A panel of 10 luminaries in the field of gerontology, including Aubrey de Grey, Caleb Finch and Jan Vijg, convened to urge the translation of recent findings in the field of aging into therapeutic agents that can benefit the world’s growing population of older individuals. Their report was published in the July 14, 2010 issue of the American Association for the Advancement of Science journal Science Translational Medicine.
As reported in Sunday’s Star Tribune, August 23, 2009, by Stephen Ohlemacher, AP, millions of older people will face shrinking Social Security checks next year, the first time since 1975. The reason, the government will deduct more for the Medicare prescription drug program. Recipients will receive the same dollar amount this year than they last year but the government will take more dollars out for Medicare so their checks will be smaller.
Older people need more medical help because they haven’t been getting proper nutrition as a rule. The lack of proper nutrition brings more disease and larger medical bills. If the pharmaceutical companies would push food supplements with the money they spend on advertising Americans would be healthier and not need their drugs. A catch 22.
Scientific studies have shown that most diseases come from lack of proper nutrition. Our bodies need the nutrients that are not in processed food. Therefore the need of supplementation is of vital importance.
Just to name a couple – we know that the majority of people do not get enough vitamin D. In Minnesota we only get enough vitamin D for three months out of the year. If we put on sunscreen then we don’t get enough even then. If we don’t put on sunscreen we could get skin cancer. Vitamin D3 is very inexpensive.
Coenzyme Q10 works in every cell of our body. As we get older out bodies don’t produce as much, so supplementation is necessary.
Omega-3, basically from fish oil, is an anti-inflammatory supplement. It lowers inflammation and reduces cholesterol.
The list goes on but I hope you get the idea, there are many ways you can reduce diseases like cardiac arrest, fibromyalgia, dementia, etc.
Red wine, red grapes, dark chocolate, green tea, more fiber all work to bring better health. Processed foods have too many pesticides, herbicides, salt, and that list goes on as well.
Remember, it’s never too late to improve your health.
“Dramatic new scientific discoveries have unlocked the genetic secrets to a longer healthier life.” (1) So begins Dr Joseph Maroon’s chapter on polyphenols compounds among them resveratrol in his book The Longevity Factor.
The story of resveratrol is unfolding dramatically as we find out more of its benefits as a life lengthening polyphenol.
Dr Maroon outlines in his book four ways to access the secrets of genetics to live longer and healthier.
1. Eat and drink natural foods with the highest polyphenol antioxidant content, such as red wine, grape juice, green tea, dark chocolate, and apples.
2. Take supplements containing superconcentrated polyphenol and resveratrol from natural sources.
3. Take resveratrol with or without additional polyphenols, as a dietary supplement.
4. Use a prescription resveratrol-like drug. ( p.168)
Some people feel that this is “new age” alternative medicine. But the earliest recorded use of polyphenols to cure disease dates back to the French explorer Jacques Cartier when he was in North America in 1534. The Native Americans revived him and his crew who were near death with a concoction of pine bark and needles that were extremely rich in a particular polyphenol called procyanidin. Today this potent antioxidant is marketed as pycnogenol for its effect on the heart and blood vessels. This belongs to the family of polyphenols that provide health benefits that are found in red wine, chocolate, blueberries, cranberries and more.
1) Dr. Joseph Maroon, The Longevity Factor
As Dr. Joseph Maroon points out it is crucial that we understand the role of genes and aging and longevity: two different processes. Genes govern the cellular repair of damaged cells and regulates new cell growth. In this way they determine the longevity of life. If we lose our ability to repair damaged cells we age prematurely. When we exercise, diet and reduce our stress levels, our genes maintain healthy repair mechanisms and ensure longevity.
It sounds simple enough but it is very important to our overall health.
For more on this subject check out Dr. Maroon’s book THE LONGEVITY FACTOR.
1. When our immune system is strong, we have few colds or infections and our energy level is high.
2. When we use positive thinking, meditation, and prayer and have a strong family support system, we are much more effective at warding off disease.
3. The trillions of cells which make up our body for the most part live only a few weeks and then are replaced. Some organs like the brain and the heart replace their cells about every three months.
4. Free radicals are produced when oxygen and glucose produce energy.
5. Exposure to the sun produces free radicals.
6. Radiation therapy to treat cancer depends on free radicals generated by the radiation to kill the cancer cells.
7. Between the ages of twenty and seventy, maximum breathing capacity declines approximately 40 percent.
8. The average life of an American born today is 77.9 years.
(Facts taken from the book The Longevity Factor, Dr. Joseph Maroon)