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November 2020 Longevity Review

Posted by Chris Pollyanna , 06 December 2020 · 1,539 views

supplements alpha ketoglutarate resveratrol spermidine rapamycin astaxanthin

November turned out to be a bonanza for longevity studies, especially when it came to human studies of available supplements. I was in a bit of a quandary as to which studies to include in the Round-Up until I got around the problem by creating a dedicated section for them, rather than having to relegate some to the Supplementary Section. But, there were still enough other noteworthy studies to keep the Round-Up intact.

In personal news, now that I’ve finally caught up with producing these reviews after falling badly behind a couple of months ago, I’ve started writing a longevity master plan for the next steps going forward. It’s early days, as I’ve given myself until the end of the year, but suffice to say I’m incredibly excited for 2021! Some of my ideas are quite large, such as the creation of a Canadian non-profit, and these will require help. Fortunately, I’ve already got somebody, but will need many more hands on deck - please reach out if you’re interested in getting involved with longevity advocacy.
In the meantime - stay safe!

Follow me on Twitter @ChrisPollyanna1 for the latest updates.
Please join my longevityFacebook group.
For those near Toronto, there’s also a Meetup Group, which will soon be emerging from COVID hibernation.
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NOTE: I’ve been having trouble linking to the science journal hacking site www.sci-hub.se, so am only including Full Text links to articles not behind a paywall. I still have been able to download most of them, so if there are any that you are after, I can send them upon request, or you can simply copy the paper’s URL into the site above to get +95% of papers hidden behind paywalls.

Interesting Human Study Results

First off, three studies which boosted cognition via either dark chocolate, probiotics or wheat germ:
*Cocoa flavanols boost brain oxygenation, cognition in healthy adults Full Text

*Randomized Clinical Trial Examining the Impact of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Probiotic Supplementation on Cognitive Functioning in Middle-aged and Older Adults Full Text

*The positive effect of spermidine in older adults suffering from dementia : First results of a 3-month trial Full Text

Now, three studies dealing in heart failure using Astaxanthin, Nicotinamide Riboside (NR), or Resveratrol:

*Changes in self-reported physical activity and health-related quality of life following 3-month astaxanthin supplementation in patients with heart failure: results from a pilot study Full Text

*Boosting NAD level suppresses inflammatory activation of PBMCs in heart failure Full Text

*Resveratrol Improves Heart Function by Moderating Inflammatory Processes in Patients with Systolic Heart Failure Full Text Leaf Review

And finally, an interesting study showing Aspirin use slowing down the ageing of the colon:

*Longitudinal analysis of healthy colon establishes aspirin as a suppressor of cancer-related epigenetic aging Full Text

November Round-Up:

Starting off with a fantastic report from Nature which showcases the depth and breadth of the senolytics field. There are so many shots on goal that surely a few will go in?!
Send in the senolytics

The Interventions Testing Program from the NIA has released the latest batch of results, and although they failed to show any life extension for Minocycline, β-guanidinopropionic acid, MitoQ, and 17-DMAG, they furthered our understanding of Rapamycin dosages:
Rapamycin-mediated mouse lifespan extension: Late-life dosage regimes with sex-specific effects Full Text

While the latest ITP report drew some blanks, this study showed that some in-use diabetes medications lengthened the lives of mice as well as showing reduced mortality in humans.
PPARγ agonists delay age-associated metabolic disease and extend longevity Full Text

Here, more evidence for the potential benefits of Alpha-Ketoglutarate supplementation; this time for osteoporosis.
Alpha-ketoglutarate ameliorates age-related osteoporosis via regulating histone methylations Full Text LEAF Review

Now, a follow up to a May study showing the rejuvenatory effect of diluting plasma in mice, here, improved cognition is shown.
Plasma dilution improves cognition and attenuates neuroinflammation in old mice Full Text LEAF Review

There’s been a lot of work in trying to create accurate ageing clocks, which would really speed up the search for interventions that work, and here, a number of them have been put to the test with Horvath’s GrimAge Clock coming out the winner.
*GrimAge outperforms other epigenetic clocks in the prediction of age-related clinical phenotypes and all-cause mortality LEAF Review

Finally, for longevity treatments to go mainstream, we need our doctors on board. Here is a brand new online course aimed at getting people (especially doctors) up to speed with longevity medicine. The course is not expensive, and they even have free registration days every month. I’ve signed up and will let you know what it’s like.
New Course to Teach Doctors About Longevity Medicine Longevity Medicine Course

Covid-19 Longevity Related Papers:

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2020 Supplemental Information

***Disclaimer 1 – As should be self-evident to anyone receiving these emails, I am NOT a doctor or indeed a scientist. All the information pertained within is for information purposes only; use at your own risk. Please consult with a healthcare practitioner if needing medical advice.***
**Disclaimer 2 – In no way should supplements be a replacement for an unhealthy diet or lifestyle. A varied, plant dominant dietary pattern is the cornerstone for health. Try to eat the rainbow – the greater the variety, the greater the benefit. Even though I might take a supplement derived from a plant source, I still eat the plant in question. Also, make sure you move as much as possible – that is what we evolved to do.**
*Also bear in mind that most of the studies mentioned below are in rodents, not humans. Rodents, needless to say, do not always react the same way to drugs as humans do – witness the countless times cancer or another disease has been cured in rodents only to subsequently fail human trials. I have *bolded any human trials.*
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Lifestyle

Fasting/Dietary Restriction – certainly the cheapest & also one of the most effective anti-ageing interventions currently available. It comes in many flavours, but I fast for at least 12 hours every day.
*Effects of consuming later evening meal versus earlier evening meal on weight loss during a Weight Loss Diet: a randomized clinical trial Full Text
Caloric restriction: implications for sarcopenia and potential mechanisms Full Text
Caloric restriction modulates the monoaminergic system and metabolic hormones in aged rats Full Text

Diet – let food be thy medicine…
Bioactive Compounds of Edible Fruits with Their Anti-Aging Properties: A Comprehensive Review to Prolong Human Life Full Text
A Novel Promising Frontier for Human Health: The Beneficial Effects of Nutraceuticals in Cardiovascular Diseases Full Text
Nutrients and Pathways that Regulate Health Span and Life Span Full Text

Exercise – if you could bottle the benefits of exercise, it would be the biggest blockbuster drug of all time.
*Aim to exceed weekly recommended physical activity level to offset health harms of prolonged sitting Full Text
*Shedding Light on the Effects of Moderate Acute Exercise on Working Memory Performance in Healthy Older Adults: An fNIRS Study Full Text
*Combined Exercise Training and l-Glutamine Supplementation Enhances Both Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses after Influenza Virus Vaccination in Elderly Subjects Full Text

Non-prescription Supplements (in alphabetical order)
*Due to concerns about engendering homeostasis, I’ve begun varying my intake of supplements so that I’m not taking all of them every day. Haven’t worked out a rota so far.

Astaxanthin – which is behind the pink colour of salmon & shrimp. Considered the most powerful carotenoid, it has anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, neuro-protective and skin-protective qualities. I take 4 or 8 mg intermittently.
Antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory mechanisms of action of astaxanthin in cardiovascular diseases (Review) Full Text
Astaxanthin and its Effects in Inflammatory Responses and Inflammation-Associated Diseases: Recent Advances and Future Directions Full Text
Astaxanthin protects cognitive function of vascular dementia Full Text