Best Anti-aging value

Which supplements provide the best anti-aging value? I guess that there is no evidence that anything on the market will actually increase human longevity...anyone disagree? What seems to be the "best bets" and why?

Hey Ghostrider,

Did you choose your user name based on a track on Rush's vapor trails? It's a pretty good song I think.

Okay, onto your question.

Current evidence suggests that optimal diet (including supplements, of course) and exercise can give you a lifespan beyond 90.

Supporting data from that recent Harvard study in which data was independently pooled from the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

[quote name='http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/12/nyregion/12longevity.html)']New York Times
September 12, 2006
Bergen County, N.J., Is Long in Longevity
By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

People live longer in Bergen County, N.J. — an average of about 80 years — than in any other county in the northeastern United States, according to a Harvard study released yesterday that compares life expectancy in counties across the country.

And Asian-American women in Bergen County have the longest average lifespan, 91 years, of any racial group in the nation, said the authors — from the Harvard School of Public Health — of the study, which appears in the new issue of the journal PLoS Medicine.

Regional disparities in longevity have grown over the last two decades, the researchers found, as the places with the longest-lived populations made the greatest gains. A few places, in Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta, lost ground.

“I think the people at the top are increasingly benefiting from improving technology more than the people at the bottom,” said Dr. Christopher J. L. Murray, the chief author. Much of the difference among counties, he said, appears to stem from differences in things like tobacco and alcohol use, obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

“Surprisingly, the regional differences have less to do with the elderly than with chronic disease and premature death in young and middle-aged adults,” he said. “Once you get to 65, there isn’t as big a difference across these groups.”

The study found several places where affluent, mostly white suburban counties with relatively long average life spans sit side-by-side with counties that are poorer, more urban and less white.

In New York State in 1999, the most recent year in the study, Westchester was the longest-lived county, at an average of 79.5 years, while next door, the Bronx had the shortest average lifespan, 75.0 years.

Across the entire New York region, the lowest average life expectancy was 74.7 years in Essex County, which includes Newark, while adjacent Bergen County had an average of 79.9 years, higher than any county north of Maryland and east of the Mississippi River.

But there were dozens of places in the nation that fared better, including affluent suburban counties in California, Virginia and Maryland and several counties in Hawaii. Montgomery County, Md., near Washington, was one of 10 counties tied with the highest figure, 81.3 years.

Yet the largest number of counties with long life expectancies were rural areas with below-average incomes in the mountain states of the West and the northern plains states — particularly Colorado, Minnesota and Iowa.

Several counties in South Dakota with mostly Native American populations had the lowest average, 66.6 years. The next-lowest average was in Baltimore, at 68.6 years.

“Those regional differences are akin to what we see between the highly developed, high-income countries and some developing countries,” Dr. Murray said.

Many other national studies have shown disparities among races, with Asian-Americans living longest, followed by whites and Hispanics, and blacks having the shortest life spans.

But the Harvard researchers highlighted the figure for Asian-American women in Bergen County, an average life expectancy of 91.1 years — a number that Dr. Murray called extraordinary, even in light of the longer life spans of Asian-Americans and women. It was the highest average the researchers found anywhere in the country for any racial subgroup in a county with a large enough number of deaths to be considered statistically significant.

The figures in the study come from two federal agencies, the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They cover the years 1980 to 1999, with each year’s numbers actually representing a 5-year “rolling average” (for example, the 1999 statistics represent data collected from 1997 through 2001).

Dr. Murray said that the center for health statistics had stopped including counties in its death records in 2001.[/quote]

Then there was that JAMA article which suggests that green tea in the diet reduces mortality rates in an 11 year study in humans: Green Tea Consumption and Mortality -- encouraging.

These two reports are both worthy of note. Let me take a clip from an LA times article in bold below:

[quote name='http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-sci-lifespan12sep12']Life Span Gap Just Keeps Growing
Income isn't much of a factor, researchers report. But tobacco, alcohol and obesity are.
By Thomas H. Maugh II
Times Staff Writer

September 12, 2006

The life spans of the healthiest Americans are more than 30 years longer than those of the least healthy, despite more than two decades of efforts to reduce the disparities, Harvard researchers reported Monday.

At one end of the scale are Asian American women living in Bergen County, N.J., who have an average life expectancy of 91 years, according to the report published Monday in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine.

At the other extreme are Native Americans in South Dakota, whose average life expectancy is 58 years. "That's comparable to the life expectancy in Southeast Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa," said Richard M. Suzman, associate director of the National Institute on Aging, which partially funded the study.

