No one stays young forever, but some nutritional supplements promise to add some time to your life – or at least make you healthier now. We examined the claims and found 5 worth considering...
In a culture that puts a premium on youth, it’s easy to see why we’re always looking for anti-aging remedies. But can nutritional supplements really slow the process?
The answer lies in looking at scientific studies and separating truth from hype, which isn’t always easy. Still, there are some supplements for which the evidence is promising.
Since most of us already live more than 70 years, it’s difficult to test the effects of these products on people. As a result, most anti-aging research is done on animals – from mice, which typically live 1-3 years, to fruit flies, which only live about two weeks.
And if a supplement does effectively slow some aspects of human aging, it might work so gradually you wouldn’t notice, says naturopath Alan C. Logan, N.D., author of The Brain Diet (Cumberland House).
“It many cases, it may be the opposite of the way fast food accelerates aging,” he says. “Usually, people can consume fast food over time, not really aware of its toll on the body. The reverse is generally true of supplements purported to slow aging.”
For now, subjective changes may be your best measure of whether a supplement has benefits. Ask yourself: Does it make you feel good? Keep you energetic? Combat fuzzy memory?
“It should make a difference in mood and energy levels over 3-6 months,” Logan says.
Here are 5 products worth trying. Remember, any supplement may interact negatively with certain drugs or health conditions, so consult your doctor before taking them.
Coenzyme Q-10
Our bodies naturally make CoQ10 (also known as ubiquinone), a nutrient necessary for basic cell function. It enters the mitochondria (our cells’ “energy centers”), where it helps transform fats and sugars into energy. As we age, CoQ10 levels naturally decline.
Test-tube and animal studies show that CoQ10 acts as a protective antioxidant in mitochondrial membranes and may prevent cognitive decline.
“But we still need human data,” Logan says.
When taken with other antioxidants – selenium and vitamins C and E – CoQ10 may also improve arterial elasticity, making you less vulnerable to the hardening of the arteries that leads to heart disease, according to a 2010 study published in Nutrition & Metabolism.
Recommended dose: 30-200 mg per day, according to the University of Maryland’s program in complementary medicine. CoQ10 may be especially helpful if you’re taking statins to lower cholesterol levels or beta blockers for irregular heartbeats, because they reduce CoQ10 levels.
Resveratrol
Known as the “red wine” chemical, resveratrol is a polyphenol found in the skin of grapes and berries. Some researchers believe it’s partially responsible for the “French paradox,” in which people who drink wine have fewer health problems from eating fatty foods.
Animal research has shown that resveratrol increases the lifespan of worms, fruit flies and fish. In mice, it raises insulin sensitivity, decreases glucose levels and improves cardiac health, which suggests it may help prevent type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Resveratrol also may influence sirtuins, proteins that keep cells healthy, and the Sir T1 gene, a gene that governs cellular longevity, says Leonard Guarente, Ph.D., an anti-aging specialist and MIT biology professor.
A 2006 Harvard study compared mice fed a standard diet, a high-calorie diet, or a high-calorie diet with resveratrol. Mice given resveratrol survived longer than both other groups, the researchers found.
Recommended dose: Most resveratrol supplements come from polygonum cuspidatum, a giant knotweed grown mainly in China and Japan. The actual resveratrol content varies from 50%-99%, depending on how it’s processed.
Guarente recommends taking between 100 mg and 1 gram per day. But much smaller amounts may also be good for you, since red wine has less than 2 mg per glass.
Because of the publicity surrounding resveratrol products, they’re vulnerable to scams. Buy from a company you trust, and avoid any that claim celebrity endorsements or offer a dubious “free trial.”
Blueberry Extract
Blueberries have proven to be incredibly healthy – for animals. Rats fed blueberries navigated mazes better. Mice fed blueberry supplements avoided behavioral problems associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have also found that the fruit may extend lifespan in worms.
But human research is sparse. A small 2010 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that older adults who drank wild-blueberry juice every day improved their memory.
Exactly what makes blueberries good for you isn’t clear. Research suggests it’s their healthful anthocyanins, pigments that give berries – and other blue and red plants – their color, says Robert Krikorian, Ph.D., lead author of the juice study and a University of Cincinnati Health Center researcher.
Recommended dose: Eat 1/2-1 cup of blueberries a day, fresh or frozen. Juice is good, too, though high in sugar. (Make sure it isn’t adulterated with other juices.)
If you want a blueberry-extract supplement, take one that’s made from the whole fruit and minimally processed. Too much heat and exposure to moisture during processing can reduce the amount of micronutrients, Krikorian says.
Turmeric
The ancient Indian spice that gives curry its yellow color is an anti-inflammatory and protective antioxidant. A member of the ginger family, it has been found to help shield against a variety of age-related conditions.
A 2010 University of California-Irvine study found that turmeric’s active ingredient, curcumin, extended the lifespan of fruit flies by up to 20% by influencing genes associated with aging. University of Arizona research in 2010 suggested that the extract can help prevent arthritis and bone loss in aging women.
But you don’t have to be a curry fanatic to reap its health benefits. Older adults who reported having curry “occasionally” scored better on mental-health tests than those who “never or rarely” consumed the dish, according to a 2006 study in Singapore.
Recommended dose: Currently, there’s no suggested dose for turmeric, but ongoing human studies use 1-gram supplements daily, Logan says. Look for one that’s standardized for high curcumin content. And be careful – very high doses can cause indigestion.
If you like Indian and Southeast Asian foods, include turmeric in your diet. Add it to yogurt for a great vegetable dip, suggests Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
Multivitamins
Nearly everyone knows that a daily multivitamin can make up for nutritional deficits in your diet. Now, new research suggests that it could lead to a longer life.
Women who took multivitamins regularly had longer telomeres, the protective caps at the end of chromosomes that grow shorter with age, according to a 2009 National Institutes of Health study. Longer telomeres are associated with youth and health, shorter ones with aging and disease.
The study also found a link between longer telomeres and higher intake of vitamins C and E from food. But another reason may be vitamin D, which increases telomere length in women, according to a 2007 study at the London School of Medicine.
“Vitamin D is a real winner,” says Fred Pescatore, M.D., a New York physician and author of Thin for Good (Wiley). “It does everything from cancer protection and lowering blood pressure to strengthening bones.”
How to take it: With so many multivitamin formulas on store shelves, choosing the right one may be difficult. Here are some tips:
Women of childbearing age need a multi folic acid, a B vitamin that guards against neural tube defects in unborn children.
All women should take a multivitamin with calcium and vitamin D, a potent combination that helps prevent osteoporosis. Recommendations vary, but Pescatore suggests 2,000 IU of vitamin D and 750 mg of calcium per day.
Women also need biotin and boron, two micronutrients important for balancing estrogen and progesterone, Pescatore says.
And don’t just grab for your husband’s multivitamin – men’s formulas may not have enough calcium, folic acid and iron.
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