In Part 1 of this anti aging secrets and nutritional supplements series I looked at the meaning of anti aging in respect of nutritional supplements. This, I stated, was the ability of nutritional health/vitamin supplements to tackle the number 1 most prevalent health concern of the 21 st century – PREMATURE AGING.
Premature aging is responsible for the host of degenerative diseases and illness’ which are inflicting an ever-increasing percentage of the population at younger and younger ages! The stats are climbing year in year out and I’m sure you’re all too aware of this health-devastating trend.
You only have to think about how many people die these days of a disease! That’s NOT how mother nature planned for us to go out!
So, the ‘anti aging’ capabilities of nutritional health supplements must not only be able to correct vitamin/mineral deficiencies (the simplest common denominator for all of them) and then also be able to help heal degenerative disease which may already be present, but MOST importantly be able to comprehensively address the causes of premature aging in order to slow down and normalize (to some significant degree) the aging process, thereby addressing the spiraling increase in degenerative disease in western diet based societies
I went on to say that virtually all nutritional vitamin supplements FAIL when it comes to addressing premature aging!
Why?
Because there are five primary components of aging and each of these is interdependent on one another. So, to successfully address premature aging a supplement must contain specialized ingredients which can adequately tackle ALL FIVE.
But….
…. just about any nutritional health supplement you care to examine, including the most well known and ‘so-called’ elite super supplements, can only take on ONE of these five key aging components – which is the reduction of free radicals through the use of antioxidants. (For MANY supplements it’s primarily by way of the cheap, less potent vitamin antioxidants only).
The other 4 critical aging components which are not addressed are Glycation, Methylation, Inflammation and DNA Degeneration because the specialized ingredients needed to deal with them are simply not there!
I then ‘opened up’ for discussion the first ‘anti aging secret’ – the role of free radicals in our aging process and I revealed the names of the most powerful and effective antioxidants which neutralize them (the antioxidants that most supplements can’t afford to include!)
If you haven’t yet read Part 1 and would like to, just follow this link anti aging secrets and nutritional supplements part 1
Today, I will continue on by looking at Glycation and exposing what specialized ingredients MUST be there (but nearly always aren’t) to tackle this SERIOUS health crippling process.
Anti Aging Secrets – Glycation leads to AGES And AGES AGE US!
Oxidative damage to your cellular DNA from excessive free radical production in your body is a SERIOUS problem for your health and wellness but Glycation is far more destructive!
So, if you’re conscientious about good health it’s VERY important that you understand how to protect yourself from glycation.
Glycation is a complex process so bear with me while I first spend a little time explaining it (as simply as I can) before revealing the names of those ‘ANTI GLYCATING INGREDIENTS that I’m sure you want to know asap!
The glycation process revolves around protein molecules in your body and basically alters/damages their configuration so they are unable to function correctly.
This is REALLY BAD NEWS for your health because your various types of proteins have key responsibilities in performing biological activities throughout your body which are critical to your health.
So, in a nutshell, glycation is a (non-enzymatic) reaction through which glucose molecules and chemicals derived from glucose, known as ‘aldehydes’ (collectively we can call them all ‘glycating agents’ for ease of understanding), bind themselves to your intra- and extracellular protein molecules. ie. the protein molecules have become ‘glycated’!
Glycated proteins are no longer ‘free agents’ able to effectively perform their designated biological duties necessary to guard against premature aging.
GLYCATED PROTEINS ARE RELIABLE MARKERS OF DISEASE AND AGING!
The new structures formed by glycated proteins are called AGEs which stands for Advanced Glycation End-products. These are REALLY DANGEROUS molecules when it comes to your health!
When both of the sticky ends of AGEs attach to other neighboring proteins, they create permanent, disabling links.
Anti Aging Secrets: Cross-Linking And YOUR Wrinkles
This process of inappropriate attachment is called ‘cross-linking’. You’ve probably heard this term ‘cross-linking’ before.
Cross-linked chains of AGES decreases the mobility/elasticity of proteins. Cross-linking of the skin protein ‘collagen’ has been shown to be responsible for wrinkling and other age-related changes in skin. So, if you take in a lot of sugar through you diet you’re going to have more glucose molecules floating around inside you and that means more glycation, leading to the collapse of more collagen and so MORE WRINKLES.
