ANTI-AGING STRATEGIES

May 2004

   While it is of paramount importance to keep cortisol levels balanced in order to truly enjoy optimum health and to protect the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that is responsible for short-term memory from being destroyed by cortisol, there are other factors that can help us slow the aging process. Research is proving that there are several mechanisms that contribute to the aging process and cellular death, and that while inflammation and cortisol imbalances are probably the most prevalent and serious causes, there are other strategies that can be useful to combat aging. The current models of neurodegeneration are extraordinarily complex, but they can at least be simplified into the categories of free radicals and receptor site hypersensitivity.

   Free radicals are unstable molecules that occur naturally in the body, and under normal circumstances the body can limit the damage they can cause to cells. However, with a poor diet of fast foods and processed foods, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and pollution, the number of free radicals can escalate beyond the body’s ability to neutralize them. Some free radicals damage the DNA of the cell resulting in its ultimate death due to an inability to convert glucose into energy, while others create electrical imbalances in cells. Besides the obvious strategy of having a good diet and keeping toxins out of your system, vitamin supplements such as vitamin C, zinc, selenium, riboflavin, glutathione, and grape seed extract can be very effective antioxidants that either eliminate or prevent the formation of free radicals.

   Research studies at the University of California at Berkeley have shown very promising results using the antioxidant alpha lipoic acid (200 mg) and acetyl-L-carnitine (500 mg), which helps cells produce energy, in extending longevity and brain activity in rats. Both of these supplements can be easily found in vitamin stores are there are no known contraindications to taking them.

   Receptor site hypersensitivity is a by-product of poor energy production inside a cell and the end result is that it allows abnormal amounts of chemicals to flood into the cell and wreak further havoc. The receptor sites in question are particularly negatively affected by glutamate and aspartate, which are rampant in the American diet and are classified as excitotoxins. Glutamate in sneaked into all kinds of fast and processed foods as a "flavor enhancer" (aka hydrolyzed protein), and aspartate is found in artificial sweeteners. Like many of the things that go wrong with the human body, a vicious cycle occurs when the receptor sites become hypersensitive, because this further diminishes energy production in the cell.

   Lithium is a naturally occurring trace mineral that, unfortunately, most people have a negative perception of because of its association with mental illness, especially in the treatment of bipolar disorders. However, in trace amounts derived from plant source, lithium may protect the brain from damage due to toxins and increase the production of a protein that limits the damage from hypersensitive receptor sites. Lithium is also known to protect against glutamate-induced nerve damage and can enhance DNA replication of nerve cells. Lithium dosages as low as 5 mg a day can be very effective.

   Lastly, research from the University of California at Los Angeles has shown that rats who were given curcumin, a compound found in the curry spice turmeric, did much better in memory-dependent maze tests that rats that did not have curcumin in their diets. This finding corresponds with the statistic that in India, where foods are loaded with turmeric, just one percent of people over the age of sixty-five contract Alzheimer’s, which is the lowest incidence of the disease worldwide. Besides using it as a spice in cooking, turmeric can be found in capsule form in vitamin stores.