What is healthy aging and longevity?
The definition states that longevity (lifespan) is the length of time we spend alive. Human longevity varies depending on multiple factors, including socioeconomic status, gender, and lifestyle, with an average human life expectancy several years lower at 69.8 years for men and 74.9 years for women. Within the European Union, they are 77.8 and 83.3 years old, respectively. 1
Healthy aging is the process of maintaining good health and functional abilities in old age. A similar concept is healthy ageing, a term defined as the number of years of life spent in good health, free of chronic diseases and disabilities associated with aging.
How can diet affect healthy aging and longevity?
Diet and maintaining a healthy body weight play a major role in healthy aging and longevity, with different foods and dietary patterns can increase or decrease the risk of various age-related diseases. It is obvious that overweight and obesity increase the risk of many chronic diseases that reduce life expectancy and health, including type 2 diabetes, stroke and others.
Two diets often studied in the context of aging and life expectancy are caloric restriction (CR) and intermittent fasting (IF). The first pattern involves (usually at least 10%) a decrease in calorie intake relative to typical levels without causing malnutrition, while intermittent fasting involves alternating periods of normal food intake with prolonged periods (usually 16-48 hours) of low to no food intake.
CR and IF have often been found to prolong the life expectancy of animals (especially mice) as well as improve risk factors for age-related diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes).
The third regimen that is recommended for weight control, cardioprotective effect and preserved cognitive function with advancing age is the Mediterranean diet. 2 In short, this diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seafood, nuts and legumes, and olive oil.
Dietary supplements for longevity - how can they help?
Supplements that may help reduce the risk of diseases shortening life expectancy and/or healthy aging include cocoa extract (for cardiovascular disease), protein powder (for sarcopenia), and some B vitamins (for cognitive decline). Beyond vitamin deficiency treatment, the evidence for many of these supplements is conflicting or has significant deficiencies. More research is needed.
However, animal studies have noted improvements in life expectancy and/or health expectancy from a variety of supplements, including NAD+ precursors (e.g., nicotinamide riboside and nicotinamide mononucleotide), glycine (sometimes in combination with N-acetyl cysteine), and alpha-ketoglutarate. may be able to lengthen telomeres (the sequences of DNA at the end of chromosomes that shorten with age). 4
Here are other substances that have been shown to help with beneficial health effects, including anti-aging effects, antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory, and other effects.
Creatine
Creatine helps deliver energy to cells throughout the body, especially muscle cells. It is important to take it in the form of monohydrate. Creatine is stored as phosphocreatine in the body and helps regenerate energy in our cells in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). As we age, our muscles become weaker. This process is called sarcopenia.
To slow down this process, we must strive to maximize muscle strength in our youth, maintain muscle strength in middle age, and minimize muscle loss in old age. Supplementation with creatine can support this process.
Various studies provide a large body of evidence that creatine may not only improve athletic performance, but may play a role in preventing and/or reducing injury severity, improving rehabilitation from injuries, and helping athletes to endure heavy training loads. Some evidence suggests that creatine can prevent skin aging, treat muscle diseases, help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) exercise and improve athletic fitness in general. 5
Creatine can improve muscle strength and control, and hence fitness and mobility in general. In the elderly, these improvements may help reduce the risk of falls, although much more research is needed for confirmation. When combined with resistance training, creatine can also improve bone health. When creatine levels are suboptimal, as is often the case in the elderly, vegans, and vegetarians, creatine intake may also improve cognitive abilities.
Collagen
Collagen is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix found in the various connective tissues of the body. As the main component of connective tissue, it is the most abundant protein in mammals, accounting for 25% to 35% of the protein content of the whole body. Your body produces collagen, but the ability to produce it suffers as we get older. Here are just a few of the health benefits of taking collagen:
- tissue restoration
- immune response
- cellular communication
- cell migration - a process necessary to maintain tissues.
Collagen is part of the so-called extracellular matrix (ECM). ECM consists of chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, collagen, elastin and other long filament-like structures that give firmness to our tissues, including our skin and joints. That's why chondroitin can also be taken as a supplement to improve joint health, on par with collagen and the other ones listed. 6
The best form of collagen intake at the moment is hydrolyzed collagen as collagen peptides. They are easily and quickly absorbed by the body, as they are in the appropriate form.
