Fad or reality? Take it or not?Does anti-aging foods really work in 2022?

Does anti-aging foods really work?Are there really anti-aging food supplements?

Assume that several compounds categorized as “food” by law (and so not as drugs) are capable of controlling or enhancing specific functions that deteriorate as people age.

On the other hand, it is well accepted that our modern diet promotes certain key vitamin deficits, which tend to worsen with age for a variety of reasons. In anti-aging medicine, we’ll distinguish between “complementation” and “supplementation” of diet.

Finally, there is no such thing as a miraculous or universal nutritional supplement that can help you live longer. Only product selections that are tailored to each situation will boost lifespan. We’ll look at the most common dietary supplements (or “supplements”) for anti-aging.

 

Why anti-aging food supplements?Does anti-aging foods really work?

As their name suggests, dietary supplements come complete our food: they are useful if our body lacks essential micronutrients what he needs every day. These are about thirty essential nutrients for the proper functioning of our body:

• a dozen of vitamins,
• a dozen of minerals,
• some unsaturated fatty acids,
• eight amino acids said to be essential.

Deficiencies in essential nutrients can occur at any age, so you can’t really talk about “anti-aging supplements” when it comes to simple nutrient supply. However, it must be admitted that these deficiencies become more common with aging and progressive impairment of assimilation and digestion functions.

Several causes can make it difficult (or even impossible) to obtain an optimal intake of micronutrients:

• physiological factors such as stress, intense exercise, growth, old age, etc.
• poor digestion-assimilation, disturbance of the intestinal flora
• unbalanced diet (diets, fast meals, eating out, etc.)
• decline in food quality: agricultural and food methods are increasingly industrialized. There is a longer time lag between the production of the food and its consumption. As a result, the vitamin and mineral content of food is decreased (as shown in some studies).
• various pollutants, passive smoking, alcohol…

On the other side, as we become older, our energy expenditure decreases, therefore we require less food. Ultimately, our vitamin and other important food consumption is frequently inadequate. This is supported by several epidemiological research.

As a result, dietary supplements are becoming more popular in Western countries. They make it possible to get the right amount of vital micronutrients (those that our body cannot manufacture).

How to get your essential nutrients?

The most important thing is already to improve your own contributions according to each case:

1. Avoid big food mistakes, it’s already good

Nowadays, junk food is a common phenomenon in our modern societies where we do not take the time to eat. It slowly ruins our health and digestion as you can read in this article.

2. Eat healthier

in broad outline: have a healthier diet, pay attention to the quality of the foods you eat (origin, organic label, conservation, freshness, etc.), avoid ready-made and industrial foods, be sure to vary and balance your foods, and eat in reasonable quantities. Finally, cook little and gently (less than 120°).

3. You can supplement your diet

The ideal would be to know perfectly your deficiencies (a medical consultation with or without biological blood test can evaluate them). We also know, from statistical studies, that certain populations have very frequent deficiencies (for example in: vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, omega 3, etc.).

What is the risk of toxicity with food supplements?

In general, there is no risk of overdose for quantities ranging from 10 to 100 times the recommended daily allowances (RDA). This leaves a lot of room for manoeuvre. Some doctors also recommend daily intakes of up to forty times the AQR, or even more, for certain micronutrients.

On the other hand, it is necessary to remain vigilant with some nutrients whose excess threshold is reached more quickly and can be harmful to health. They therefore require a little caution. Those are :

• vitamins A, D and K : for example, vitamin A (in its retinol form) can become toxic at very high doses (100 times the AQR) but also at only 10 times the AQR, if it lasts several months
• certain minerals such as iron, copper, zinc, calcium.

Thus, we should not take them at random…

Anti-aging dietary supplements

These are nutritional substances not essential but may have a particular beneficial effect on longevity (and health). They are classified as food by administration, and not as drugs.

Here are the main categories, with supplements used in anti-aging medicine, among the most interesting and studied. Some will say anti-aging “food supplements”, but we prefer to reserve this term for essential nutrients.

Antioxidants and Antiglycants

Antioxidants are great classics for longevity because they fight against a major phenomenon linked to ageing: oxidation. Here are the main ones:

It can be said that by preventing too much oxidation, they slow down aging.

The same goes for the substances that slow down glycationanother major phenomenon of aging of body tissues: carnosine, trehalose, green tea, resveratrol, rosemary extracts…

Substances supporting mitochondria

Mitochondria are particularly involved in aging. These components of our cells (several hundred per cell) produce the energy they need to function, by burning nutrients (mainly glucose) with oxygen. They see their performance diminish with age. They “rust” (understand: they oxidize).

Certain substances have demonstrated their usefulness in combating these mitochondrial failures:

• most of the antioxidants seen above
• coenzymes like NADH/NAD+ and coenzyme Q10
• certain amino acids (taurine, glycine, carnitine, etc.)
• the PQQ (PyrroloQuinoline Quinone)
• Berberis berberine
• D-ribose…

Plants, plant derivatives and phytonutrients

These are plants (or their extracts) in different forms and phytonutrients from these plants, with specific properties (such as isoflavones, alkaloids or other active ingredients, etc.). Some plants have shown a direct action on animal longevity.