AGES normally form and accumulate at a slow and steady rate in everybody (except those with diabetes where the greatly increased availability of glucose leads to a marked increase in their formation earlier in life).
But, AGES do a lot more health-busting damage than just playing a part in creating wrinkles.
They produce poisonous chemicals and toxic by-products as well as stimulating free radical production leading to further glycation – a vicious cycle endures! Glycated proteins increase free radical production 50 fold (over non-glycated proteins).
Remember how I mentioned in Part 1 that each of the 4 primary aging components were interdependent? See how they work together?
Researchers have also implicated glycation to Alzheimer’s disease!
And there’s more! Glycation contributes to HEART DISEASE. It thickens artery walls and clinical evidence suggests that AGEs are important components in the formation of potentially lethal atherosclerotic plaque – that’s the stuff that can build up to impede and block blood flow in your arteries.
So, you’ve no doubt got the picture by now of how destructive glycation is to your health. You absolutely need to take action to limit the amount of glycation and formation of AGES in you body. This is a VITAL STEP in slowing down and normalizing your aging process.
What to do!
- GREATLY reduce the intake of sugar in your diet. Learn the ‘hidden’ sugar content of what you are eating. Avoid simple carbohydrates!
- Inactivate the glycating agents (aldehydes) before they can bind to your proteins
- Prevent a glycated protein from binding to another ‘free’ protein and creating a cross-linked chain
You’re wondering what to do for steps 2 and 3, right?
Well, you can achieve that through ‘Carnosinylation’!
Huh?
A clever and powerful nutrient called Carnosine (an amino acid) is capable of defending your body’s proteins against glycation. The process by which carnosine does this is called carnosinylation.
Inhibiting The Formation Of AGES Is An ESSENTIAL Part Of Any SUCCESSFUL Anti Aging And Life Extension Program!
Here’s what carnosine actually does!
1. It can bind itself to glycating agents and NEUTRALIZE them
2. And it can put a shield around a protein molecule which already has a glycating agent attached. This protects and prevents it from cross-linking with another protein
NO OTHER NUTRIENT CAN DO THIS!
Oh, and carnosine stops the oxidative damage of free radicals!
If you go and check your supplement label I bet you won’t find carnosine listed there. That’s because it’s a very expensive ingredient for nutritional supplement manufacturers to purchase. They simply can’t afford to include it. So, once again we come back to the greatest limitation in the formulation (and effectiveness) of nutritional vitamin supplements – that they are made to a price!
This is why supplement companies (deliberately) fail to mention glycation on their websites or in their product marketing presentations. They don’t want to highlight a major weakness in their product!
Anti Aging Secrets: How Much Carnosine?
“Like so many nutrients there is no real evidence to support the premise ‘more is better’“
The generally accepted effective dose rate is 50 – 150 mg daily!
The multi ingredient health supplement my family and I have used for the past 7 years is called Total Balance and it includes a generous dose of 100 mg of carnosine in a daily dose. (That’s one of the main reasons I originally opted to use it.)
Use these links to take a look at total balance mens plus or total balance womens plus
Or follow this link if you’d like to read my review of total balance (It’s a loooong one!)
Now, some of you may be thinking right about now about racing out to buy a bottle of isolated carnosine. Don’t do that.
Carnosine, like most specialty nutrients, works FAR more effectively when combined with other compatible ingredients (that’s why you need a professional grade supplement formulated by a bio-scientist or chemist because only they know what nutrients are compatible with one another at the molecular level in your body to synergize enhanced efficacy).
Supplements put together by physicians and worse still by marketers, don’t even come close to making the grade!
And , as you’ve discovered, glycation is only one of the four (interdependent) primary components of aging. There’s not much point in addressing only glycation at the expense of the other 4.
Anti aging secrets special note:
There are currently some really promising experimental drugs being tested to fight AGES – but sorry you’ll have to wait a while. None are yet commercially available. If and when any do become available I’ll be sure to make a post about it.
In the next part of this anti aging secrets series I’ll discuss the third aging component, METHYLATION, and give you a heads-up on the special methylation agents you need in your vitamin supplement to combat it.
Good Health Always!
