As we age, our metabolism slows down and the production of hormones, antioxidants, enzymes, endorphins and proteins are reduced. This is a fact that we can’t escape. There is a finite point when cells in our body stop replicating. They think this is the reason we don’t live forever. There are many theories on aging, but what they all have in common is oxidative stress. Oxidation is a natural and necessary process in order to live and breathe. But when too much oxidative stress occurs it leads to cellular damage. Antioxidants as you might have guessed, neutralize free radicals. These free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) are the byproducts of oxidation. And when in numbers our defenses can’t handle, causes oxidative damage. We might slow down this natural process with a healthy lifestyle, as exercise helps promote our antioxidant system,... but even then, that might not be enough. I am reminded of a young man in the prime of his life during last year’s flu outbreak. This man was in his late 20’s, went to the gym many times a week and was in excellent shape. And in three days time after contracting the flu, he died. He wasn’t alone either. Last year’s flu outbreak was particularly severe. Generally the flu takes the elderly and the very young, but last year it also took the supposedly very healthy, which is alarming.
On top of these yearly outbreaks, we are also being bombarded by electromagnet radiation, airborne pollutants, and traces of toxins in our water supply on a daily basis. Not to mention the poisonous traces of pesticides found on our food. All this leads to even more oxidative stress. There is a lot we need protection from. Fortunately, our bodies are designed to deal with these harmful toxins before and after they cause cellular damage. But as we get older, our body’s defenses weaken, and then have trouble handling it all. A number of factors for this includes, the increased build up of pollutants and toxins in our environment, the aging process, and not having the necessary tools to operate smoothly. What I’m referring to with the latter is,.. the nutrients our body needs to function optimally. It is said our body needs 80 some odd nutrients daily to function optimally. Does anybody honestly believe, we even come close to this, with our diets? Not to mention in the proper amounts? We are all made of stardust. All the elements on the periotic table are created within stars and their explosions. They are so important to life, that if we were missing just one essential to us, we wouldn't be here. So you can plainly see how a deficiency in any one mineral and/or essential nutrient would be detrimental to our health.
To get the proper amounts of said nutrients is not as clear cut as it might seem. For example,… I was taking a multi-vitamin that had 1,000 IU’s of vitamin D3 for close to a year. When the doc at my annual check up, showed me I was deficient in vitamin D! The RDA was 600 IU’s. Here I am taking more than recommend for a entire year and I’m deficient? I even spent time in the sun. How can this be? Well this study shows how woefully inefficient the RDA for vitamin D is. I now take 5,000 a day and levels are good. The RDA’s are a crock. I found they were devised, only to avoid disease from a severe deficiency. They are in no way optimal amounts the body would like in order to function properly.
Our food supply is more and more less nutritious than in years past, being insufficient in many nutrients. And this is with eating just healthy whole foods. With a large number of the population consuming nutrient depleted processed foods, deficiencies and insufficiencies are becoming more common place. And don’t get me started on the detrimental effects of sugar and other harmful sweeteners that has invaded 90% of what is sold in supermarkets. It is said, you weaken your immune system for the next six hours every time you take a teaspoon or two of sugar. So with all this,... it is no wonder even the supposedly healthy, are losing the fight to fairly common ailments. They lack the tools/nutrients their immune system needs to function properly. Autoimmune diseases are at an all time high. And contrary to popular belief, autoimmunity is a result of a malfunctioning, weakened immune state. In simplified terms, T helper cells in charge of orchestration, are failing to do their jobs properly.
It is said that we beat cancer on average of 6 times in a lifetime, without ever knowing it. That’s the power of our immune system when it functions properly.
On top of not getting enough exogenous nutrients from our food supply, us older folk get a double whammy by producing less endogenous nutrients. Not surprisingly, this is generally the time when chronic conditions become so prevalent. Cancer, arthritis, and COPD to name a few, are conditions generally related to an aging population. I personally, happen to deal with all 3 of these conditions myself. And I take little to no medication. My doctors are amazed, cause with those conditions, I have become a lot less active and put on a ton of weight. So I am not in the greatest shape, yet my BP is OK, my CRP is only slightly elevated, and lipids are only slightly high. I am not at all against medication, but for now, I’m doing just fine without it, just by giving my body the nutrients it needs to protect itself.