The difference is not directly related to income, insurance, infant mortality, AIDS or violence. Rather, the contributing factors, in order of importance, are tobacco, alcohol, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diet and physical inactivity, said Dr. Christopher J. L. Murray of the Harvard School of Public Health, who led the study.

"Those seven are likely to explain a lot of the patterns that we see," he said. "They also give us some hints about the types of public health and medical care interventions that could make a difference in these disparities."

The life-span disparities are so severe that the researchers concluded that there are "eight Americas," each with its own racial, geographic, income, and life expectancy. The report did not separate out Latinos.

"There are millions of Americans that have life spans the same as in developing countries," Murray said. "That alone is pretty remarkable, considering we spend $5,000 a year per person on healthcare."

The data show that the gaps between groups have not been closing over the last two decades. If anything, they are increasing, Murray said, despite a series of policy initiatives.

"In simple terms, there has been a lot of discussion and effort, but no progress," he said.

Briefly, the eight Americas are defined as:

• 10.4 million Asians, average per capita income $21,566, in 1,889 counties, life expectancy 84.9 years.

• 3.6 million low-income whites in 112 rural counties in the Northern Plains and Dakotas, average income $17,758, life expectancy 79 years.

• 214 million middle-income Americans scattered through the country, average income $24,640, life expectancy 77.9 years.

• 16.6 million low-income whites in 467 rural counties in Appalachia and the Mississippi Valley, average income $16,390, life expectancy 75 years.

• 1 million western Native Americans in 359 counties, average income $10,029, life expectancy 72.7 years.

• 23.4 million middle-income black Americans in 1,632 counties, average income $15,412, life expectancy 72.9 years.

• 5.8 million southern low-income blacks in 427 rural counties, average income $10,463, life expectancy 71.2 years.

• 7.5 million high-risk urban blacks in 13 urban counties with the highest homicide rates, average income $14,800, life expectancy 71.1 years.

When the data is broken down by counties, the lowest life expectancy, 66.6 years, is found in Bennett, Jackson, Mellette, Shannon, Todd and Washabaugh counties in South Dakota — all areas with large, reservation-based Native American populations.

The counties with the longest life span, 81.3 years, are Clear Creek, Eagle, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Park and Summit counties in Colorado, Montgomery County, Md., and Lyon and Sioux counties in Iowa.

The gap has been growing since 1984, Murray said. "The counties that started the best just keep getting better. Those at the bottom either stayed the same or got worse."

According to the state data, Hawaii is the healthiest, with a combined life span for men and women of 80 years.

The District of Columbia is the worst, with a life expectancy of 72 years.

It is followed by Mississippi, 73.6 years, Louisiana, 74.2 years, Alabama, 74.4 years, and South Carolina, 74.8 years.

California ranks 10th with a combined male and female life expectancy exceeding 78.2 years.

Personal choices may be more important than access to medical care, Murray added.

Although 85% of the population has health insurance, half of those with high blood pressure fail to get it controlled, he said. Two-thirds of those with high cholesterol do not receive statins to bring it down and two-thirds of those with diabetes fail to get it managed, he added.[/quote]

If you note, it appears that up to a 30 difference in lifespan can be attributed to strictly lifestyle issues (ignoring genetic factors implied by racial difference), including diet, exercise, whether or not one smokes or drinks (sure ways to get a quick death!). That's quite shocking.

This article was discussed in further detail here.

Regarding Resveratrol specifically, there has been quite a bit of recent encouraging research.
Red Wine May Cut Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Also encouraging was the recent news that shows a significant increase in lifespan in mice from Dr. Sinclair from Harvard Medical School -- the results of which are discussed here. If you read the linked thread you will note Mind inquired from Dr. Sinclair his dosages and reported on the second page.

For info on some other supplements that seem to be safe, effective, and have substantial evidence to support an "anti aging" classification (I guess)...see:

fish oils -- "Even with contaminants, seafood called good for you" and News Flash: Anti-aging supplements don't work ...

There may be some more...but these are a good start...

Click HERE to rent this advertising spot for SUPPLEMENTS (in thread) to support LongeCity (this will replace the google ad above).

Fish oil is very well researched and has numerous benefits
I'd second Green Tea (very inexpensive and well researched).
Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (especially berries, brocolli, and oatmeal).
Spices of all kinds (Garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cilantro, rosemary, etc.) have some research.
Pomogranate has some exciting recent research.
Resveratrol is very very interesting, but the research is still preliminary.

