases like cataracts and hardening of the arteries.  Carnosine is a supplement that inhibits glycation from occurring, thus having a protective effect against the aging process in general.

The mitochondrion is the energy-producing area of the cell, and is particularly subject to oxidative damage.  As the cellular energy declines as a result, the cells function less efficiently, and as a result we are much "older". Recent work at UC Berkeley has shown that a combination of two other supplements, lipoic acid and acetyl-l-carnitine, appears to regenerate the mitochondria of aged rats.

While the basis of good nutrition always starts with food, there is no way to obtain optimum levels of many nutrients from food alone.  For example, most anti-aging doctors and preventive nutrition specialists recommend at least 400 IU of vitamin E per day.  To get this from food alone, using the richest sources available, would require the consumption of a whopping 15 tablespoons of wheat germ oil, or over 6 pounds of almonds.

These are some of the reasons why we take a wide-range of nutrients that have been shown in scientific studies to improve function and preventing aging and degeneration, including vitamins, minerals, plant extracts, fatty acids, and other compounds.  Our current program can be seen here, and has ingredients meant to reduce oxidative damage, reduce glycation, improve liver function, maintain libido, optimize cardiovascular health, and improve mental functioning, among other things. We buy in bulk, and take it in powder form.  But it may seem like lot to take, especially if you're just getting started on a supplement program.

So here's my condensed recommendation for the person who wants to start a basic supplement program.  Start from the top and work your way down as your budget and enthusiasm allows.

1. Take fish oil - the most important supplement for most individuals.
   
   
2. Find a high quality multi-vitamin.  Go with a formula that is two pills/day at a bare minimum, as not much can be put into a one-a-day.
   
   
3. Take additional vitamin C to bring your total to 1 - 2 g/day.
   
   
4. Add additional vitamin E, preferably in the form of a mixed-E or gamma-E.
   
   
5. Add 500 - 1000 mg calcium in the form of calcium carbonate or calcium citrate.  Don't waste your money on "coral calcium".
   
   
6. Add 400 mg/day of magnesium.  We use magnesium-potassium aspartate.
   
   
7. Add coQ10, acetyl-l-carnitine, and alpha-lipoic acid, If there's still money in the budget.
   
   
8. Add various botanical extracts - curcumin extract, green tea extract, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, vinpocetine... if you really want to pull out all the anti-aging guns.
   
   
9. Add carnosine (expensive, but worth it).
   
   

Remember to never take individual supplements, like vitamin C, by themselves, but always in a balanced formula with other nutrients.

Thanks for your interest, and for passing this newsletter along to others who might be interested. 
I welcome comments and questions.


Go Long,

Wiley