Nutrition as therapy

ANTI-AGING STRATEGIES

ANTI-AGING STRATEGIES:

The average 90-year-old's brain weighs 10% less than a 20-30-year-old. An average person in their 90s has only half the lung function of someone in their 30s. Renal function is normally reduced by 40% in later life After the age of 30, hormone levels begin to subside in human beings, the immune system becomes less effective and muscles shrink. Hair falls out, teeth get loose in their sockets, skin sags and wrinkles and joints become less mobile

Much of what we've assumed are the inevitable consequences of aging - wrinkles, memory loss, an escalating risk for heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer - results more from the lifestyle choices we make than from the natural aging process. And our dietary choices are just as important as using sunscreen, getting exercise and other preventive tactics. Here, your anti-aging nutritional arsenal, in a nutshell.

Increase certain vitamins as you age

As we age, our bodies' process nutrients less efficiently, resulting in the need for us to increase our nutrient intake. For example, Vitamin D is a nutrient essential to the prevention of osteoporosis. Our bodies manufacture vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight, but by our 70s our bodies produce only 40 percent of what they produced in third grade. An adequate dosage of vitamin D for people in their 20s is 200 IU; for people who are older, 400 IU to 600 IU is needed to do the same amount of work. It's impossible to say at exactly which age you should be getting this much, but because aging is a continuum, you should gradually increase your intake so that by age 60 or so you are up to around 600 IU.

The need for B vitamins increases with age as well. Three B vitamins - folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 - are essential for keeping levels of a compound called homocysteine low in the blood; if allowed to rise, homocysteine contributes to heart-disease risk and possibly memory loss, according to a study in a 1998 European Journal of Pediatrics. As you age, increase your B6 dose from 2 mg to 5 mg; increase B12 over time from 2 mcg to 10 mcg. Women should take 400 mcg of folic acid daily; pregnant women should take 800 mcg daily (to help prevent neural-tube defects in the fetus).

Women, in particular, should be aware that their calcium intake should increase as they age to prevent osteoporosis: According to the National Institutes of Health, during the middle years, 1,000 mg each day is adequate; 1,200 mg after menopause if you're on hormone replacement therapy; 1,500 mg if you are not on HRT. (During adolescence, girls should take 1,200 mg to 1,300 mg.)

Limit exposure to sun

Excessive exposure to the sun and the ultra violet radiation can be harmful for the skin and the eyes. Avoid ultraviolet light. t may be a good idea to avoid the peak sun exposure during the day or use lotions to protect the skin against its effects.

Consume "anti-aging" nutrients

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in boosting an animal's life span with drugs. Microscopic worms given the therapy lived nearly 50% longer than normal. The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans was used in the studies. The nematode worm C. elegans usually lives for about 20 days. This tiny creature has been studied in the laboratory for many years. The first living thing to have its genetic blueprint decoded, around 40% of the worm's genes are also found in humans. The scientists added a cocktail of two synthetic drugs to the medium in which the worms, when kept in the laboratory, live and reproduce. Both of the drugs were antioxidants. They mimic the effect of natural enzymes that mop up free radicals - highly reactive molecules that damage cells. When given the drugs, the worms lived on average nearly 50% longer than normal.

People who consume diets loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables have lower disease rates, more energy and less risk for weight gain (which can lead to health problems) than those who skip these foods, according to numerous studies published over the years. What's the magic ingredient in fresh produce?  

There are several:

With the exception of avocados, olives and coconuts, fresh fruits and vegetables have no fat, cholesterol or sodium.

They are also fiber-rich: Eight servings of fruits and vegetables daily supplies approximately 27 grams of fiber, well within the daily target goal of 25 grams to 35 grams. Fiber-rich foods lower a person's risk for developing age-related diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Fiber-rich foods also are low in calories, yet satiating, so they help fill you up without filling you out.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are nutrient-packed, providing ample amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin C, beta carotene and folic acid, and they are low in calories (a heaping bowlful of greens supplies only 30 calories!).

The National Cancer Institute recommends a minimum of five fruit-and-vegetable servings a day, but research shows that the more servings, the greater the health benefits. Therefore, to fend off the hands of time, you should try to consume at least eight servings of fruits and vegetables each day (two at every meal and two as snacks).

Load up on age-defying antioxidants

Fruits and vegetables also are gold mines of longevity-enhancing compounds called antioxidants; these include vitamins C and E and beta carotene. Antioxidants combat free radicals, oxygen fragments that attack and damage cell membranes, life-sustaining proteins and even our cells' genetic code, and in so doing bring about aging and disease.