Ok, I am going to pick up a bottle of AOR's Pronogenol-2 (Resveratrol). The studies referenced by nootropikamil seem very promising. I guess there will be no way to determine its overall effect, but anti-oxidants are generally agreed to be beneficial. So I will take a chance, in the worst case, I blow some money. Oh well, if I live long enough I will have nearly forever to make it back.

I drink Green and Red Tea daily. More red tea than green though as green tea does not taste that good.

What happened to RALA and other forms of ALA? This stuff used to be all the rage about five months ago. Is it still recommended to take?

Nootropikamil, "Ghostrider" is related to the motorcycle rider (not the movie, when I chose the name, I did not even know about the movie). I do like Bush though (not the president, the band), Swallow, Machinehead, and Glycerine are my favorite songs.

ALA is still good to take in my book (and I do take it), but it is not as well researched as the other suggestions I made, imho.

Red tea (roobios) is very good. I should be drinking more of it!

Combating ROS and oxidation in mitochondria would be a good place to start. Sod works well for ROS as do most anti-oxs. Rala salts and ideb or mitoQ for the latter. Then there's advanced glycation endproducts, but not sure what adequately combats those. I hear Carnosine is promising but has poor oral bioavailability.

[quote name='Ghostrider']Ok, I am going to pick up a bottle of AOR's Pronogenol-2 (Resveratrol).  The studies referenced by nootropikamil seem very promising.  I guess there will be no way to determine its overall effect, but anti-oxidants are generally agreed to be beneficial.  So I will take a chance, in the worst case, I blow some money.  Oh well, if I live long enough I will have nearly forever to make it back. [/quote]

Several months ago, I complied a thread at my forum (which will either be going down soon or be totally re-vamped) -- check it out Resveratrol (the calorie-restictrion mimetic?), abstracts/data, etc....also see:

Red Wine May Cut Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Red wine slows Alzheimer's-like disease in mice

[quote name='Ghostrider']What happened to RALA and other forms of ALA?  This stuff used to be all the rage about five months ago.  Is it still recommended to take?[/quote]

I don't have any really really solid peer reviewed JAMA, Lancet, or New England Journal of Medicine papers that might suggest R-alpha-lipoic acid has played a role at reducing death rates or extending lifespan of humans or other organisms. There is some very promising priliminary evidence, however...and if one is taking ALCAR as a supplement, it is probably wise to take R-alpha-lipoic acid as a supplement to reduce the supposed increase in free radicals.

This is some rather old research in rats and I should probably update...I'm behind in my schoolwork...

[quote name='http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/99/4/2356']Memory loss in old rats is associated with brain mitochondrial decay and RNA/DNA oxidation: Partial reversal by feeding acetyl-L-carnitine and/or R-alpha -lipoic acid

Jiankang Liu*,dagger , Elizabeth HeadDagger , Afshin M. Gharib*,dagger , Wenjun Yuan*, Russell T. Ingersoll*, Tory M. Hagen§, Carl W. CotmanDagger , and Bruce N. Ames*,dagger ,¶

* Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720; dagger Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, 5700 Martin Luther King, Jr., Way, Oakland, CA 94609; Dagger Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4540; and § Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331

Contributed by Bruce N. Ames, December 29, 2001

Abstract

Accumulation of oxidative damage to mitochondria, protein, and nucleic acid in the brain may lead to neuronal and cognitive dysfunction. The effects on cognitive function, brain mitochondrial structure, and biomarkers of oxidative damage were studied after feeding old rats two mitochondrial metabolites, acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) [0.5% or 0.2% (wt/vol) in drinking water], and/or R-alpha -lipoic acid (LA) [0.2% or 0.1% (wt/wt) in diet] . Spatial memory was assessed by using the Morris water maze; temporal memory was tested by using the peak procedure (a time-discrimination procedure). Dietary supplementation with ALCAR and/or LA improved memory, the combination being the most effective for two different tests of spatial memory (P < 0.05; P < 0.01) and for temporal memory (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical analysis showed that oxidative damage to nucleic acids (8-hydroxyguanosine and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine) increased with age in the hippocampus, a region important for memory. Oxidative damage to nucleic acids occurred predominantly in RNA. Dietary administration of ALCAR and/or LA significantly reduced the extent of oxidized RNA, the combination being the most effective. Electron microscopic studies in the hippocampus showed that ALCAR and/or LA reversed age-associated mitochondrial structural decay. These results suggest that feeding ALCAR and LA to old rats improves performance on memory tasks by lowering oxidative damage and improving mitochondrial function. [/quote]

