A number of companies are selling products these days which combine several compounds marketed as anti-aging. In theory, these “combo” products could have advantages. But they could also have problems and dangers.

One benefit is that they tend to be significantly cheaper than buying the ingredients individually. If you are buying all of the ingredients anyway, you could often save quite a bit of money by purchasing a product in which they are combined into one supplement. It’s also possible that they could be activating pathways in overlapping, symbiotic ways.

A disadvantage is that we may be paying for ingredients we really wouldn’t be buying if they weren’t included in the combination product. So the savings on some products may be offset by the fact that we’re paying even a small amount for one we don’t want. Another problem is that there might be ingredients we’d be better off avoiding, and there’s no way to remove them or to adjust the doses downward.

Niacin and Niacinamide

As an example, some multi-supplement products marketed for anti-aging include niacinamide (aka nicotinamide), a form of B3 which has been found to raise NAD+ levels. Others include the “flushing” form of niacin, or nicotinic acid. Most studies suggest that NAD+ levels decline as we age (though one recent study disputes this). If we view supporting NAD+ as anti-aging, it makes sense from that perspective to include these ingredients.

The problem is that both have been found to raise blood sugar levels over time if taken regularly. And high doses of niacin, in the nicotinic acid form, have been found to cause possible retinal damage. We have no way of adjusting the dose downward if we should start noticing problems while taking the supplements.

The point isn’t that everyone should avoid these two supplements; some people may have problems with them and others may not. The point is that if they’re part of a multi-ingredient product, there’s no way to remove them. So I’m avoiding products that include them as ingredients.

The Resveratrol Question

Several combination products contain resveratrol, a compound which does appear to have anti-cancer properties, though it has not lived up to the claims that it has significant anti-aging properties. Resveratrol is, as Dr. David Sinclair pointed out, associated with the activation of the SIRT1 protein (sirtuin 1), but it is the SIRT6 gene, not SIRT1, that is most strongly associated with life extension. And if we want to activate SIRT1 for some reason, we’d be far better off taking oleic acid or using olive oil, which is a much stronger SIRT1 activator. So I personally don’t see a good reason to take resveratrol.

Another issue is that at large doses, resveratrol has been found to inhibit stem cell division, increase senescence, and trigger apoptosis in healthy stem cells.

Could this be happening in human beings who are taking resveratrol regularly? No one knows. Doses of 1 g of resveratrol have been found to be safe in terms of stomach upset, but that does not necessarily make them safe or advisable if our goal is optimal stem cell health.

If I had cancer and wanted to activate anti-cancer pathways, I would consider taking it (and I would do so in consultation with a doctor), starting with a small dose and then testing to see whether it was helping or hurting. But since my focus is currently on stem cell health, until more is known — and I am already using olive oil, a much stronger SIRT1 activator — I am avoiding resveratrol supplements completely. So I’m also avoiding multi-ingredient products that contain it.

Supplements May Work Well Together…

It’s possible, as I mentioned above, that there could be symbiotic benefits from taking anti-aging ingredients together. I often take supplements together for this reason. For example, I got up this morning and took nattokinase along with bromelain, an early morning ritual.

I later took N-Acetyl Carnitine along with Alpha Lipoic Acid with my morning coffee, because both have been found to improve neuropathic pain, and they seem to be helping a bit with some tendon pain I have, associated with tendon inflammation and a condition called golfer’s elbow.

A while later, I took some NMN, fucoidan (a SIRT6 activator), omega-3 fatty acids, CoQ10, PQQ, magnesium glycinate, vitamin D3 with K2, garlic, and glucosamine together.

I’ve studied the pathways that each of these is associated with and have been experimenting with taking them in combination and separately. I get blood tests regularly, and I adjust the combinations based on their apparent impact on my biomarkers and my PhenoAge.

…Or Supplements May Interfere With Each Other

Those of us who are taking multiple ingredients together need to be aware of the possibility that some of the pathways activated — assuming the supplements work at all — might be in conflict.

Tom Weldon, the CEO of Ponce de Leon, the company selling Rejuvant, said in an interview a few years ago that when they tested CaAKG independently, it was associated with a significant postponement of morbidity and a slight increase in lifespan in lab animals. But when it was combined with other products, such as berberine, all of these benefits disappeared. For this reason, he recommended discontinuing other supplements or taking them at the other end of the day.

Ponce de Leon’s product was unusual in that it was tested at all in this regard. Most products are never tested to see whether their effects are increased or decreased when given in combination with other ingredients.

When we take products that combine ingredients in a single dose, we don’t have a way of removing an ingredient or lowering its dose and then testing to see the impact on our biomarkers.

What I’m Doing

I often take several different anti-aging supplements together. What I’ve been doing lately is taking a combination (of my own making) for a while… then testing my blood… then adding or deleting an ingredient and testing again. For the moment, I am avoiding combination products. I realize I could save some money by taking them, but I would lose the fine control of relating the dosages to my testing.