In anti-aging we commonly use:

• the plants at hormone-like effect (which act like hormones): tribulus, maca, soya, yam, agnus castus, hops, sage… to compensate for the drop in hormone levels generally observed with age
• plants called ” adaptogens »: gingseng, rhodiola, ashwaganda, ginko biloba, astragalus… which help the body to adapt to different stresses
• plants rich in silica ; nettle, horsetail, bamboo… they contribute to a better solidity of bones, ligaments and supporting tissues
• plants detoxifying : milk thistle, desmodium, artichoke, dandelion, boldo…
• plants digestive : gentian, ginger, oregano, turmeric… These are generally bitter plants which will promote the production of acid in the stomach and of digestive juices providing, among other things, digestive enzymes.

Non-essential amino acids

Among the most used (with examples of common indications):

• wisteria : in particular to maintain the energy production in our mitochondria and the solidity of our supporting tissues… (an excellent anti-aging)
• taurine : for energy production,…
• glutamine : for the integrity of the intestinal mucosa, for our muscles…
• glucosamine : to preserve our articular cartilage from wear and tear…
• L-carnitine : energy production in the mitochondria where it promotes the use of fatty acids, resistance to stress, better sensitivity to insulin, etc.
• L-creatine : muscle conservation, energy production…
• carnosine : to fight against glycation processes…

Telomerase activators

These substances make it possible to limit the shortening of the telomeres of our DNA. telomere length is strongly linked to longevity (read more in this article). These are extracts of astragalus, milk thistle, gingko biloba, carnosine…

Autophagy activators

This natural process of repair/regeneration of our cells is particularly interesting to fight against the bad effects of age. It may be favored by certain food substances, although this intake of nutrients is generally not enough on its own. It is mainly the resveratrol and of theECGC green tea, but also berberine, sperminine, trehalose, pepper capsicaine, alpha-lipoic acid… (to understand autophagy see here)

Probiotics and intestinal drainers

They are not necessarily necessary as you age, if you keep your gut and your microbiota in good condition. However, some studies have shown a longer lifespan with the intake of certain probiotics and intestinal draining plants (see this one, which combines probiotics and Ayurvedic drainer).

Anti-senescents

They allow the body to better get rid of its senescent cells. These are old cells that have not been able to self-destruct, and which accumulate in our tissues, bulking them up and creating inflammation. This is a major phenomenon of aging discovered quite recently.

Studies have noted the anti-senescent effect of certain food substances: fisetin, piperlongumine from pepper, quercetin… (see this article to understand cellular senescence and aging)

Digestive enzymes

They are often used to compensate for the drop in enzymes and digestive juices that comes with age and by eating foods stored for a long time, overcooked, too low in fresh fruits and vegetables, polluted, etc. The best known are :

• pancreatic enzymes,
• enzymes extracted from plants such as aloe vera, mango, avocado: amylases, lipases, proteases, glucosidases, cellulase, etc.
• papain from papaya,
• pineapple bromelain…

Note that there are also many enzymes in the products fermented (kefir, sauerkraut, miso…) and seeds sprouted.

Supplementation with essential nutrients

The essential nutrients seen above can also be used in doses much higher than normal daily doses, to seek an effect therapeutic specific. In this case, we speak of supplementation rather than complementation. For example, when vitamin B1 is given for nervous fatigue at a dose 30 or 40 times the norm, it is dietary supplementand no longer a simple dietary supplement.

Role of vitamin D in health

This vitamin (cholecalciferol) is fat soluble and therefore dissolves in fat, not in water. Mainly, it regulates the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus: absorption at the intestinal level, bone fixation, blood level and renal elimination… These minerals are useful for a good mineralization of bones, cartilage, teeth, etc… On the other hand their blood concentration intervenes in many metabolisms, and in particular neuromuscular.

Vitamin D deficiencies can be the cause of bone decalcification, rickets, neuromuscular excitability disorders, tetany, spasmophilia… With age, and also menopause, vitamin D deficiency promotes osteoporosis.

It is only for about twenty years that we have understood the multiple roles of cholecalciferol at the level of the cells of our body. They exceed the calcium metabolism that we knew until then. Vitamin D is also involved in:

• immune defenses,
• blood pressure,
• the protection of neurons,
• insulin production…

Food could cover a third of the needs, but it is our skin that makes most of it when exposed to daylight.

Few foods contain significant amounts of vitamin D. These are mainly high-fat foods such as oily sea fish (the famous cod liver oil). Vitamin D is also found in small quantities in meats, offal, mushrooms, etc.

What the scientific studies say

More recent studies show that a good vitamin D level would reduce the risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Others point out that it would have a role in the prevention of diabetes and autoimmune diseases.

In some countries with little sunshine, Belgium, Canada…, the lack of vitamin D would affect almost 90% of the population.

Cardiovascular diseases and vitamin D

The American Heart Association in 2009 shows that the risk of death from cardiovascular disease is correlated with vitamin D deficiencies with very low levels (less than 15ng/ml of blood).