[quote name='http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/99/4/1870']PNAS | February 19, 2002 | vol. 99 | no. 4 | 1870-1875

Biochemistry
Feeding acetyl-L-carnitine and lipoic acid to old rats significantly improves metabolic function while decreasing oxidative stress
Tory M. Hagen*, Jiankang Liudagger ,Dagger , Jens Lykkesfeldt§, Carol M. Wehrdagger , Russell T. IngersollDagger , Vladimir Vinarskydagger , James C. Bartholomew¶, and Bruce N. Amesdagger ,Dagger ,||

* Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331; dagger Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720; Dagger Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA 94609; § Department of Pharmacology and Pathobiology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen DK-1870, Denmark; and ¶ Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720

Contributed by Bruce N. Ames, December 28, 2001

Abstract

Mitochondrial-supported bioenergetics decline and oxidative stress increases during aging. To address whether the dietary addition of acetyl-L-carnitine [ALCAR, 1.5% (wt/vol) in the drinking water] and/or (R+)-alpha -lipoic acid [LA, 0.5% (wt/wt) in the chow] improved these endpoints, young (2-4 mo) and old (24-28 mo) F344 rats were supplemented for up to 1 mo before death and hepatocyte isolation. ALCAR+LA partially reversed the age-related decline in average mitochondrial membrane potential and significantly increased (P = 0.02) hepatocellular O2 consumption, indicating that mitochondrial-supported cellular metabolism was markedly improved by this feeding regimen. ALCAR+LA also increased ambulatory activity in both young and old rats; moreover, the improvement was significantly greater (P = 0.03) in old versus young animals and also greater when compared with old rats fed ALCAR or LA alone. To determine whether ALCAR+LA also affected indices of oxidative stress, ascorbic acid and markers of lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) were monitored. The hepatocellular ascorbate level markedly declined with age (P = 0.003) but was restored to the level seen in young rats when ALCAR+LA was given. The level of malondialdehyde, which was significantly higher (P = 0.0001) in old versus young rats, also declined after ALCAR+LA supplementation and was not significantly different from that of young unsupplemented rats. Feeding ALCAR in combination with LA increased metabolism and lowered oxidative stress more than either compound alone.[/quote]

[quote name='Ghostrider']Nootropikamil, "Ghostrider" is related to the motorcycle rider (not the movie, when I chose the name, I did not even know about the movie).  I do like Bush though (not the president, the band), Swallow, Machinehead, and Glycerine are my favorite songs.[/quote]

I am referring to a Rush song by the name of Ghost rider off their most recent album Vapor Trails -- I saw Rush play live on the Vapor Trails tour and got a seat in the second row -- BAD ASS being that close to witness the worlds best drummer and my favorite lyricist (right up there with Robert Hunter). I have some old VHS videos of Rush during their Roll the Bones tour that I need to have transferred to DVD so I can view them. They have some close ups of the Rhythm Method -- CHECK THIIS OUT!. Peart is the undisputed God of the drum set.

Peart also authored a book by the same name: Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road (Paperback)

[quote name='http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3155']This is a song based on the chronicles of Neil Peart's adventures on a motorcycle journey documented in his book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road. Peart, who is the bands drummer and lyricist, set out on a 14-month, 55,000 mile motorcycle journey around America after losing his 19-year-old daughter in an auto accident in August 1997, and his wife to cancer just 10 months later. (thanks, Mike - Mountlake Terrace, Washington)[/quote]

I would edit, but can't due to scripting errors. It seems one study reports that lipoic acid has extended the lifespan of the Drosophila melanogaster.

i was born in bergen county! too bad im not an asian woman :(

i was born in bergen county! too bad im not an asian woman :(

You don't necessarily need to be an Asian American to live beyond 90...it's seems to be mostly the causative lifestyle factors highlighted in bold below that caused this difference in lifespan:

The difference is not directly related to income, insurance, infant mortality, AIDS or violence. Rather, the contributing factors, in order of importance, are tobacco, alcohol, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diet and physical inactivity, said Dr. Christopher J. L. Murray of the Harvard School of Public Health, who led the study.

An observation: the school I attend is populated with approximately equal proportions of Caucasian American and Asian American students. However, I see a MUCH higher percentage of Asian American students working out in the gym on a daily basis than Caucasian American students. Yes, it's just anecdotal evidence...however, I think Asian Americans might exercise more than than Caucasian Americans as a group; and this may be somewhat a part of Asian American culture. I also am confident that Asian Americans are more likely to drink green tea and not eat McDonald type diets, etc. so those might also be other causative factors.

