Anti-Aging: Easy First Steps

by Nils Osmar. Jan. 7, 2023. Medical Disclaimer

In one sense, both life extension and anti-aging are in their infancy. There’s a lot to learn, and the research is sometimes contradictory. But there’s evidence that all or most of the following may be useful, and can be a good place to start:

Going to bed early. As Benjamin Franklin put it, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Recent research suggests that Franklin was right, and that both sexes can benefit from shifting their sleeping patterns in this direction, synching better with our circadian rhythms. The result, according to a recent study, is improved all-cause mortality, Learn more
Getting enough exercise HIIT, Zone 2, aerobics and resistance training seem particularly useful in terms of pushing back against the aging process. Learn more
Doing some fasting. Both fasting and exercise tend to activate an enzymatic process called AMPK, which scientists have defined as the longevity pathway. One key factor is that fasting activates autophagy, which cleans debris from out bodies — which also improves our general health in a number of ways. See video
Eating to support optimal health. Of course, this can be easier said than done, since dietary recommendations vary widely depending on which “expert” you listen to.) . (“Eat vegan!” “Eat vegetarian!” “Eat carnivore!” “Eat keto!” “Eat Mediterranean!”) Whether you decide to base your diet more on plant or animal foods, it is clear that we need certain nutrients to maintain health. For my thoughts on the matter, See this page.
Eating a healthy amount of protein. Protein, and in particular the amino acid leucine, are absolutely essential to human health. There’s no evidence that we need the massive amounts some bodybuilders eat; but we need some, and it needs to be high quality. I’m currently emphasizing animal-sourced proteins, though I also eat lots of protein from plants. I’m aiming to eat about a gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight, which for me is around 160 grams a day. (Dr. Peter Attia, Dr. Donald Layman, Dr. Ted Naiman and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon would approve of the amount I’m eating; Dr. Valter Longo maintains that we need far less; but they all agree that protein is essential to life and health.) For some interesting discussions about protein, see this page.
Eating healthy fats, with an emphasis on omega 3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. Eating lots of fish, including wild Pacific salmon, sardines and mackerel, is a good foundation. More info
Donating blood – and supporting blood health in other ways, such as taking GLA and other key nutrients. One interesting intervention is to clean protein fragments out of our blood by taking proteolytic enzymes such as serrapeptase. Learn more
Taking care of your telomeres. Telomeres are the end caps on our cells. As we age they get shorter. They were once thought to “drive” aging, but this appears to be untrue. But in theory, lengthening them could give “us more cell divisions “turn back the clock” See this Stanford Medicine article. A recent study suggests that we can lengthen them by fasting; eating certain nutrients; and taking supplements such as ashwagandha and astragalus. Learn more
Raising your NAD+ levels. NAD+ helps with DNA repair and supports the activation of our sirtuin genes. Young children, who have very high levels of NAD+, are far less likely to succumb to respiratory diseases like Covid, or to succumb to cancer. We can increase NAD+ levels by exercising; cold showers; saunas; and/or taking precursors such as NMN or NR. Supplements can help. Learn more
Raising your glutathione levels – by eating whey or by taking GlyNAC, i.e, taking glycine along with NAC in roughly equal amounts. Ten ways to boost it
Raising nitric oxide levels (they actually increase when we raise glutathione) (Humming in certain frequencies has also been found to raise N.O.) Nitric oxide boosters
Raising AKG levels (alpha ketoglurate) (by taking supplements such as AKG, CaAKG and/or AAKG) More info
Restoring your sex hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, and pregnenolone to youthful levels (some people do hormone therapy; we can also reset our hormones with a combination of exercise and supplements. Taking the probiotic L. Reuteri 6475 and supplementing with fish oil both dramatically increase testosterone (and testicle size) in males. More info
Restoring hGH to youthful levels. Trying to increase hGH has gotten a bad rap in the anti-aging community, but was shown in the TRIIM trial to reverse epigenetic age. It can be risky if done with injections, but it’s also possible to raise it naturally with exercise, fasting and supplements, which some evidence suggests is safer. More info
Taking care of your brain by eating a high nutrient diet, eating green leafy vegetables, taking supplements such as creatine, lithium, fish oil, and other supplements, and eating purple berries and other key foods. Learn more.
Activating the sirtuin 6 gene. (I’m taking fucoidan and cyanidin to do so.) The sirtuins are “survival genes”. SIRT6 has been associated with a significant increase in lifespan. Learn more

My experience

I’ve been doing all of the above. The videos below show what I looked like two years ago, and what I look like today.

Not medical advice

This article is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice. I’m not advising that people eat any particular diet or take any particular supplements, just reporting on what I’m doing. All supplements can have side effects; I would encourage people to research both possible benefits and side effects before starting on any supplementation regimen. See full Medical Disclaimer

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