Nutrients that we produce less of, as we age are,... CoQ10, ALA, SOD, enzymes, hormones, and most importantly, our most abundant antioxidant, Glutathione. It has the ability to recycle many times over, and also recycles other nutrients like vitamins C and E, alpha-lipoic acid, and coenzyme Q10. Anytime we are sick or chronically ill, it is shown, we are depleted in this master antioxidant. Glutathione cannot be supplemented, it gets destroyed by our stomach acid. But there are ways to increase our body’s production of it by taking its precursors, i.e. NAC, ALA, and whey protein, to name a few. NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) is a very good choice to boost Glutathione stores, because it guarantees Glutathione finds its way inside cells (because that’s where it’s produced). Cysteine (NAC) is the rate limiting factor involved in the production of Glutathione. The other two ingredients/amino acids, Glutamate and Glycine are very abundant in our food supply, even in garbage processed foods. So no need to supplement those. It is also very important that co-factors are taken, cause nothing in the body works alone. Co-factors are needed to support the production of the critical enzymes that reduce and recycle Glutathione. Vitamins C and D,.. B vitamins, zinc, magnesium, selenium, ALA, milk thistle, and Cordyceps (medicinal mushroom extract),... are all shown to support the very important Glutathione redox cycle. I could list the many benefits of Glutathione, especially to an aging population,.. and show how a deficiency is linked to many chronic illnesses, but the links provided will do a better job than I in explaining. Two more nutrients older adults in particular don’t seem to get enough of,... is zinc and B12.
The premise of supplementation is simple. To correct a deficiency or insufficiency. To give our body what it’s lacking to function optimally. They aren’t miracle pills but can perform miraculous recoveries if you happen to be suffering from a deficiency. And there is no doubt the elderly and those getting older, suffer from some sort of deficiency or insufficiency in essential nutrients. Even the general public as a whole, is at some risk. It is estimated 75 to 80% of those living above Atlanta, Georgia is either deficient or insufficient in Vitamin D. Statistics are also similar for the mineral magnesium. Those living away from the oceans are likely to be deficient or insufficient in Iodine. Before aspirin, Iodine was the miracle in a bottle. Now hardly anyone has this in their medicine cabinet anymore. It is an essential nutrient and woman would be wise to make sure they get enough,.. because breast cancer is growing exponentially. Vitamin K has also been mentioned to be in short supply for the general population.
Choosing supplements can be challenging. There are many brands offering the same nutrient. We always look for cost effective choices, but just as important is choosing a reputable company with the least amount of excipients in a product. One particular excipient called carrageenan, which is also used in food products as an emulsifier,... is especially bad. In scientific trials, they routinely use carrageenan to induce cancerous tumors in laboratory rats so they can study the effects of anticancer treatments. There are many other excipients, such as titanium dioxide I would also stay away from. So please read the labels, look at the ingredients, and choose products with inert or no fillers, or with the least amount of excipients possible. You will most likely be taking these supplements regularly, so make sure you know what you are taking. Do your research, make informed decisions and take charge of your own health.
Today, I just wanted to provide an overview of the importance of supplementation, especially to an aging population. Quite a number of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, hormones, and antioxidants work in synergy. They behave like a network with a common goal. A deficiency in one, could hamper other nutrient’s effectiveness. i.e… vitamin D3 needs vitamin K2 to regulate calcium. If you raise zinc levels, so too must you raise copper. So, it is important to maintain a balance, and not overdo any one particular nutrient. You are only looking to raise the amounts of nutrients, that you are short of, to an optimal level. Hence correcting a deficiency or insufficiency. It would also be helpful if you learned what foods contain what nutrients. i.e… sweet potato lots of vitamin A, sardines omega 3’s and selenium, tomatoes vitamin C, grass fed butter vitamin K, so on and so forth. Cause you need to figure the amounts of nutrients you are taking from all sources,… food and supplementation. This sounds a bit complicated but it’s not really. Cause the nutrients you are likely lacking, are not in abundance in the food supply anyway. If they were, you wouldn't be deficient or insufficient. Of course if we are dealing with a chronic illness or are just plain sick, you might be able to increase amounts temporarily to deal with your condition. But remember, if you are taking medication, nutritional supplements can interact with them, so always consult with your doctor first.