I think the Asian diet is much healthier compared to the typical American diet.

Not to make sterotypical assumptions but asian diets include higher amounts of green tea and fish, omega 3s.

But look at French diets that are high in saturated fat, yet they have lower rates of heart disease? Do they really consume more red wine and thus Resveratrol which can offset their diets?

Then there's those who say look at retirement homes and take note of the amount of obese people. And look at those over 80 or 90, how many are obese or even moderately overweight? Very few. But is this due to reduced metabolic efficiency not allowing them to produce and store energy?

Best anti-aging value is a well rounded healthy diet and exercise. Supps will help but if diet and exercise is not in order, don't expect much.

The French also eat much smaller portion sizes, walk a lot more, and are a lot trimmer.

I'm going to bet on r-lipoic acid, benfotiamine and carnosine and will probably start taking all of these on a regular basis. CR and a few others would round out a decent antiaging program.

Hey: here is more evidence from this weeks edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association to support the contention that males (as well as females) can live beyond 90: yes, these are Japanese men. However, I'm confident the same results will apply for non Japanese men.

http://jama.ama-assn...act/296/19/2343

[quote name='http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/296/19/2343']Vol. 296 No. 19, November 15, 2006

Midlife Risk Factors and Healthy Survival in Men

Bradley J. Willcox, MD; Qimei He, PhD; Randi Chen, MS; Katsuhiko Yano, MD; Kamal H. Masaki, MD; John S. Grove, PhD; Timothy A. Donlon, PhD; D. Craig Willcox, PhD; J. David Curb, MD

JAMA. 2006;296:2343-2350.

ABSTRACT 

Context  Healthy survival has no clear phenotypic definition, and little is known about its attributes, particularly in men.

Objective  To test whether midlife biological, lifestyle, and sociodemographic risk factors are associated with overall survival and exceptional survival (free of a set of major diseases and impairments).

Design, Setting, and Participants  Prospective cohort study within the Honolulu Heart Program/Honolulu Asia Aging Study. A total of 5820 Japanese American middle-aged men (mean age, 54 [range, 45-68] years) free of morbidity and functional impairments were followed for up to 40 years (1965-2005) to assess overall and exceptional survival. Exceptional survival was defined as survival to a specified age (75, 80, 85, or 90 years) without incidence of 6 major chronic diseases and without physical and cognitive impairment.

Main Outcome Measure  Overall survival and exceptional survival.

Results  Of 5820 original participants, 2451 participants (42%) survived to age 85 years and 655 participants (11%) met the criteria for exceptional survival to age 85 years. High grip strength and avoidance of overweight, hyperglycemia, hypertension, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption were associated with both overall and exceptional survival. In addition, high education and avoidance of hypertriglyceridemia were associated with exceptional survival, and lack of a marital partner was associated with mortality before age 85 years. Risk factor models based on cumulative risk factors (survival risk score) suggest that the probability of survival to oldest age is as high as 69% with no risk factors and as low as 22% with 6 or more risk factors. The probability of exceptional survival to age 85 years was 55% with no risk factors but decreased to 9% with 6 or more risk factors.

Conclusion  These data suggest that avoidance of certain risk factors in midlife is associated with the probability of a long and healthy life among men.[/quote]

From the full text:
[quote name='http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/296/19/2343']METHODS 

Study Population and Procedures

The HHP is a population-based, prospective study of cardiovascular disease among 8006 Japanese American men (recruited from 9877 men with valid contact information) who were born between 1900 and 1919 and lived on the island of Oahu in 1965.15 The HAAS is an ongoing study of dementia in the HHP cohort that began in 1991.17 The HHP cohort recruitment, design, and procedures have been described in detail elsewhere.20-21 At the time of study enrollment (1965-1968), participants were aged 45 to 68 years (mean age, 54 years). Approximately 12% of these men were born in Japan and 88% were born in the United States. From the commencement of the HHP, information on the development of incident coronary heart disease and stroke, as well as mortality from all causes, has been obtained by monitoring obituaries in local newspapers (English and Japanese) and through surveillance of hospital discharge records.15 A follow-up survey in the 1991-1993 examination found that only 5 men could not be traced for mortality information.22

For the purposes of this study, total mortality, physical function, cognitive function, and incidence of 6 major chronic diseases were assessed during 8 follow-up examinations, which were conducted through 2005. Of the 8006 original HHP/HAAS study participants, we excluded 1501 because they either died within 1 year of the study onset or had presence of clinical morbidity at the baseline examination based on self-reported history or clinical findings, which included coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, gastrectomy, chronic lung diseases, or kidney or liver diseases. An additional 685 participants who were missing information on physical function at baseline or follow-up examinations were excluded, leaving a total of 5820 participants in this analysis. Procedures were in accordance with institutional guidelines and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Kuakini Medical Center. Written informed consent was obtained from all study participants or family representatives if participants were unable to provide consent.

