Aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable
~ David Sinclair
I recently came across David Sinclair on the Joe Rogan Podcast and have since done a decent amount of research on his ideas, listened to a couple of his podcast episodes (lifespan) and skimmed through his book. I decided to encapsulate some riveting ideas of his that I came across, in this newsletter.
Metformin is being tested to see if it can treat ageing, through the Targeting Aging with metformin (TAME) trial that recently started and is trying to examine if metformin can delay the onset of age-related diseases. Whilst this is a really good step forward, ageing currently isn’t recognised as a disease, so if there is a link between metformin and preventing ageing you’d have to be prescribed the drug for which you’d required to be diagnosed for diabetes mellitus.
Resveratrol is a stilbenoid, a type of natural phenol, and a phytoalexin produced by several plants in response to injury or when the plant is under attack by pathogens, such as bacteria or fungi. Resveratrol is thought to prevent the ageing process by activating sirtuins . Resveratol can even be found in grapes, and in red wine. But, to get the same dose of resveratrol as has been used in experimental studies you would have to drink a lot of wine.
A set of molecules that from experimental studies seem to slow the aging process are NAD+ precursors, one of which is NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide). The idea behind NAD+ precursors is to enhance the levels of NAD+ . Total NAD concentrations have also been found to range between 0.3 and 0.4 μmol/g. These levels progressively decline with age. Common aspects of aging, such as oxidative stress, the decline in mitochondria production, and the inflammatory response, can all lead to decreases in NAD levels.
Studies show that, sirtuins require NAD+ to function which further strengthens the support for NAD+ supplements. You can buy NAD+ precursors from different companies and so a lot of people are taking them, including David himself. Some of the sources of NAD+ precursors can be quite costly and considering they have yet to be scientifically proven to have an impact in humans with regards to slowing down the ageing process, it may be wise to wait for some conclusive evidence.
NMN is also present in our diet; it’s found in broccoli, cucumber, avocado, tomatoes and edamame, however, you would need to eat a lot and a lot of broccoli to get the dose of NMN that matches what you can take with supplements.
He even lists out the supplements he himself takes and his routine:-
* 1 gram of NMN
* 1 gram of resveratrol
* 1 gram of metformin
* Takes a daily dose of vitamin D, vitamin K2 and 83 mg of aspirin
* Intermittent fasting
* Walks a lot
Another way to prevent aging that he emphasises on is to exercise more. The benefits of exercise are thought to act through activating stress resistance pathways, many studies have also shown that exercise can help prevent telomere decline during which the cell turns on its DNA repair machinery and slows everything down. This causes fast growing cells to slow down and to eventually age and stop growing.
Temperatures above and below what our bodies are comfortable with can also help reduce aging. It’s not entirely clear how this helps prevent the aging process yet, but it’s thought to activate stress-resistant pathways.
20th-century medicine was all about healing the sick but now it’s about upgrading the healthy
Last year that the World Health Organisation recognized old age in the International classification of diseases. If aging gets FDA approval there would be many changes regarding both ageing research and who has access to treatments that can prevent aging. Without supplements, by eating less, exercising more and being in the cold every once in a while, anyone has the potential to extend their lifespan to some extent.
LEARN MORE
Lost Telomeres, Lost Youth | Understanding Genetics - I found this one article quite informative while I was looking into ‘telomere decline’
A great podcast if you’d like to learn more about the science of slowing down aging.
I have exciting news to share: You can now read Perplexed in the new Substack app for iPhone.
With the app, you’ll have a dedicated Inbox for my Substack and any others you subscribe to. New posts will never get lost in your email filters, or stuck in spam. Longer posts will never cut-off by your email app. Comments and rich media will all work seamlessly. Overall, it’s a big upgrade to the reading experience.
The Substack app is currently available for iOS. If you don’t have an Apple device, you can join the Android waitlist here.