Is your longevity supplement list missing these vital nutrients?

Longevity supplement list, in my opinion, should be basic and limited to supplements that have no known negative side effects (unlike pretty much anything that comes out of the pharmaceutical industry).  But before we get into supplements themselves, I’d like to introduce you to my Healthy Longevity Pyramid…

Revised 5 Jan 2023

My Healthy Longevity Pyramid

Healthy longevity list: I’ve always thought of healthy longevity as a pyramid, kind of like the one the Federal government sends out except NOT based on 80-year-old bad nutrition assumptions.

Base layer: Testing

I picture the base layer of the pyramid to be Testing.  No eating, exercise, supplements, or exotic treatments should even be sniffed at until you’ve been tested.  Well, maybe you can eat before testing but that’s it.  Just stay in your room and play Grand Theft Auto.

Second layer: Healthy Lifestyle

The second layer is sensible exercise and healthy food choices (both of these subjects are books in themselves but I’ll handle each in separate blog posts…okay, probably a crap-load of blog posts).

Third layer: Supplements

The third layer is supplements which we’ll discuss in more detail below.

Top level: Treatments and Therapies ($$$)

The peak level is the more exotic and technical treatments and therapies that would make Dr. Frankenstein flinch.  Most of which cost a boatload of money.  Hence, the three dollar signs.  Until this stuff comes down to reasonable levels (say, ten years from now), you either need to be rich or patient.  (And do like Lisa and I, learn from the references below and work really hard to follow the first three layers of the pyramid.)

References: Super Human by Dave Asprey; Lifespan by David Sinclair PhD; Life Force by Tony Robbins; The Longevity Paradox by Dr. Steven Gundry; Life Extension magazine; GundryMD blog

Now, on to supplements (please heed warning – IN RED – below)

In today’s therapy group, we will discuss the few supplements that are pretty much on almost every doctor, researcher, chemist, bio-techno-meta-havoc-raiser who writes a book on healthy longevity, and believes are “must use” to extend your warranty no matter what your current mental state. (Whew – try writing that sentence in one breath!)

And since most of those people are a heck of a lot smarter than I am, I feel safe recommending them to you.

But until you get tested, and I mean serious, needle in your arm, “buckets of blood” tested (or at least a cheek swab), you really don’t know for certain what is safe for you, what your body really needs, and what it does not need (which is why most of the people I referenced above recommend you DO NOT take multivitamins; too much of what you don’t need and not enough of what you do).

After your testing, you can work with a functional medicine practitioner to find the correct ratio of pills and powders to get you through the night.

(Also, Lisa and I take everything on this list.)

Big Warning in Red Text

(WARNING: I am not a doctor and I never played one on TV.  Find a functional medicine practitioner, get tested, and let them know what supplements you are taking.  Secondly, supplements are a waste of money if you are living an unhealthy lifestyle.  Fix that first before you spend your hard earned bucks on pills and powders.)

Mistress Spanky will monitor your compliance.

The list, Herr Doctor!

Longevity supplement list items at my home.

Basic healthy longevity supplement list:

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)

– a compound made by our bodies and found in cabbage, broccoli and avocados.  Basically, it prevents the damage to our epigenetic code that causes the body to age.  David A. Sinclair, PhD, takes 1000 mg per day with his morning yogurt.

Lisa and I take it in capsule form with our morning longevity cocktail (post not ready yet).  Be very careful who you buy NMN from.

Because of the popularity of Dr. Sinclair’s book Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To, a lot of shady characters are selling so-called “NMN” online.  Only buy from a GMP- or USP-certified manufacturer.

This is the brand Lisa and I buy.  They are the lowest cost we can find with the proper certifications listed on their website: Vitamin Shower NMN 500mg.

Resveratrol

– comes from grape seeds and a few other plants.  It’s a polyphenol and an antioxidant.  It activates and revs up the sirtuin pathway which makes us more disease-resistant, healthier, and longer lived.

Lisa and I also take it with our morning cocktail.  Again, Dr. Sinclair, who I learned about NMN from, takes 1000 mg daily (yep, with his yogurt).

Through our constant pursuit of the best quality at the lowest price, we buy Adora Organics Resveratrol 1600mg.  We buy the 180 capsule bottle (and take two caps daily each).

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

– One of the biggest horrors perpetrated on the populace are the idiots that screamed we must be on low-fat or no-fat diets.  All fats are bad, they hammered at us.

Unfortunately, not only was that never backed up by science, but everyone seemed to forget that the human brain is made up of about 60 percent fat, half of which is an Omega-3 called docosahextaenoic acid (DHA).  Docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are also important Omega-3 fats.

Studies show that people with the highest levels of omega-3 fats in their blood have a:

• better memory;
• better cognition; and,
• bigger brain;

than those with the lowest levels.

Been wondering why so many people are struggling with cognitive decline?

Unless you eat sardines or herring every day, you probably need to take a good Omega-3 supplement.  Lisa and I take Krill Oil capsules.  Krill Oil promotes joint comfort, brain and cognitive health, and inhibits inflammation.  We get Antarctic Krill Oil Supplement 1000mg, 200 Softgels, and take one per day.  I’ve been very happy with Deal’s products and their prices.