Cancer and vitamin D

The WHO and the International Agency for Research against Cancer recognize that the link between risk of colorectal cancer and vitamin D deficiency is well documented by numerous studies.

Many studies have shown that sufficiently high blood levels of vitamin D reduce the risk of colorectal but also breast and prostate cancer, etc. Similarly, an American study by the National Cancer Institute shows that populations living in sunnier areas have less risk of prostate and breast cancer than others.

Another study has also shown that taking 1100 IU of vitamin D per day for 4 years reduced the risk of cancer in 1180 postmenopausal women.

Other diseases linked to lack of vitamin D

The Canadian Pediatric Society says “Vitamin D deficiency is linked to osteoporosis, asthma, autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease) , diabetes, disturbance of muscle function, resistance to tuberculosis and the genesis of specific types of cancer.

Studies show that the risks of senile dementia and Alzheimer’s are greater in people who are deficient in vitamin D.

Controversies over its usefulness

Other scientists disagree.

Dr. Sylvie Demers (“ The Vitamin D Myth – Restoring the Truth About Hormones”) think that we try to measure the storage form of vitamin D (calcidiol) and not its active form (calcitriol), which would be more judicious and more significant according to her. She claims that active vitamin D deficiencies are actually rare and that the studies are mostly observational studies and not clinical studies, thus providing little scientific evidence.

It is difficult to say to what extent these assertions are relevant or not. Still, the results of studies, in general, should be taken with caution. In particular, observational studies can be biased. For example, who says that subjects deficient in vitamin D are not generally deficient in other essential vitamins or nutrients? Can’t the health problems mentioned also be linked to these other deficiencies (or even to other correlated factors)?

Some studies are also contradictory on the protective effect of vitamin D and sometimes show no benefit (5)(6). Conversely, it has been shown that very high levels of this vitamin would promote the development of prostate cancer.

Also note that there is no real consensus on optimal blood levels. Opinions differ on the type of dosage.

Sun and vitamin D

Remember that vitamin D is mainly produced from our cholesterol, in the skin, under the effect of UV rays from the sun. The only summer exhibition, of many of us, creates a small stock which is exhausted after 1 or 2 months.

In addition, anti-sun campaigns teach us the risks of too much sun and encourage us to hide from it. The problem is that between hours at the edge of the water in the middle of summer and a regular exposure of a few tens of minutes throughout the year, there is a world. Let’s not go from one extreme to the other.
It is obvious that today (and even more so in the Nordic countries) the exposure of our skin to the sun is no longer what it has been for humans for millennia.

The ancestral man was not lacking in vitamin D. He did not lie down in the sun for hours in August, but he lived scantily clad, even almost naked. He spent most of his time outside where he was more or less exposed to UV rays depending on whether he was in the forest or not.

One minute of exposure of the whole body to the sun is equivalent to a synthesis of 1000 IU of vitamin D. This shows how important this production is.

In practice, 15 minutes of exposure to sunlight of a part of the body, 2 to 3 times a week, would be enough to meet our needs for fair skin (more for dark or black skin). Let’s stop demonizing the sun and exaggerating its misdeeds. At these doses, it is beneficial. It is necessary to make the difference with the real excesses due to certain climatic conditions or to vacation stays at the beach or in the snow.

So when should you take vitamin D?

As in all medical fields where studies contradict each other, we recommend a return to safe values:

• first you have to respect nature and a healthy lifestyle
• when one strongly suspects a deficiency (depending on symptoms such as decalcification, tetany, spasmophilia, etc.) or when it has been verified on repeated blood tests, it is legitimate to supplement with vitamin D,
• we will think about it when the diet is very low in animal fats and especially in subjects little or no sun exposure (especially in winter in cold countries).

We can possibly consider the risks of onset of diabetes, cancers and cardiovascular diseases (family background, history, environment, etc.). That said, systematically taking vitamin D3 to prevent cancer, myocardial infarction or the flu… is absurd. You must first check for a lack.

The risks of calciferol overdose are low (above 30,000 to 40,000 IU per day over long periods). However, the effects of high calciferol levels in the very long term are not really known. So let’s stay moderate.

Recommended Daily Intakes (RDA)

Although having been revised upwards (0.015 mg instead of 0.005 mg in 2016), these recommended daily quantities still seem below reality for some scientists and doctors.

Researchers from the University of California believe that the amount of 200 IU per day (recommended in France not so long ago) was far too low and undervalued. Prof. C. Garland (California) even thinks that the daily dose of 4000 to 8000 IU would halve the risk of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes and certain cancers. These are just opinions among others.

Sources of vitamin D intake are quite rare (especially oily fish, butter, animal liver, etc.) and the amounts of vitamin D absorbed are low. The sun would therefore be, in a way, our surest source of vitamin D, natural and free.

Here are the recommended intakes in Europe in 2017 (1 µg = 40 IU):

age range	Recommended intake (µg/day)
Children 1-3 years old	10
Children 4-12 years old	5
Teenagers 13-19 years old	5
Adults	15 µg (i.e. 600 IU)
The elderly	10
Pregnant and breastfeeding women	10

Food sources of vitamin D

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