Longevity – Living better for longer (Part 1)
Counteracting AGE (advanced glycation end products)
Living longer and as healthily as possible is surely the dream of many. But how can we not only grow older, but also stay healthy for longer? Is this even within our control? Longevity is on everyone’s lips, and although research in this area is still in its infancy, there are various interesting approaches that aim to achieve this goal. A holistic approach is certainly important. In this (and a second) blog, I will introduce you to two innovative and unique ways to improve your health in early and advancing age in the field of vital substance therapy.
What is the secret to longevity?
Longevity research scientifically examines the topic of long and healthy life. It is assumed that we can influence healthy aging to a large extent through our lifestyle. Longevity is by no means determined solely by genes and living conditions, as was long assumed. Your lifestyle has a far greater influence on it.
Epigenetics describes how external factors such as nutrition, exercise, stress, etc. can influence the activity of our genes without changing the genetic sequence itself. It emphasizes that lifestyle plays a crucial role in health by controlling which genes are switched on or off. How you eat, how you exercise, what thoughts you entertain, and how you feel emotionally have a significant impact on your health and the aging processes in your body. The secret to healthy aging and a long, healthy life is therefore based above all on a lifestyle that is as holistically healthy as possible.
Conducive to a long, healthy life:
- Healthy diet
- Regular physical activity, exercise, sports
- Good stress management
- Good and regular sleep
- Positive, beneficial social relationships
- A good work-life balance
- Spirituality
- No dependence on nicotine, alcohol, opioid painkillers, etc.
AGE – cause of various chronic diseases
Since our desire is not only to live longer, but also to live healthily, I would like to address a topic in this blog post that is virtually unknown among medical professionals, but which may play a key role in the development of many so-called age-related diseases: AGE (advanced glycation end products). Many doctors still believe that chronic diseases and lifestyle diseases increase and are normal from middle age onwards. Although AGEs have been known about for around 20 years, the topic does not seem to have really gained traction. However, AGEs can be the cause of many health problems and ensure that the second half of our lives does not turn out the way we dream it will. AGE stands for advanced glycation end products. They are produced both in the body itself and when fats and sugars are fried, cooked, or baked at high temperatures.
In this interview with Dr. Achim Refisch, you can learn more about AGEs.
The spontaneous formation of AGEs in the body or the intake of these substances through food is a significant medical problem that unfortunately has not yet become public knowledge. No wonder that all attempts to market a drug that works against AGEs have failed so far. AGEs are very long-lived and accumulate in various organs. It must be assumed that AGEs are at least partly responsible for many diseases that are currently mistakenly attributed to the normal aging process. These include chronic inflammatory and degenerative diseases in various organs.
Examples include:
- Arteriosclerosis
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Osteoarthritis
- Sarcopenia
- Chronic kidney failure
- Macular degeneration
- Cataracts and glaucoma
- Diabetes
- Alzheimer
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Cirrhosis
- Liver fibrosis
- Chronic kidney disease
- Aging skin with wrinkles, age spots
What is the solution?
In order to ensure a healthy, long life—longevity—it would be interesting to declare war on AGEs. The healthy lifestyle mentioned at the beginning is fundamental. I would also like to introduce you to a unique, sophisticated preparation that tackles AGEs with various natural substances.
Plant substances to prevent AGEs
Dr. Achim Refisch has spent the last few years intensively researching AGEs and their health risks. He has developed a natural strategy for specifically preventing their formation in many areas of the metabolism using phytochemicals (multitasking principle). He has developed a product that is unique on the market and has a very complex effect. Since the formation of AGEs leads to age-related and lifestyle diseases via several chemical intermediates and very slowly (over years), a product must be effective at all these different stages.
This allows intervention at many different points in the metabolism:
- prevent AGEs from forming in the first place
- prevent them from being deposited
- prevent them from attaching to cells and triggering inflammatory processes
- dissolved, transported away, and excreted
In this way, a preparation containing various synergistic plant substances can delay or prevent the aforementioned adverse health effects. A noteworthy point is the positive effect on the cells of the vessel walls. The oxidation of LDL, which leads to arteriosclerosis, is reduced, thereby indirectly preventing heart attacks and strokes. The same applies to macular degeneration and glaucoma.
What ingredients does it contain?
- Olive oil polyphenols
- Noni fruit extract
- Capers extract
- Brown algae extract
- L-carnosine
- Black garlic extract
- Rosemary extract
- B vitamins (B1, B6)
- Catechins from matcha
Brief description of the individual ingredients:
Olive oil polyphenols
Inhibit oxidative damage caused by lipid peroxidation, which is the most significant damage caused by free radicals. The effects on LDL are particularly significant. Only oxidized LDL leads to atherosclerotic plaques, which play a major role in the development of heart attacks and strokes.
Ingredients from noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia)
They intercept AGEs that have already formed in the connective tissue before they can bind to cell receptors and cause inflammation. These receptors for AGEs on the cell wall, which are found in almost all human organ cell systems, including the immune system, mediate a variety of pro-inflammatory metabolic processes via NF-kappa-b.
Capers extract
Contains high levels of quercetin, a polyphenol and powerful antioxidant. Caper extract inhibits the further development of advanced AGE precursors. This has even been proven for one of these precursors in a human randomized controlled trial (RCT). In addition, caper extract can occupy the RAGE receptor on the cell wall and thus prevent AGEs from docking.
The brown algae species Ecklonia cava
is particularly effective and rich in phenols and condensed tannins. Scientific literature describes an effect of brown algae that was long thought impossible, known as crosslink breaking: brown algae can break down existing crosslinks between AGEs (= tissue hardening).
Carnosine
Is a combination of the two amino acids alanine and histidine. It occurs in tissues, but its concentration decreases with age. Firstly, it is an antioxidant (by intercepting ROS = reactive oxygen species = free radicals). Secondly, it counteracts AGE formation and glycosylation (by reacting with RCS = reactive carbonyl species).
Fermented black garlic (Allium sativum)
Has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-stimulating, cholesterol-, blood pressure- and blood sugar-lowering, detoxifying and cell-protecting effects, among others. It also inhibits the formation of AGEs and the breakdown of L-carnosine, thereby increasing its effect.
Rosemary
Rosemary contains ingredients such as carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmarinic acid. Rosemary has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and can break down cross-linked structures.
Vitamins B1 and B6
Both inhibit the formation and further development of AGEs. Diabetes patients in particular often have a vitamin B deficiency.
Matcha, green tea leaves ground into a fine powder
Contains catechins, which are known to be powerful antioxidants with long-lasting effects. Catechins inhibit the formation of AGEs and reduce already accumulated AGEs. They also increase the number of receptors for AGEs that are freely present in the blood, which are normally located on the cell wall (so-called soluble RAGEs/sRAGE).
Part 2 on the topic of longevity: Eliminating and renewing senescent cells
Further information
Longevity; basics, nutrition, exercise, active ingredients:
https://longevity-advice.com/
AGEs:
https://longevity-advice.com/grundlagen-von-longevity/#advanced-glycation-endproducts
Studies on AGE
Advanced glycation end products are associated with arterial stiffness in type 1 diabetes: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24681829/
Association between cardiac tissue glycation and skin autofluorescence in patients with coronary artery disease: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25553578/
Skin autofluorescence as a measure of advanced glycation end product deposition is increased in peripheral artery disease: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23139292/
Skin autofluorescence as a measure of advanced glycation end product deposition: a new risk marker in chronic kidney disease: https://journals.lww.com/co-nephrolhypertens/abstract/2010/11000/skin_autofluorescence_as_a_measure_of_advanced.4.aspx
