The field of anti-aging research is constantly evolving, and new discoveries and treatments are being developed all the time. Let’s look at a few of the most recent—and promising—advancements in anti-aging science.
Senolytic drugs are effective in treating a known cause of aging and could prevent a broad range of age-related diseases.
They act by destroying senescent cells—damaged cells that have stopped dividing but refuse to die. Senescent cells accumulate with aging at the causal sites of many chronic disorders and diseases. They can excrete a wide variety of potentially harmful or proinflammatory molecules that damage surrounding tissues.
Clearance of senescent cells has been demonstrated to delay aging, treat age-related diseases, and extend “healthspan.”
Different from lifespan, which is the total number of years a person would live, “healthspan is how many of those years a person would be considered healthy and disease free,” Dr. Theodore Strange, chair of medicine and a geriatrician at Staten Island University Hospital, part of Northwell Health in New York, told The Epoch Times.
Some commonly studied senolytic compounds that are easy to obtain from your diet include:
There’s much evidence that metformin, a diabetes drug derived from a compound found in common French lilacs, could do more than help patients improve their blood sugar.
According to a critical 2021 study, it may even slow aging.
A recent review of studies concludes that metformin’s efficacy in reducing the hallmarks of biological aging is “reflective of its strength and potential as a therapeutic that can target crucial mechanistic pathways involved in aging.”
The 2021 review of studies found the drug might not have this effect in people without diabetes, but its ability to reduce early death associated with diseases that include diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive decline, can improve our healthspan and extend the time we spend in good health.
It’s important to remember that metformin is a prescription drug and it can have side effects, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; it should only be used under a doctor’s guidance.
NAD+ is a crucial molecule for life and health; it plays a role in energy metabolism, DNA repair, and in the processes of cell survival or death.
Aging is accompanied by the gradual decline of NAD+ levels in our bodies.
This decline has been linked to several age-associated diseases, including cognitive decline, cancer, metabolic disease, and frailty. NAD+ precursors are compounds we can take to increase levels of this critical substance in our bodies.
They include different forms of vitamin B3 (niacin)—nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)—and are present in certain foods.
Nicotinamide riboside can be found in cow’s milk, and nicotinamide mononucleotide is found naturally in foods like edamame, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, and avocado.
A first-of-its-kind randomized controlled trial by an international team of researchers shows that restricting the number of calories we eat can slow the pace of aging in healthy adults.
The pace of aging was measured by participants’ blood DNA methylation (the process of adding a methyl group to DNA). The measured effect was equivalent to a 2 to 3 percent reduction in the pace of aging.
Previous research confirms that even a modest reduction in the rate of aging can have profound effects on population health.
Calen Ryan, a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University’s Butler Aging Center and co-lead author of the study, said while the study found evidence that calorie restriction slowed the pace of aging in humans, it might not be right for everyone.
“Our findings are important because they provide evidence from a randomized trial that slowing human aging may be possible,” Ryan said in a statement. “They also give us a sense of the kinds of effects we might look for in trials of interventions that could appeal to more people, like intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating.”
Strange pointed out that there is no one medication or class of medications that significantly slows down the aging process and that is approved for such use.
It’s important to note that while these advancements are promising, most are still in the early stages of research, and have yet to be fully tested and proven in human trials.
However, keeping healthy habits is still one of the most effective ways to increase healthspan and improve overall health.
The key components of a healthy lifestyle include:
“What we eat, staying active physically and mentally, and taking care of one’s self are the best ways possible to slow the aging process down,” said Strange.