Diets rich in antioxidants prevent disease and premature aging. Antioxidants also stimulate the immune system and protect the nervous system and brain from the oxidative damage associated with age-related memory loss. A 1993 Harvard School of Public Health study found that adults who supplemented daily with at least 100 IU of vitamin E for at least two years had up to a 40 percent reduction in heart-disease risk.

Men, in particular, can benefit from the immune-enhancing effects of antioxidants: A study published in this month's Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that men who consumed vitamins C and E had lower amounts of certain particles (androgens, for example) associated with the development of prostate cancer. The recommended daily value (RDA) for vitamin C is 60 mg, but up to 1000 mg can be taken safely.

Practice portion control and make every bite count

Eating less increase the longevity in experimental animals. Thus it would be good to cut back on unnecessary calories. Studies of small mammals have shown that in every case these animals have increased their lifespan from two- to four-fold by cutting back on food intake. Further such animals have lower rates of all age-related diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, memory loss and dwindling immunity.

Don't confuse reducing calories with malnutrition, however. Lower your intake of foods containing fat and sugar but continue to eat foods full of nutrients including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nonfat milk products.

Eat fish since they contain good fats

It has been known for a long time that it is better to eat fish than red meat. This is because the fish contain fats called omega-3 fatty acids, lower heart-disease risk, regulate  the immune system and might even reduce the incidence of depression and other mental disorders like schizophrenia . In a study published in this month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers from the University of Barcelona found that "fish-lovers" have a significantly reduced rate of colorectal, esophageal, stomach and pancreatic cancers. Even small amounts of fish were found to lower risk for cancers of the digestive tract. The researchers speculate that the fatty acids found in fish may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

Maintain active mental and physical life-style

The benefits of exercise on body function are well known. It is important to start slowly, warming up and letting the body adapt slowly to increased pace. It is equally important to exercise the brain and maintain the mind in good shape. Start with 15 minutes a day for 4 days a week and gradually increase until doing 30 minutes a day for 4 days a week

Summary

The main focuses for optimal health and life extension can be seen in all of the following groups:
1. Genetics: (unfortunately not many of us get to choose our parents!)
2. Lifestyle: With the reduction of stress, good clean living practices that we all understand such as not smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, avoiding narcotics, eating fresh foods in a balanced diet, drinking clean pure water and avoiding radiation, heavy metals and pollution etc.
3. Toxins: Avoiding them as best we can including the lesser known toxins such as fluoride, aluminium and pesticides etc.
4. Exercise: It doesn't need to be intense but regular.
5. Karma: Massage and relaxation techniques to provide inner-calm for the soul.
6. Nutrition: Undertaken with balanced multi-vitamins and minerals to ensure that all nutritional needs are being met, especially as these needs usually increase with age.
7. Anti-Oxidants: Using them to eradicate free-radicals (a primary cause of premature aging) and to help eliminate pollutants, in turn this has a major benefit for the long-term health of an individual.
8. Chelation: To help flush-out heavy metals.
9. Immune System: Enhancement and support to ensure that infections do not become a major problem and the occasional use (as required) of natural anti-biotics to free yourself from more persistent bacteria and viruses etc. These are very important tasks to ensure that serious aging disorders and diseases do not appear.
10. Nootropics: The regular use of smart drugs and nutrients to provide the brain remains working at an optimum level and to ensure through enhancement and protection that its too-easy oxidation (deterioration) does not lead to serious senile dementias. This can not be overstated as clearly the brain is the command center of a hierarchy of organs.
11. Hormone Maintenance: The use of hormones and precursors to ensure that they remain at the approximate levels of healthy 25 year-old and that this in turn leads to improved mental and physical capabilities.
12. Excess: Keeping age-increasing hormones such as cortisol and prolactin in check and ensuring that age-increasing enzymes such as MAO do not interfere unduly with brain neurotransmitters.
13. Energy: Provide protection and support for the energy producing processes within the body, especially for the mitochondria (the cells that produce the grandmother hormone pregnenolone and production of the universal energy molecule ATP).
14. Specifics: Nutritional and medical assistance for individual areas of concern, such as treatment for hair-loss or impotence etc.
15. Others: Keeping an open mind and utilizing of any other proven sources of benefit, for example the emerging science of electro-magnetic medicine.
16. Ultimately: Pure anti-aging medicine will lie in the ability to decipher DNA and act upon those results and then in the ability to manipulate DNA for our own needs.

References and useful sites

National Institute on Aging Exercise: Feeling fit for life

 

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