Anti-Aging Strategies: Part 1 of 3

Ten years ago, 28% of the US population was 50 years old or older.  Twenty-five years later, it has jumped to 38% — creating a huge market for products and services aimed at keeping people feeling young.  “Anti-Aging Medicine” clinics have sprung up everywhere, promising to turn back the clock for older adults through expensive lab testing, off-label medications, supplementation, and other questionable treatments.

Many of these programs focus on trendy, in-the-news theories on what drives the aging process, but completely overlook recent (and not-so-recent) scientific research. These sparkly therapies pop up on everyone’s news feeds, giving them mainstream credo by virtue of relentless reiteration.  Scientific research on aging, on the other hand, needs to be read and understood, and often has no sexy corresponding products to answer the questions posed.  Proper studies are a hard sell on the internet.  

In Part I of this series, we debunk some of the common “anti-aging” gimmicks:

1. Anti-oxidant therapy.  This theory asserts that free radicals are the source of many diseases and inflammatory states, especially cancer.  Anti-oxidant supplements such as ascorbic acid (synthetic Vitamin C) or N-acetylcysteine (NAC) are prescribed to go after free radicals.  But studies have found the reverse to be true.  We need O2 to kill cancerous cells, and high dosages anti-oxidants have been found to cause GREATER tumor growth in many studies.  So much for “safe” vitamin supplementation!

2. Telomere measurement.  The trendy assertion is that longer telomeres are directly correlated to longer life spans.  Tests to measure a person’s telomere length can run to hundreds of dollars, and the “fix” for shorter telomeres sold to patients are often supplements with poor-quality capsulized herbs and synthetic vitamins that have little, if any, therapeutic effect.  Additionally, problems abound with the measurement itself.  Forensic testing cannot get closer than within 20 years of a person’s age using telomeres, so their accuracy is questionable.  Also, telomeres are taken from white blood cells, which react to acute infections but do NOT reflect the health of all organ systems on a day-to-day basis.  Too many variables and not enough specific data makes this theory quite un-scientific and not of much use to an actual person seeking better health.

3. Epigenetic testing.  Again, this costly testing does not always show patients specifics on what organ systems need support, and “remedies” for  non-optimal results vary wildly from one practitioner to the next.  Plus, scientists have pointed out that just because we carry a certain gene does NOT mean that its expression will become our destiny. Genes need to be “turned on,” so to speak, and unless those who use epigenetic testing ALSO counsel their patients on how to keep those that increase disease probability “turned off” with healthy lifestyle choices, this type of testing can cause undue anxiety.

4. Hormone replacement therapy.  Fluctuations in hormone levels are expected as we age, like it or not.  “Replacing” hormones with their exogenous analogues comes with a significant increased risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease.  These are the diseases of aging that we’d like to avoid for as long as possible, rather than bringing them on sooner. 

In Part II of this series, we’ll discuss what CAN give us an accurate picture of aging.  Stay tuned!