Risk Factor Measures

A physical examination was performed at baseline, which included height and weight, grip strength, seated blood pressure, and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1). Levels of total cholesterol, uric acid, glucose (1 hour after a 50-g glucose load), triglycerides, and hematocrit were determined from nonfasting blood samples. Routine urinalysis was also performed. A medical history including lifestyle factors such as smoking status, alcohol consumption, and physical activity23 was obtained. Information was collected on sociodemographic characteristics including occupation.24

Outcome Measures

Initially, we classified participants into 1 of 4 phenotypes: (1) nonsurvivors—men who died before a specified age (75, 80, 85, or 90 years); (2) so-called "usual survivors but disabled"—men who survived until the specified age but with physical or cognitive disability and with or without a major chronic disease; (3) usual survivors with major chronic diseases but no disability; and (4) exceptional survivors—men who survived to the specified age without major chronic disease and also without cognitive or physical impairment. Since univariate analyses showed that the distributions of risk factors for the 2 usual survival phenotypes were very similar, these 2 groups were combined in the multivariate analysis.

Chronic diseases of interest in our analysis included coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkinson disease, and treated diabetes. These 6 diseases were chosen on the basis of good phenotypic information in the HHP/HAAS cohort and the fact that they are among the most common age-associated chronic diseases. Presence of these diseases was identified by either the HHP/HAAS surveillance program or the HHP/HAAS follow-up examinations to the end of 2005. Screening for cognitive impairment was with the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (score <74)18 and diagnosed by cognitive function tests and clinical findings using standard Clinical Dementia Rating Scale criteria for all dementia subtypes.17 Physical impairment was defined as difficulty walking half-mile.[/quote]

Here is the "mainstream" news report:

[quote]News source

Long Lifespan Linked to Nine Factors
By David McAlary
Washington
14 November 2006
 
What is the secret to living a long, healthy life? The question might be as old as humans have been around, but it is increasingly relevant as the large baby-boom generation approaches old age. So a new study tracked more than 5,000 men for several decades to find the secret to longevity.

An elderly vacationer enjoys floating on a river


Although the proverbial fountain of youth does not exist, research in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that a youthful old age is possible if one remains fit and active.

"There appears to be a lot we can do to achieve a healthy old age," said physician Bradley Willcox of the Pacific Health Research Institute in Honolulu, Hawaii. He confirmed this when he and his colleagues studied health data on nearly 6,000 men, all Americans of Japanese ancestry. The data had tracked these men for 40 years, beginning in middle age.

The researchers examined the men's biological traits, lifestyle behaviors, and social situation. "Nine risk factors became very important in telling us who could live to a healthy old age. These factors could tell us not only a lot of information about whether you could live to 75, but all the way up to 90 years of age," Willcox said.

The middle-aged men who went on to live the longest and healthiest lives had these nine things in common. They were not overweight. They had low blood pressure, low blood sugar, and low bad cholesterol. They drank moderate amounts of alcohol and did not smoke. They also had high hand-grip strength, had higher education levels, and were married.

If this describes you at middle age, Willcox says you have an 80-percent chance of living to age 80, and a good chance of doing so healthfully. "Your chances were more than 60 percent of being healthy at that age if you avoided these risk factors, yet if you had six or more of these risk factors you had less than a 10-percent chance of living into your mid 80s," he said.

Willcox says maintaining one's health into old age is especially important because the over-85 age group is the fastest growing in industrial countries and uses the most health care resources. Right behind them is the baby boom generation, the large cohort born between 1946 and 1964, who could strain health care systems if they do not stay healthy as they age. "Baby boomers are getting older and they need more information about how to age more healthfully, particularly male baby boomers who do not do as good a job as female baby boomers at aging healthfully," he said.[/quote]

How do you Resveratrol? Any recommendations? Is there a natural way to get the needed dosage?

In my book the top things everyone should take are

Fish oil
Resveratrol

And a good well rounded vitamin program. Also spices such as tumeric, garlic, cinnamon and some others. Diet is of extreme importance. Refined sugars, flour and foods with large amounts of sugar should be avoided. Aspartame, MSG and a number of other toxins routinely added to processed foods should be avoided. Meat should be consumed sparingly or not at all.