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an unsulfated glycosaminoglycan and a major component of the extracellular matrix.
Hyaluronic acid has been shown to protect against a number of respiratory diseases, help with weight loss, is beneficial for brain health, relieves incontinence and bladder pain, heals wounds and promotes healing, reduces skin wrinkles and has great anti-cancer potential.
According to a 2018 study, hyaluronic acid-based nanomaterials could be used to treat cancer. 7 Hyaluronic acid shows superior physico-chemical nature, such as high water binding capacity, nontoxicity, biodegradability, cytocompatibility and nonimmunogenicity. Because of these biological capabilities, there is great interest in developing hyaluronic acid-based nanomaterials for a variety of biomedical applications, including drug delivery systems and molecular imaging.
Hyaluronic acid of high molecular size can stop the growth of cancer cells and prevent the immune system from developing an overreaction. Low molecular weight hyaluronic acid in turn can contribute to the health of hair, skin and nails, as it is their component, along with collagen, elastin and others. That is why it is also present in this list of the best products for health and longevity.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids play a key role in heart health, immune health, and eye health. Most people are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are also associated with benefits for skin photoprotection, anti-inflammatory effect and counteracting oxidative stress. 8
Sufficient intake of omega-3 fatty acids also improves sleep and reduces dryness of the skin (and dry eyes).
There are plant sources of omega-3, such as walnuts, chia seeds and flaxseed. However, only a very small fraction of these plant-based omega-3 fatty acids are converted into their active forms, namely EPA and DHA.
In addition to taking an omega-3 fatty acid supplement, we recommend consuming:
- At least 4-5 times a week oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel, anchovies or sardines.
- At least 4-5 times a week fish caviar (eg herring caviar, fish caviar or salmon caviar). Fish roes are fish eggs that contain large amounts of phosphatidylcholine-omega-3 fatty acids.
- At least a handful of walnuts, chia seeds and/or flaxseed every day.
Trimethylglycine
Trimethylglycine has numerous beneficial properties, including helping exercise and supporting vital organs, such as the liver and heart. It is an amino acid derivative and has been linked to benefits for controlling insulin levels, counteracting fatigue and depression, and more.
Both choline and trimethylglycine reduce homocysteine, especially the influx of homocysteine, which occurs after methionine-rich feeding (for example, with meat). Maximum homocysteine lowering occurs when choline and trimethylglycine are combined with folate-rich foods or folic acid supplements. Spinach and wheat germ are some of the best dietary sources of choline and trimethylglycine.
NAC
NAC (H-Acetyl Cysteine) is a powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger. They accelerate aging and inflammation, and weaken your immune system. NAC can reduce this destruction by free radicals in your cells by increasing glutathione production in all your cells and especially in the liver. 9
Vitamin B complex
The complex of B vitamins consists of many different B vitamins, such as vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B9 and vitamin B12.
B vitamins play many important roles in the body, especially for our metabolism and nerve and brain function. Giving older adults additional B vitamins can significantly reduce age-related brain shrinkage, but only if enough different forms of B vitamins are given (some studies provide only two B vitamins, such as vitamin B6 and B12, instead of using a B vitamin complex).
Coenzyme Q10/CoQ10
You've probably heard of CoQ10, an antioxidant produced naturally by your body. CoQ10 levels decrease with age. And that's a problem, because CoQ10 is a vital component for the biological process that converts nutrients from the food you eat into ATP, the main compound your cells use for energy.
Although it's often (and properly) associated with heart health, CoQ10's status as a cellular energy booster means it's crucial for all high-energy organs in your body (i.e., your brain, liver, and kidneys).
But which CoQ10 supplement to take comes down to the absorption... or the alarming lack of this nutrient.
Traditional CoQ10 supplements are made with ubiquinone, an already oxidized form of CoQ10 that your body has a hard time digesting. Ubiquinol is different. This unoxidized form of CoQ10 is absorbed up to seven times better than standard ubiquinone, which means your heart and energy-demanding cells get more of it.
