Today’s Snack for Longevity – Blueberry Whey Smoothie
- by Nils Osmar. July 21, 2023
- This post is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice.
- See full Medical Disclaimer
Looking for a healthy pick-me up that may have longevity benefits? Here’s one I like to drink:
- 1/2 cup organic whey powder (whey increases plasma glutathione): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11168457/
- 1/2 cup blueberries (blueberries improve cognitive health and memory in older adults): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2850944/
- 1 egg yolk (raw): a bright orange yolk from a free-range chicken. The yolk is rich in zeathanthin, lutein, vitamin A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, and B12 and healthy phospholipids that are great for eye health and brain health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6893749/
- 5 dark cherries – rich in compounds said to support brain function and improve working memory and learning https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5266225/
- 1/4 teaspoon malic acid (increases nitric oxide and improves mitochondrial health) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8571142/ (See my video about malic acid below)
- 1 teaspoon elderberry syrup (rich in cyanidin, which activates the sirtuin 6 gene): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-22388-5
- 1/8 cup creatine, a potent anti-aging compound. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6518405/
- 3 teaspoons allulose (optional, but has been found to lower plasma glucose. https://drc.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001939
- 1/4 cup unsweetened White Mountain Organic Bulgarian yogurt: the kind I buy is rich, thick, sour and acidic; it’s delicious and rich in probiotics; and comes in a glass container, so should be free of microplastics.
- Optional: I sometimes add a little NMN and resveratrol, to heighten the benefits of the leucine. See the Modern Healthspan video below.
All blended together in:
- 2 cups organic A2 raw milk. There’s some debate about whether milk is good or bad for the heart, with old-guard medical authorities still railing against it; but this study suggests that milk in reasonable quantities is actually highly protective against heart disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8875110/
Is raw milk safe?
- The FDA’s position is that raw milk is inherently dangerous. This strikes me as inaccurate. There’s of course no guarantee that any food is 100% safe. I buy raw milk from a state-regulated farm which does intensive testing. I get nasal allergies when I drink pasteurized milk; no reaction at all when drinking it raw.
- This (industry) article explains the reason that some people choose to drink raw milk, and why the farm it’s purchased from can make a difference. https://www.rawmilkinstitute.org/updates/two-types-of-raw-milk
- I’m not recommending that others drink raw milk, or avoid it – you’ll have to make your own decision – and it’s still illegal in some states in the U.S. (but freely available in others). I’m just explaining why I drink and love it.
- Side note: In many places in Europe it’s sold freely in vending machines. In the U.S., the. FDS allows sales of Coca Cola and other toxic drinks in vending machines, while prohibiting raw milk: https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/2023-2030-raw-milk-vending-machine-market-research-2023-06-14
Do the ingredients really support longevity?
- It’s unclear whether any diet will really make us live longer. We’d need longer than a human lifespan to find out, and another lifetime to repeat the experiments. So I don’t plan on waiting.
- All of the ingredients do have anti-aging properties, such as supporting brain health, gut health and heart health.
About malic acid
mTOR and AMPK
- mTOR is the growth pathway. AMPK is the longevity pathway.
- Some mTOR activation is essential to muscle building and immune health. But if it’s activated constantly, it’s pro-aging. And foods high in leucine, like dairy, do tend to activate it.
- For this reason, I usually fast till around 1 or 2 pm, then have lunch (breakfast). I deliberately focus on activating mTOR around mealtimes.
- I then balance this out activating by AMPK when I’m fasting.
- We’d die if we tried to live with zero activation of mTOR. So my current strategy is to
Was this smoothie palatible?
- The first time I drank it, I used no sweeteners. It was borderline.
- The second time, I added the allulose and elderberry syrup, which made it tastier.
- To my surprise, the smoothie came out thicker than a milkshake, probably because of the malic acid; I had to dilute it to drink it.
Modern Healthspan video: leucine plus NMN increases NAD+
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 supplement(s), just reporting on what I’m doing. Supplements, like medications and other interventions, can have side effects; I would encourage people to research both possible benefits and side effects before starting on any supplementation regimen, and consult with a medical professional about any issues which might have a medical component. See full Medical Disclaimer
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