What if you could control aging. The Vitamin Clerk suggests these functional herbs that can help us reduce the effects of how we age.
Aging and metabolic syndrome are closely intertwined. So much so that mitochondria, the cell's powerhouse that converts food to energy, are considered as the "biological clock" of cellular energy.
The accepted understanding goes like this:
- Overeating, insufficient physical activity, and insulin resistance lead to a constant, unproportionate presence of free radicals from the mitochondria.
- Free radicals damage normal cellular function, which increases the risk of diabetes, obesity, and cognitive decline.
- Increase in insulin resistance leads to glycated proteins which damage nerves and impair the function of hemoglobin and other proteins involved in cellular function.
- Aged and damaged cells and nerves release more free radicals, and we end up seeing a snowball effect.
The threads that tie all of this together are mitochondrial dysfunction, longevity proteins like sirtuins, and the length of the telomeres in our chromosomes.
The deleterious effects of metabolic syndrome occur over many years. Our brain, heart, skin and sex drive are all victims to metabolic syndrome. We can’t change our telomeres yet. But one habit we can easily do is nutritive supplementation.
Here I suggest specific broad spectrum supplements whose phytonutrients are biological active. They can influence certain proteins involved in coping with stress and cell preservation response.
Protect your heart function. Supplement with superfoods like Bee Pollen and Medicinal Mushrooms
Nutritional science has recognized a correlation between Metabolic Syndrome and the presence of chronic, low-grade inflammation. In turn, chronic inflammation seems to be a significant factor in the aging of our vascular system. Over time it breaks down the elasticity of our endothelial cells--the cells that line our blood vessels. This increases the chances of high blood pressure. It could also lead to poor flow of oxygen and nutrients in the capillaries throughout our body, including our skin and sex organs.
ROYAL JELLY has unique compounds useful against inflammaging. You want to look for 2 specific fatty acids called 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10H-2DA) and 10-hydroxydecanoic acid (10-HDA). These fatty acids unequivocally promote collagen production.
L-ERGOTHEONINE is a unique amino acid abundant in medicinal mushrooms. Ergotheonine is an antioxidant and serves as a cell protective function. It was found to be linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In a long-term analysis of a population in Sweden, L-ergothioneine was identified as having a strong correlation between healthy eating habits and reduced cardiometabolic morbidities.
Protect your joints from aging. Supplement with resveratrol. Consider herbal blends for joint health that contain curcuminoids from turmeric extract.
Sirtuins play an important role in the maintenance of healthy joints. They have been commonly labeled longevity proteins. Their activity is modulated by the metabolic state of the cell. Specifically, their activity rises when the ratio of NAD(+) to NADH is high---usually signifying that the cell is "starving". As a result, Sirtuins control many functions that help control cell preservation.
Many types of Sirtuin proteins exist. But Sirtuin-1 regulates a variety of functions to maintain joint health. It promotes the preservation of chondrocytes--the cells that make cartilage. Sirtuin-1 elevation increases the production of Collagen Type 2. It also stimulates the conversion of mesenchymal stem cells into new chondrocytes. The decrease in Sirtuin-1 activity plays a role in the pathology of osteoarthritis.
Trans-resveratrol supplementation has been shown to stimulate Sirtuin-1 activity. Also, Glucosamine is considered to protect chondrocytes by increasing the production of Sirtuin-1.
If you are going to take Glucosamine supplementation, I suggest a broad-spectrum product that includes curcuminoids from turmeric extract. The 95% curcuminoid extract has a high ORAC value (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) of over 1,500 per 100 mg. The ORAC value of Vitamin C is over 1,000 per 100 mg and turmeric spice is over 100 per 100 mg. Such a high antioxidative capacity protects cells from oxidative damage.
Explore more about these supplements and click on our Strength & Active Health Collection.
- BEE PEARL Ultra Blend
- ACTIV BODY High Dose Functional Blend For Joint Health
- MUSHROOM COMPLEX Fermented Powder Blend
- SKIN STEP-UP With Trans-Resveratrol
Check out the scientific references below and get the details behind the science on aging and metabolic syndrome.
- Bonomini, F.,et al. (2015). Metabolic syndrome, aging and involvement of oxidative stress. Aging and disease, 6(2), 109–120. https://doi.org/10.14336/AD.2014.0305
- Deng, Z., et al. (2019). The role of sirtuin 1 and its activator, resveratrol in osteoarthritis. Bioscience reports, 39(5), BSR20190189. https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20190189
- Igarashi, M., Sakamoto, K., & Nagaoka, I. (2017). Effect of glucosamine on expression of type II collagen, matrix metalloproteinase and sirtuin genes in a human chondrocyte cell line. International journal of molecular medicine, 39(2), 472–478. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2016.2842
- Smith, E., et al. (2020). Ergothioneine is associated with reduced mortality and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Heart (British Cardiac Society), 106(9), 691–697. https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2019-315485