Searching for an Anti Aging Program?
You want to feel and look younger. You see ads in newspapers and on the internet, and perhaps even have seen commercials on TVs explaining how you can achieve youthful aging. But, what should you look for in an anti aging program?
Genetics Versus Lifestyle
First, about 70% of how we age is related to our lifestyle and the other 30% to our genetics. So an anti aging program should largely be about educating and motivating you to make the necessary changes in lifestyle; how you eat, how you exercise, how you handle stress, how you sleep, and so on.
While we cannot change our genetics our lifestyle many times influences the effects of our genetics on our health. All of us are genetically predisposed to some medical condition, but that does not mean we are destined to get that particular condition. We can many times avoid genetic predispositions through proper lifestyle.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy up to now has been the mainstay of anti aging interventions. Restoring declining hormone levels back to youthful levels does improve quality of life and does minimize risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Many anti aging programs rely on hormone replacement therapy alone. While beneficial results can be obtained, results are 200% to 400% better when hormone replacement is part of a more comprehensive program that emphasizes the role of nutrition and exercise. Hormone replacement will improve your health, but alone it will not lead to optimal health.
Exercise and Nutrition
Achieving optimal health requires “sweat equity”. You are going to have to work to be optimally healthy. You need to be disciplined with what you eat, and find time or create time to exercise, too. THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO OPTIMAL HEALTH. An anti aging program that provides education, support, and encouragement in these areas is a must.
Everybody knows that nutrition and exercise is important, but our understanding of what constitutes a proper nutrition and exercise program has changed and is always evolving. An anti aging program should incorporate the latest knowledge and breakthroughs in these areas.
Nutraceuticals
There’s a difference between getting the recommended daily allowances (RDA) for nutrients and getting the optimal daily allowance. It’s virtually impossible to obtain optimal nutrient levels these days without supplementing your diet with nutraceuticals. The reasons for this are many; foods grown in nutrient depleted soil, foods treated with pesticides, excess heavy metals in the soil, animals treated with antibiotics and hormones, animals raised in crowded environments and feed corn rather than being grass-fed.
It is wise for everyone to take a good (pharmaceutical grade) multivitamin and mineral. Fish oil may be the most beneficial supplement as it does so many positive things to improve health. See related articles “Anti Aging Supplements” and “Top Anti Aging Vitamins“.
Telomere Biology
The real key to aging though may be in understanding telomere biology. There are several theories of aging. Telomere shortening is an aspect of each theory postulated to explain aging, and may be the closest thing we have to a universal theory of aging. Telomeres are extra pieces of DNA at each of our chromosomes. They become progressively shorter as cells divide. Eventually telomeres become too short and when that happens the cell dies or becomes senescent. So the key to aging is to keep telomeres long as long as possible.
An Anti Aging Program should take full advantage of nutraceuticals that can slow down telomere shortening. These include fish oil, vitamin D, acetyl-L-carnitine, berry extracts, N-acetylcysteine, and others. TA-65, a nutritional supplement has been shown to actually increase telomeres. To learn more about what you can do to preserve telomere length consider obtaining the book, “The Immortality Edge”. Exercise and other lifestyle changes can also slow down telomere shortening.
The longer your telomeres healthier you will be and the longer you will live.
See related articles.
