By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

September 7, 2015

• Are you younger than your years?
• The difference between biological and chronological aging
• Super-star nutrients to stop aging in its tracks

For years I’ve been talking about the difference between biological aging and chronological aging.

Some people in their 60’s look and feel like they’re in their 30’s or 40’s. And there are also young adults who appear middle-aged or older.

Now, I’ve run across an extremely interesting bit of research that supports everything I’ve been sharing.

It started with a group of people, all born in the same town.

At the age of 26, researchers took photographs of these folks.

At the same time, they collected 18 different biomarkers of aging. This included all sorts of things…from cardiovascular, kidney and liver health to body mass, gum health and telomere length.

All of this testing took place two more times; at the ages of 32 and 38. Then, the researchers assigned a “biological age” to each of the individuals.

Well, guess what happened when the original data was compared with the more recent information?

Some of these 38-year olds appeared not to have aged at all. They ended up with a biological age equivalent to being in their 20’s. Others aged as quickly as three years for each chronological year, putting them on pace with someone who is 60 or older.

And guess what else happened?

Those who aged faster actually had the same problems as someone who is 60 or older. They had worse balance and coordination. They weren’t strong. In fact, they reported having problems doing simple daily tasks, like climbing stairs and carrying groceries.

Worse, these fast-aging adults already showed evidence of cognitive decline. Their IQ scores actually decreased.

And, of course, when strangers were asked to look at the photos of the 38-year olds, those who were biologically older on the inside also appeared older on the outside.

Most people would think – well that’s the way it is…but you can proactively stack the odds in your favor.

See here’s the thing.

Stress, low physical activity and poor food choices all influence the aging process. They contribute to inflammation, oxidative stress and telomere shortening. So clearly, it’s important to address them.

However, if you need additional support for maximum anti-aging power, there are a few super-star supplements I recommend.

Turn back your aging clock. Telomeres are like the “hands of time” when it comes to aging. If you have short telomeres, chances are good you’ll grow old and sick long before your time. But if you have long telomeres, the odds are in your favor. You probably appear much younger than your chronological age and seldom have health problems.

The best thing you can do for your telomeres is invest in a high quality fish oil supplement. Look for one that contains oil from fresh, wild-caught, deep sea fish. And make sure it’s been molecularly distilled and tested for purity. Aim for 1200 mg. of EPA and 800 mg. of DHA daily for telomere lengthening.

Invest in your body’s natural energy factories. Mitochondria power every cell in your body with energy. But they slowly run down and begin to malfunction as we age. As these energy factories run down, it leaves you open to all sorts of aging problems.

Thankfully, there’s a way to restore mitochondrial function to slow down and reverse the aging process. The answer is as simple as supplementing with a highly bioavailable form of CoQ10 called ubiquinol. This nutrient increases mitochondrial activity and lowers levels of oxidative stress. Just 100 mg. a day will do the trick.

Switch on your anti-aging gene – and more! One of my favorite supplements is resveratrol. It works by activating two genes critical to telomere protection. One of them is Sirt1. This is your “anti-aging” gene. It protects your body from disease by revving up the mitochondria. Now we’ve learned it also reduces telomere shortening by increasing telomerase activity.

The other gene is called WRN helicase. This is a gene that helps protect and repair telomeres. It also helps prepare cells for division so they can be copied properly. Low WRN activity is the cause of Werner Syndrome, a premature aging disease.

Resveratrol is great by itself. I highly recommend it.

But there’s actually a way to amplify your results. You see, resveratrol has a highly potent cousin that’s a whopping four times more bioavailable than resveratrol alone. So, combining the two really makes good sense if you really want to turn back the aging clock. Get at least 50 mg. of resveratrol and 25 mg. of pterostilbene each day.

Sources:

Belsky DW, et al. Quantification of biological aging in young adults. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Jul 6.

Tian G, et al. Ubiquinol-10 supplementation activates mitochondria functions to decelerate senescence in senescence-accelerated mice. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2014 Jun 1;20(16):2606-20.

Kiecolt-Glaser JK, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids, oxidative stress, and leukocyte telomere length: A randomized controlled trial. Brain Behav Immun. 2013 Feb;28:16-24.

Sahin E, et al. Telomere dysfunction induces metabolic and mitochondrial compromise. Nature. 2011 Feb 17;470(7334):359-65.

Palacios JA, et al. SIRT1 contributes to telomere maintenance and augments global homologous recombination. J Cell Biol. 2010 Dec 27;191(7):1299-313.

Uchiumi F, et al. The effect of resveratrol on the Werner syndrome RecQ helicase gene and telomerase activity. Curr Aging Sci. 2011 Feb;4(1):1-7.