Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Live Long . . . Live Well

Enjoy your resveratrol . . . Cheers
Every time I look in the mirror I am reminded of my age and there isn’t much that I can do about it.  Nevertheless I want to live long and live well (healthy).  I have three boys that I want to see grow and have families of their own.  Selfish maybe, but that’s what I want. 

I was catching up on my reading this week and read an interesting paper, Dietary lipophilic antioxidants: Implications and significance in the aging process,  by Chong-Han[1].  In his paper he reviews the critical role of dietary antioxidants and suggests that coenzyme Q10, flavonoids, resveratrol, and Vitamin E all show promise in extending human life.

To review, antioxidants are substances that reduce oxidative damage in cells caused by free radicals. You know how iron rusts and that rust weakness iron structures.  That is an example of oxidation.  The same thing happens to us when free radicals produced when our bodies break down food or environmental toxins like tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals are responsible for aging, tissue damage, and diseases like heart disease and cancer.  If you want to live long and live well then control the antioxidants in your body.  

Coenzyme Q10 (aka CoQ10) is the only known antioxidant that is synthesized by the body. CoQ10 reduces oxidative damage thus lowering cardiovascular risk and inflammation and consequently extending life . It also prevents photo-aging of the skin and may offer protection caused by simvastatin therapy[2]. Q10 is the primary physical attribute found in longer-living mammalian species, including human beings.  CoQ10 is found in fish and the germs of whole grains, like wheat germ.  I don't eat enough of either one so I take a CoQ10 supplement every day.  

Flavonoids are the most common group of polyphenolic compounds in the human diet and are found mostly in plants.  Eat a pretty (colorful) diet to get a good supply of flavonoids.  Another good source is green tea.   Green tea supplementation has been found to protect against oxidative stress and can increase antioxidant ability in rat brain. The green tea catechin prevents damage in aging mouse brain and liver damage in rats caused by aging and ethanol. Another flavonoid, anthocyanins, has also shown protection against vascular disease.  The best sources of flavoring include  berries (organic cherries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and cranberries are my favorites), green tea, and virtually all fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices. 

Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound found in grapes, red wine, purple grape juice, peanuts, and some berries. The "French Paradox[3]" and from controlled studies point to its effectiveness in extending life[4]. Resveratrol has also been associated with improved bone density, motor coordination, cardiovascular function, delaying cataracts and retarding aging. On a personal note my wife has a healthy, 98-year-old relative in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who claims that his good health is due to a glass a day of red wine.

Vitamin E is one of the most widely researched antioxidants.  Like vitamin A, it has been shown to extend life in mice when initiated in early years. Vitamin E may protect older healthy individuals against atherogenesis, the formation of thick plaque of cholesterol and other lipids in arterial walls, improve relearning ability, and reduce cancer formation.  In addition to supplementation, organic sources of vitamin E include sunflower seeds, almonds, olives, spinach, papaya, swiss chard, mustard greens.



[1] Chong-Han, K. (2010). Dietary lipophilic antioxidants: Implications and significance in the aging process. Critical Reviews in Food and Nutrition, 50, 931-937.

[2] Simvastatin (INN)  is a hypolipidemic drug used to control elevated cholesterol. It is a member of the statin class of pharmaceuticals. Simvastatin is a synthetic derivative of a fermentation product of Aspergillus terreus. The drug is marketed generically following the patent expiration, and under the trade name Zocor.

[3] The French paradox refers to the fact that although the French consume three times as much saturated fat as Americans, one-third less French people die from heart attacks and obesity than American people.

[4]  Liu, BL; Zhang, X; Zhang, W; Zhen, HN (December 2007). "New enlightenment of French Paradox: resveratrol's potential for cancer chemoprevention and anti-cancer therapy.". Cancer biology & therapy 6 (12): 1833–6. doi:10.4161/cbt.6.12.5161.PMID 18087218.