Keep the weight down and excercise regularly and you are doing about all that can be done to extend life. Piracetam and a few other things help increace the quality of life but it's not clear if they extend the length of life.

Red tea (roobios) is very good. I should be drinking more of it!

I've been also looking into red tea, thought the evidence for its efficacy for life-extension are scarce.

Personally I only take R-ala, resveratrol, fishoil supplement, multivitamin and high dose vitamin C for antiaging purposes, everything else at least in my age seems excessive and the forementioned supplements have at least minimal scientific backup for their claims. Though on the basis of need I take numerous other substances ranging from adaptogens to pharmaceuticals. I consider stress to be one of the main aging factors, so even though it's debatable and controversial, antidepressants and tranquilizers could also be classified as "anti-aging" if one follows the definition that stress is clearly proaging. But a better alternative for those, are good psychological stress coping skills. And then there's green tea and Japanese who smoke a lot and don't die (presumably because of the tea) - surely it must have a powerful antiaging factor to it then!

I have co-opted the cocktail in Sherry Roger's book Detoxify or Die. It has done wonders for my liver.

R-ALA- 1gr per day
NAC- 1.5gr
Glutathione 2-gr
Acetyl-L-Carnitine 2-gr
L-Glycine -1 gr

Omega 3

I have a great connection for Geronova's R-ALA at 1.70 per gr per 50 gr. [thumb] [thumb]
Also, I am a believer in Ge-132 = organic germanium.
contact me if you are interested.

Once again, evidence suggests that lifestyle issues are the main determinant of how long one can live...this time from Canada...

News source --Vancouver Sun -- subscription

The richer the street, the healthier its residents

Wealthy neighbourhoods of Greater Vancouver score highest in health study

Pamela Fayerman
Vancouver Sun

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Adults in Lower Mainland neighbourhoods such as in the North Shore or Vancouver's west side -- those with relatively low levels of immigrants, high incomes, and two-parent families -- are most likely to report having excellent health, exercising and not smoking, compared to areas in east Vancouver, Richmond and north Surrey, according to a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood report of health indicators.

The report released Tuesday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information examines health indicator differences between neighbourhoods in five Canadian cities, including Greater Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Halifax and Toronto.

"Patterns of health are largely a consequence of how we live, learn, work and play," the report states.

Eighty per cent of Canadians live in urban areas so, as the report explains, "it's important to understand what aspects of urban life can potentially influence the health and well-being of millions of Canadians."

At least 13 researchers used 2001 census data from Statistics Canada to group neighbourhoods according to income, education, recent immigration, people living alone and single-parent families.

"People intuitively understand that health is associated with income and education and I guess this report sort of reinforces that," said Ted Bruce, executive director of population health for the Vancouver Coastal Health region.

"Are people with high socio-economic status more health- conscious? It may be," he said, referring to the report's identification of a vast swath across the North Shore, which has the lowest (10 per cent) smoking rate in Canada. The North Shore rate is even lower than the average Lower Mainland rate (16 per cent), which is considered the lowest for any metropolitan area in Canada.

Jennifer Zelmer, editor of the report Improving the Health of Canadians: an Introduction to Health in Urban Places, said she finds the low smoking rate on the North Shore fascinating.

"We need to find out what it is they are doing there so we can learn from it," said Zelmer.

"Their low smoking rate on the North Shore is stellar so we need to do more research peeling back the onion to see why," she added.

Typically, researchers measure such things as life expectancy and infant mortality to determine the health of populations, and Canada has always ranked relatively high by such measures. In the most recent (2003) data from the 30-country Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Canada ranks eighth, behind Japan, Iceland, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden and Italy.

Within Canada, however, B.C. residents have the highest life expectancy, at 80.8 years, which is 12 years more than people living in Nunavut. People living in Vancouver have the highest life expectancy (81.1 years) in the province.

When it comes to how Lower Mainland and other residents self-report how healthy they feel, 62 per cent in Victoria report having excellent or very good health, compared to 50 per cent of Lower Mainland residents, which matches the Canadian average.

Zelmer said residents in Victoria, Vancouver and Abbotsford had the highest rates in Canada of combined healthy behaviours, defined as a combination of active or moderate physical activity, not smoking and not binge drinking (five or more drinks in a sitting). A third of Victoria, Vancouver and Abbotsford residents said they adopted all three behaviours, a rate which compares to 20 per cent of St. John's residents and a national average of 27 per cent.

