Part Four: Current and Future Anti-Aging Treatments

As mentioned earlier, many anti-oxidants are important nutrients. Natural antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, work synergistically. Antioxidants may be more effective if they are derived from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Nutritionists recommend eating 6 meals a day or more of anti-oxidant fruits and vegetables. Everyone agrees that using antioxidant supplements for anti-aging can help, but there is no agreement on what should be given the most effective dose.

Anti-aging medicine acknowledges that stress of all types causes aging but has not yet developed individual treatment for it. There are many sources of internal and external stress and individual levels of stress vary. The main cause of internal pressure is improper hydration. Water is essential for proper operation of many internal functions. Too little water or too much pressure creates age. When an elderly person (80+) loses their perception of thirst and dehydration can easily be inserted. Other sources of stress are antioxidants themselves. High doses (or doses above a certain amount) of anti-oxidants are a known cause of stress.

To help, antioxidant supplements should prevent stress other than the pressure they create themselves. Knowing the right dosages that can do this is an important part of anti-aging treatment. A healthy young man in his twenties, well-cared for, will have less internal pressure that an older person in his sixties. For younger individuals, lower antioxidants may be safer than higher amounts. Older people, with many internal homeostatic mechanisms less able to cope with internal stress, may benefit from higher amounts of antioxidants. In theory, anti-aging treatment based on anti-aging treatment will slow down the rate at which cellular damage occurs. The cells will become "sick" slower. Over time, diseased cells are replaced at a slower rate, the number of cells retaining the telomere chain longer. You can reasonably expect this to lead to an increase in life expectancy. Currently, the recommended but inaccurate approach to reducing the rate at which cellular damage occurs is to increase daily intake of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, to increase some antioxidant intake, and to take various vitamins and anti- daily anti - supplement. One study has shown that taking multivitamin supplements is well associated with long telomere length.

It is recommended that anti-aging treatment be provided for each individual. The key here is to measure and minimize the cumulative effects of different types of stress individually. Practical bio markers that can be easily measured for various types of pressure are not yet available or are not used. When used, it will be easy to adjust the dose of individual antioxidants so that everyone has an "optimum" level of life. The "optimum" level will maintain a protective reserve of antioxidants in the body.

Next I will briefly discuss the most popular nutrients associated with anti-aging. The most popular antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients that are often associated with good health and anti-aging include: beta-carotene (vitamin A), vitamin C, vitamin E, various Flavonoids, Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, Co- Q10 enzyme, Lycopene, Selenium.

There are dozens of supplements known to treat certain symptoms in old age. Some good supplements include: DMAE, Acetyl-l-carnitine, L-carnosine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, DHEA, L-arginine, and melatonin

Good foods contain some of the aforementioned anti-oxidants. Some other popular anti-aging foods including: Green tea, turmeric, and red wine.

All of the above have unique biological properties and, in my opinion, are "good" for you if taken in small or medium quantities. Some (for example Vitamin C) can also be "good" for you in larger quantities. Various studies of each may contradict each other. You should carefully examine each ingredient on your own but researchers have found some nutrients to be associated with the average telomere length. These include: Green Tea, Omega-3, Vitamins A, C, D, and E.

Vitamin E has been associated with increased telomere anti-aging properties.

Green tea contains many antioxidants, including vitamin C, E and flavenoids.Flavenoids form a large class of antioxidants (including catechins and quercetin) that have many anticarcinogenic, antihypercholesterolemic, antibacterial, (helps prevent dental caries), and anti-inflammatory properties. Tea leaves are rich in polyphenols. Daily consumption of 3 cups or more of green tea has been associated with an average telomere length.

Omega-3 is an important unsaturated fatty acid that is anti-inflammatory and helps prevent heart disease, stroke, memory loss, depression, arthritis, cataracts, cancer. Omega-3 slows down telomeric reduction; that is, they can protect against aging at the cellular level.

Vitamin C is an abundant internal water-soluble antioxidant that protects cellular components from the formation of free radicals caused by pollution and cigarette smoke. Many studies have linked high vitamin C intake with oral cancer, larynx and esophagus. Vitamin C has shown promise in treating premature aging and may even age itself.

Due to the limitations on the number of links I can include in this article I cannot provide more reference links that support the preceding paragraphs. If you are interested please email me at the email address shown at the end of this article and I will forward it to you.

The sooner you start some kind of anti-aging treatment the better but it's never too late to start. All the actual treatments will help you maintain the average telomere length chain on average.

The goal of the programmed aging theory of aging is to address the causes of aging. These goals include attempts to slow or reverse telomere shortening. Two such treatments are: TA 65 and human genetic engineering.

TA 65 is a telomerase activating product manufactured and marketed by Sierra Sciences. The main ingredient in TA 65 is Astragalus, a plant extract known to have telomerase activation properties. This product may work but I do not recommend it for some reason. TA 65 is too expensive for ordinary people. A number of expensive health spas incorporate TA 65 into their programs. Again this is financially beyond the expectations of ordinary people. Sierra Sciences' marketing tactics have been questioned by many and there are pending legal claims against TA 65.

The biggest issue I have with the TA 65 is the scientific honesty. The company created genetic engineering that allowed telomerase to shut down and at a young age. TA 65 is able to convert telomerases in these mice and enable them to live a normal life. http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101128/full/news.2010.635.html

Using this to show how TA65 treatment works, is dishonest. This is not how telomerase usually works and there is no extension of life beyond what would be done without genetic modification. In normal mice the effect of TA65 was temporary and little or no live connection was seen. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/04/11/anti-aging-pill-new-study-on-ta-65-sparks-controversy.html

Human genetic engineering is the true answer to fight and defeat aging. It can directly address the causes of aging. An introduction to this field (e.g., CRISPR) allows the base pair of DNA to be inserted or deleted at certain points in our DNA. This means that the human genome can now be edited exactly as needed. Longevity of mice has been modestly increased using telomerase gene therapy. Human gene therapy is often used for a variety of medical problems. On September 15, 2015, Elizabeth Parrish was the first person to undergo an aging gene therapy. Anti-aging treatments will grow rapidly as knowledge of the human genome specification grows.

General socio-political attitudes seem to favor further development of anti-aging research. There are no internationally recognized political programs to stop aging or extend life but since 2012 several pro-political political parties have evolved. Their goal is to support advanced research on anti-aging and life, and to help provide access to progress in this field to everyone. Among the various organizations that support anti-aging research, the organization SENS (Strategies for Abandoned Engineering) has developed an anti-aging research plan. They want to develop anti-aging therapies to repair most forms of cell damage. SENS, is a charity. Any anti-aging advances resulting from the funding provided will be available to the public. In addition to the usual scientific research there is a $ 1,000.00 Palo Alto Longevity Prize offered to anyone who can find effective anti-aging treatment.

Until 2015, all known anti-aging treatments were effective. Depending on when a person starts a comprehensive anti-aging program, one may be able to extend the life span of one to 10 to 25 years. Researchers from the Harvard School of Health estimate that an anti-aging lifestyle can add a more productive 24.6 years to life. Anti-aging is increasing at an average of 10 times every 10 years. This may mean that for most of us there is more time to reap the benefits of anti-aging research. One day soon, aging, like many other ailments, will heal. While we wait for the anti-aging technology singularity to come into play this game is to ensure we stay healthy enough to repeat their benefits.

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