When I was younger, I could never understand how anyone could ever turn into that old man Tim Conway played on the Carol Burnett Show, taking tiny baby steps. How could he not put one foot in front of the other? Then I got slammed with this severe form of psoriatic arthritis (autoimmune) and became crippled in a matter of days. Arthritis is suppose to be a gradual thing. Not in my case. It hit me like a ton of bricks, and then I realized Tim Conway was not exaggerating. Today, without much exercise, or a strict diet, I overcame my immobility and pain, with nothing more than smart supplementation. Living as a fairly healthy older adult is certainly a possibility, when given the nutrients we need to function optimally.
Now that I’m fairly pain free, I need to hit the basketball courts to drop all this weight I gained. Excess weight = inflammation.
Now before I get attacked on the fact that supplementation has not proven to be beneficial or found to extend a more heathy life, let me explain why. Most studies done on nutrients are poorly done. First off, nutrients/antioxidants work in concert with one another. So a trial on one or two nutrients is bound to fail from the get go. Secondly, supplementation is only to correct a deficiency or insufficiency. So if the subjects of the trial are neither, what possible benefit will it show? In fact, it might even show harmful effects if they already had sufficient levels. Just as it did in the infamous SELECT trial that was very poorly designed. There’s also a new huge trial (VITAL) on vitamin D, that was also poorly designed, thus showing no primary benefits.
So what proof is there that antioxidants or nutrients extend life and/or improve health? Look no further than coffee. It is loaded with antioxidants. And quite recently, there have been two huge, long term studies, involving a total of over 700,000 people, showing how multiple cups a day will reduce your risk of death very substantially. And honestly this is nothing new. One of the first experiments involved the King of Sweden in 1771. He commanded doctors to give two prisoners, one coffee and the other tea for the rest of their lives. Both of them outlived the doctors conducting the experiment. And they also outlived the King himself, while incredibly serving harsh life sentences. Now granted, coffee doesn’t prove supplementation is effective, but it definitely shows the benefits of antioxidants. And all you are doing with supplementation is adding antioxidants to correct insufficiency or deficiency. And no one benefits from this, more than an aging population.
I never as much took a vitamin C tablet in my first 55 years. But when I saw the benefits that a few nutrients had on me, I began to fully study, everything I could on health. I had a reoccurring back problem that started in my late 20’s. It would go out, basically paralyzing me for a few days. It cost me many jobs, taking off 3 or 4 days at a time. This would happen usually twice a year with the change in seasons. Well about 7 years ago, I had an episode where it lasted a whole month. I finally went to the Doc and he gave me a script for Gabapentin. It worked well, but was making me dizzy. So I looked online for a substitute. Came across someone mentioning Magnesium works on the same receptors as Gabapentin. It’s a mineral we all need, so I gave it a shot,... and lo and behold, my back hasn’t gone out in the 7 years since. Who knew this was just a simple nutrient deficiency? I suffered unnecessarily with this for 30+ years. That’s one example of the benefits I had with supplementation. There are others helping me with my chronic conditions (COPD and Psoriatic Arthritis).
Most older adults are in need some help, in getting the nutrients shown protect us. The flu has been getting worse each year. This year will surpass last year’s deadly increase. And now with this coronavirus, it makes sense to be proactive. I have had maybe 3 colds in the last 7 years of supplementation. Not sure because symptoms are sometimes so mild, I hardly recognize it. Colds used to be so debilitating to me. What a difference from years past. I used to get colds so frequently, and they would linger for a month or so. Now I hardly notice if I even have one. Blowing my nose is like the only real symptom I get these days. No aches or pains, no sore throat, no coughing or anything I used to suffer from.
The death rate for the flu and now this new coronavirus is fairly low for a reason. Because your body is capable in beating it back. Give it the ingredients it needs to perform its regular functions. It’s not surprising this new virus has mainly targeted the elderly and infirmed, who most likely are insufficient in critical nutrients that they need to protect them. This new study (Feb 2020) confirms the possible benefits, nutrients might have on this new virus. It lists many of the nutrients I have mentioned.
It is very important to remain healthy at this time of crisis. Cause it will be very hard to get treatment of any kind, for any condition, with this pandemic likely over running the hospitals. Stay safe and remain calm. Stress weakens the immune system.
My outline on health is for educational purposes only. Always consult with your primary care provider before starting any program. Good luck.