Since stress is often used as an indicator of well-being, researchers also wondered if there are differences in the proportion of Canadians who rate their health as extremely or very stressful. Once again, residents in neighbourhoods in Victoria and the Lower Mainland fared well, with about 22 per cent saying their lives were stressful, lower than the national average of 25 per cent, but higher than 19 per cent of residents in Halifax and St. John's. Montreal residents, at 30 per cent, had the highest self-reported stress levels.

In one of the more curious findings, Abbotsford was deemed to have the lowest number of doctors (81 family physicians and 43 specialists per 100,000 population) and nurses (481 per 100,000 population) but paradoxically, its residents voiced extreme contentment when it came to health care needs being met.

The eight per cent of the population saying they have unmet health care needs compares to 11 per cent in Vancouver, 13 per cent in Victoria and some places across Canada double that.

Zelmer said, while unmet health care needs often relate to access to medical experts and medical waiting times, she cannot explain why Abbotsford fared so well when doctor and nurse rates are relatively low.

pfayerman@png.canwest.com

Sun Health Issues Reporter

- - -

HOW HEALTHY IS YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD?

Affluence and higher education is associated with better health habits, according to a Canadian Institute for Health Information study.

Neighbourhood characteristics:

% of post-secondary graduates 65% 50% 54% 43% 63%

% of people living alone 6% 6% 10% 10% 37%

% of recent immigrants 6% 4% 18% 9% 8%

Median Income $77,268 $60,297 $45,848 $43,732 $38,238

Health characteristics:

Reporting good or excellent health 67% 63% 56% 52% 63%

Physically active 63% 60% 54% 50% 61%

Overweight or obese 32% 37% 30% 35% 31%

Smokers 10% 17% 14% 19% 24%

Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information Vancouver Sun

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

Define "anti-aging" value. If you mean extending lifespan is one thing, if you mean looking young is another.

Although the proverbial fountain of youth does not exist

.......................yet. [thumb]

Click HERE to rent this advertising spot for SUPPLEMENTS (in thread) to support LongeCity (this will replace the google ad above).

Interestingly, there seems to be another interpretation of the same evidence from that might suggest the cap is at 85 and not 90 -- f*ck that! I'm more in favor of sticking with beyond 90 rather than cut it off at 85...

News source: The Dominican Republic News Source in English

November, 14 - 3:09 PM

Want to live to a healthy 85? Stay trim

Washington.– One of the largest, longest studies of aging found one more reason to stay trim and active: It could greatly raise your odds of living to at least age 85.

In fact, chances of being healthy in old age are better than even for people who at mid-life have normal blood pressure, good grip strength and several other physical characteristics associated with being fit and active.

These include normal levels of blood glucose and fats in the blood called triglycerides – both also associated with avoiding excess calories and eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

Other habits long linked with good health and well-being – avoiding smoking and excess alcohol, and being married – also improved chances of surviving well into the 80s.

The study involved 5,820 Japanese-American men from the Hawaiian island of Oahu, who were followed for up to 40 years, but the researchers said the results likely apply to women and men of other ethnic heritage, too.

"There appears to be a lot we can do about modifying our risk and increasing the odds for aging more healthfully," said lead author Dr. Bradley Willcox, a scientist at the Pacific Health Research Institute in Honolulu.

"It's good news because it really gives you something to zero in on if we want to be healthy at older age," Willcox said.

The results appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study shows "that you can still live healthy until age 85 if you live right," said Dr. Carl Lavie, medical director of preventive cardiology at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans.

Most factors the researchers identified as contributing to longevity have long been associated with healthy living but the study does a good job of "putting it together in one package" and showing the combined benefits, said Lavie, who was not involved in the research.

While Japanese-American men tend to be thinner and healthier than the general U.S. population, Lavie said it makes sense to think that the same factors that influence their survival would also affect other people.

The study notes that people aged 85 and older are the fastest-growing age group in most industrialized countries and are among the largest consumers of health care resources.

Figuring out how to help people remain healthy as they age is thus a major research priority, the study authors said.

It's also a priority for doctors with middle-aged patients who want to know how to survive into old age, said Dr. Gary Schaer, a cardiologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

"This kind of paper directly affects how I take care of patients," Schaer said. "It's a really important study."

Study participants were in their 50s on average when the research began; 3,369 or 58 percent died before age 85. Health was evaluated at the start and then at eight follow-up examinations.

Eleven percent – 655 men – reached a milestone the researchers dubbed "exceptional survival." That was reaching age 85 without any mental or physical impairment, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, Parkinson's disease and diabetes.