Vitamin D3

Lisa got a rather large test the last time she went to the doctor.  She turned out to be as healthy as a python with a belly full of monkeys, except for one thing:

She was highly deficient in vitamin D.

Don’t suppose it comes from spending insane hours buried in front of a computer designing websites?  But hey, who am I to judge?  Until this thing gets going, she and the Social Security Administration are paying the bills.

Turns out, most people who don’t spend at least an hour a day in the sunlight are deficient in vitamin D.  The doctor put Lisa on a prescription, but Lisa found it was way cheaper to buy her vitamin D online.  Bronson Vitamin D3 10,000 IU (250 MCG), 360 tabs.  We take one a day to match what her doctor prescribed for her.

Dr. Gundry of GundryMD recommends a bare minimum of 5,000 IUs (125 mcg).

Glucosamine HCL with MSM

Most of us know that glucosamine and MSM are great for relieving joint pain.  But what I didn’t know was that glucosamine inhibits glycolysis, your body’s breakdown of sugar.  This forces your body to get more energy from fat which helps prevent insulin resistance, a buildup to Type 2 diabetes.

We’ve also learned that glucosamine stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis (a fancy term for stimulating the growth of new mitochondria).

And if that isn’t enough, it also mimics the effects of fasting (let’s face it, we all hate fasting, but we love the 10% life extension it gives us.  Go glucosamine!)

Get Glucosamine HCI 1500mg with MSM 1500 mg 375 tabs. Take two tablets per day.

N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC)

N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine is a mitochondrial booster.  In other words, it kicks your mitochondria in the seat of the pants and sets your ATP (adenosine triphosphate, hmmm, sounds like a new laundry detergent) production on fire.  ATP is the basic fuel for your whole body.  But more importantly, your brain (BRAINS!) (Stop that!) uses, pay attention now dear readers: 13 pounds of ATP per day!!!

If you suffer from senior moments or “brain fog” sometimes, that can usually be attributed to lack of ATP production.

NAC also increases glutathione levels in your body.  Glutathione is considered the mother of all antioxidants so that’s a very good thing.

Why not just take glutathione supplements?

One, Lisa and I try to minimize the number of pills we have to swallow. Two, because your body makes its own glutathione.  Supplementing with glutathione risks your body making less because it’s getting all it needs from an outside source.  And that’s a NOT GOOD thing!

If you want to know why that’s a not good thing, read the story about when a doctor tried to put me on synthroid for my hypoactive thyroid (not written yet) when I was 12!

We buy our NAC from Life Extension, an online longevity research organization that also sells a very high quality line of supplements.  For something like NAC, we wanted to make sure we were getting the best.  If you get on their email list, they have very regular sales on their products. I also subscribe to their Life Extension magazine.  Really impressive articles.  And it’s free once you’re a customer.

Life Extension NAC 600 mg capsules, 60 caps per bottle.  I just checked.  A bottle is $11.25 but for the moment, it’s on sale for $6.75.  Sheesh!

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)

Another mandatory member of your healthy longevity list: ALA is a powerful antioxidant that also helps chelate heavy metals poisoning your blood and fats.  ALA also increases glutathione levels in your body.  Gotta love multi-tasking!

Lisa and I get Simply Nature’s Pure^TM.  Again, they were the cheapest brand we could find that is GMP.  Simply Nature’s Pure Alpha Lipoic Acid 600mg 120 caps with 300mg of R-Alpha Lipoic Acid plus 300mg of S-Alpha Lipoic Acid.

CoQ10

Another kick in the mitochondrial energy production factory!  Our brains need all the power they can get.  Life Extension sells Super Ubiquinol CoQ10, 100 mg, 60 softgels.  (They have everything and are really high quality. If you join, you’ll get sales and discounts through email).

Turmeric

If you notice any age-related memory loss, curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric), taken daily, will improve not only your mood, but also your memory (and helps reduce amyloid plaque buildup, a recognized cause of Alzheimer’s).  It’s a good idea to take it with bromelain, a digestive enzyme, to help with absorption.  The cheapest quality source I know of is Kirkland turmeric.  USP verified, 240 capsules, 1000mg per serving (two caps).

B-Complex

Here’s what WebMD says about B-Complex vitamins: The B vitamins help enzymes in our bodies do their jobs and are important for a wide range of cellular functions, like breaking down carbohydrates and transporting nutrients throughout the body.

The B vitamins play an inter-related role in keeping our brains running properly.  Adequate amounts of B vitamins in the body are essential for optimal physiological and neurological functioning.  Some data shows that vitamin B6 in particular may play a role in the prevention of the neurological disorder Parkinson’s Disease.

How to choose safe longevity supplements:

I’ll turn to the expert, David Sinclair, PhD, for how to find safe supplements of any kind:

“If you buy a supplement, look for a large manufacturer with a good reputation, seek highly pure molecules (more than 98% is a good guide), and look for ‘GMP’ on the label, which means the product was made under ‘good manufacturing practices’.”

Should I take anything else?

Not until you see a functional doctor.  If you’d like to find one in your area, check out my Find a Functional medicine practitioner post.

PS If there are other supplements you think are essential or you would like to open a discussion about my longevity supplement list (or Healthy Longevity Pyramid), don’t hesitate to comment below.