Molecular biologist and ultramarathon runner Dr. Andrews shares his tips on how to slow aging.
The future of antiaging is nigh with minds like Bill Andrews, Ph.D., and Isagenix Founder and Master Formulator John Anderson on the scene of telomere biology research.
Telomeres are non-coding sequences of repetitive DNA at the end of chromosomes that are linked to human lifespan — and Dr. Andrews and Anderson are seeking out natural compounds that will turn on expression of telomerase, an enzyme that restores the length of telomeres.
Keeping telomeres long by reversing age-related shortening can potentially slow the onset of poor health and increase human lifespan.
However, as we await the latest developments in antiaging strategies such as inducing telomerase activity, there are a few lifestyle changes we can make to slow down telomere shortening as much as possible.
In our interview with Dr. Andrews, a molecular biologist who has studied aging at a molecular level for more than 15 years, he shared seven of the best known ways science knows of now to slow down telomere shortening to live longer:
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Category: Diet and Lifestyle
In the search for a compound to "turn on" telomerase, an enzyme that restores telomeres, Dr. Andrews and Anderson will screen thousands of natural compounds.
When people talk of “turning back the clock” or living in perpetual youth, it’s all too easy to write them off as quacks or having watched a little too much science fiction—but that’s not so when talking with molecular biologist Bill Andrews, Ph.D., who has studied aging at the molecular level for more than 15 years.
Dr. Andrews is one of the world’s authorities on the biology of telomeres, which are sequences of repetitive non-coding DNA segments found at the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres, commonly likened to the plastic tips on shoelaces (perhaps too simply, says Dr. Andrews), protect chromosomes from damage and decrease each time a cell divides and replicates.
The length of telomeres is directly linked to age. When we are born our telomeres are long, but they shorten with each cell cycle as cells continually divide. Telomere length is the nearest measure that science has ever found to determine lifespan in humans, horses, dogs and cats—it acts as an the internal “hourglass” or “biological clock” for aging.
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Category: Products
One in four people in North America have a GI disorder that can be managed with diet and lifestyle.
By Nicole Kafka, M.D., Board-Certified Colorectal Surgeon
Living with a gastrointestinal (GI) disorder has its challenges in a world of fast food, carbonated and sugary beverages, and high-stress living, and the most important step for a person to take is to consult a doctor who can diagnose the condition and recommend the appropriate treatment – from diet therapy to more specialized care from a gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon.
Among the most common disorders, which affect about one in four people in North America, are lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, chronic constipation, inflammatory bowel disease, and diverticulitis.
The good news is that each of these common GI conditions can usually benefit through simple changes to diet and lifestyle.
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Category: Dear Doctor
After new Isagenix products were launched at Isagenix Celebration 2010 in San Diego, on Monday and Tuesday the company provided two Product Vignettes about them. Isagenix Vice President of Marketing Strategy Patrick Howley introduced the presenters:
- Marilyn Territo, a clinical paramedical esthetician, presented an indepth look into the anti-skin-aging particulars behind new skincare products Isa SunGuard and Ageless Renewal Serum.
- David Despain, Isagenix manager of science communications, demonstrated the latest science and featured technolgies in new Essentials for Men/Women.
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Category: Products
On Sunday, at Isagenix Celebration 2010, we were treated to an in-depth look into the science behind Isagenix products and in Product Vignettes with a few specialized presentations ranging from brain chemistry to the “negative oxidation-reduction potential” of water.
What else would you expect but serious technical information from the likes of well-informed speakers like Mark Kimes, D.C., Paul Anderson, M.D., Dennis Harper, D.O., Susie Rockway Ph.D., and Nicole Kafka, M.D.!
Live-blogged directly from the event, below is a summary of nuggets learned from Sunday’s speakers with a few quotes.
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Category: Products
Based on the hundreds of status updates and tweets (using the hasthtag #isacelebration) from Isagenix Associates from San Diego, you may have gathered that this weekend marked the start of Isagenix Celebration 2010.
On Saturday, we kicked off Isagenix Product Vignettes with several speakers including Tony Escobar, Peter Greenlaw, MD, Paul Anderson, MD, Nicole Kafka, MD, Susie Rockway, PhD, Patrick Bitter, Andrea Henkart, Mark Kimes, DC, Jim Rhoades, and Tony O’Donnell — a great line-up!
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Category: Products
One or two servings of dark chocolate per week is good for women's hearts, a study reports.
They say chocolate is the way to a woman’s heart, and they could be right – eating one or two servings of dark chocolate weekly is good for the hearts of middle-aged or elderly women.
A nine-year observational study followed 31,823 healthy Swedish women ages 48 to 82 and found that those who ate moderate amounts of high-quality chocolate had healthier hearts.
The women who gained the most heart-health benefits had eaten one or two servings of the dark chocolate weekly, followed by those who ate one to three servings monthly. Each serving of chocolate was typically between 19 and 30 grams.
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Category: Nutrition News
Aged and vibrant mitochondria depend on levels of CoQ10.
Growing old is not so much about chronological age but a consequence of the biochemical processes that happen inside our bodies, the lifestyle choices we make, and how well we can protect our bodies from the toxic elements around us.
Scientists are only now beginning to understand this aging process. Aging is mainly influenced by forces within our bodies including a process called “cellular aging.” Cellular aging is the gradual course over time that leads progressively to the loss of our physiological reserves and functions.
Scientists also developed the free radical theory of aging, which is a theory that the origins of cellular aging are in part the result of the damaging effects of oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress—an imbalance of antioxidant defenses and free radicals—is a product of our environment but also a product of our own metabolism, which brings us to the mitochondrion.
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Category: Products
When choosing supplements, the focus should be on safety and quality.
A new article appearing in Consumer Reports magazine has compiled a list of a dozen ingredients commonly found in dietary supplements with “possible dangers” of side effects that include low blood pressure, heart-rhythm disorders, heart attacks, liver damage, kidney damage, cancer, or death.
As yet another confirmation of Isagenix’s commitment to the safety of its customers and the quality of its products, not one of the “dangerous ingredients” appearing in the report are found in any Isagenix products, nor does the company expect to use any of these ingredients in the future.
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Category: Products
Gray mouse lemurs given resveratrol avoid seasonal obesity. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Resveratrol—a natural red-wine compound previously shown to protect mice against excess weight gain when fed a high-fat diet—has now been found to reduce seasonal weight gain in gray mouse lemurs in a primate model of obesity.
The study was published in BMC Physiology by a team of researchers from the Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, of Paris, who wrote that they had “demonstrated for the first time the short-term effects of resveratrol on the metabolism of an heterothermic [with varying body temperatures] primate.”
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Category: Nutrition News
