Daily supplements for the aging
While you should consult with a physician before undertaking radical changes to your diet or vitamin and supplement intake, we’ve listed here a few supplements that have become staples on our breakfast table.
This particular list is slanted more to the over-40 and -50 crowd. We’re assuming you probably already take vitamin C, for example, and perhaps a multivitamin or multivitamin/mineral supplement. If not, you might consider doing so, regardless of your age group. (If you’re a vegetarian and eat several servings of fresh fruit per day, you may be able to dispense with the vitamin C.)
Incidentally, we’re not recommending megadoses of anything for normal maintenance. (If you’re trying to cure cancer, you’re going to need megadose antioxidants, for example, but that’s where you part ways with the “normal maintenance” crowd.) Between 500 and 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C should be more than enough for most people, and most sources recommend that normal daily intake not exceed 2 grams (2,000 milligrams).
1) Number one on our list–at least, for those who are over 50–is DHEA. Taken only in small doses (<50 mg/day, around 25 mg/day optimum) this hormone may be far less dangerous than the medical/pharmaceutical community might have us believe, though we can only recommend it in low doses. Some observers link high doses to heart arrhythmia.
DON’T TAKE IT if you’re under 18; we suspect you should at least be cautious if you’re under 35. Since DHEA has been controversial within the medical community, chances are your doctor has heard of it. So discuss with her whether or not you should be taking it and the appropriate dose. Women with estrogen-receptor-linked breast cancer and men with prostate cancer or benign prostate disease are specifically warned against DHEA, since it might aggravate either condition. (Recent research indicates these affects may be due mostly to dihydrotestosterone production, however, which can largely be controlled by supplementation with Saw Palmetto extract.)
Interestingly, the body doesn’t begin producing much DHEA until puberty, and the quantity produced begins to decline around our late twenties. From the 30 mg or so per day produced at age 20, the body’s production steadily declines to the point where we produce around 6 mg at age 80. The reason for this decline is unknown, but it seems safe to say that DHEA’s quantity parallels the body’s sexual activity.
So why bother taking it if it’s still controversial? Well, for one thing, if you’re on statins–and nearly everyone seems to be these days–your production of cholesterol has likely been lowered. The body uses cholesterol to manufacture DHEA. So your own output of DHEA and the sex hormones may be artificially lower to begin with.
Among the benefits attributed to DHEA: reduced levels of fear and anxiety, due most likely to DHEA’s anti-glucocorticoid activity. More generally, according to Gary Null, PhD, author of Power Aging
So get the all’s-clear from your doctor on prostate health if you’re a man or on breast and cervical cancer if you’re a woman. Then you can start reaping the benefits of a hormone replacement therapy that may actually help prevent these diseases.
‘Nuff said.
2) 5-HTP. Again, this supplement is not for everyone, but the older you are, the more likely you are to need its help as a sleep enabler and mood stabilizer. This serotonin precursor has become essential on our personal list. Check with your doctor if you’re on antidepressants. By increasing your body’s supply of serotonin, this supplement can enhance the effects of SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Lexapro, Prozac, and others.
The good news: We’ve seen 5-HTP successfully substitute for these prescription antidepressants with fewer side effects.
Although most of us are more concerned about shortages, you can overdose on serotonin. Serotonin Syndrome was discovered in the wake of a teenager’s death from it in 1973. It is a rare but serious complication of drug interactions in which the patient can deteriorate rapidly if the physician does not recognize the symptoms. Usually, serotonin syndrome will be caused by mixing monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) with other drugs—especially SSRIs—that can increase serotonin availability.
Typical dosage, 50-100 milligrams one to three times per day. We suggest you start out taking a minimal dose (50 mg) at breakfast for a week or two, then increase the dosage slowly from there if you find yourself needing more. Increase the dosage by taking more doses per day. That is, take a second 50 milligrams at lunch, then eventually a third at dinner. Then you can start increasing the individual doses in 50-mg increments. Give each increase in dosage at least a week or two to take effect; stop increasing the dosage when your mood seems to have stabilized.
This is easily the best non-prescription supplement we’ve found for banishing the blues. Come to think of it, it beats the prescription antidepressants as well, in our experience.
Michael Murray, N.D., author of the book 5-HTP: The Natural Way to Overcome Depression, Obesity, and Insomnia
3) Co-enzyme Q10 or CoQ10 for short. CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant. It can boost your body’s production and supply of glutathione, a powerful endogenous antioxidant that keeps cancer and even the aging process at bay. Glutathione is largely responsible for mopping up free radicals in the body that can be caused by anything from a night’s excessive drinking to irradiation or chemotherapy. It has been shown to prevent cataracts in rats and is clearly at work in combating oxidative stress.
4) Alpha-lipoic acid. another antioxidant, is so powerful it keeps CoQ10 in working order. Studies have shown it to help in fighting atherosclerosis (it prevents LDL–the bad cholesterol–from oxidizing and forming arterial plaque) and the free radicals that can cause cancer, lung disease, chronic inflammation, and neurological disorders. Also known as lipoic acid, this supplement is quickly reaching superstar status among the research community. In particular, it makes the body’s supplies of vitamins C and E, glutathione, and coQ10 last longer or go farther by restoring them to their non-oxidized state. (Its action on vitamin E is indirect, but it can directly restore the other antioxidants.)
