Bombshell: Explosive Medical Secrets That Will Redefine Aging (54 page)

In 2003, remarkable news arrived from the scientific community that a compound found in red grapes and other plants called
resveratrol
extended the life span of certain cells by as much as 70 percent. Even more exciting were findings in 2006 from a team of Harvard researchers showing that resveratrol “switches on” many of the same genes as caloric restriction!

Today this remarkable compound has attained celebrity status, with nationally known doctors endorsing its use. Medical researchers have found it combats not only aging but also the
diseases of aging
.

Further research into the area of
youthful gene expression
has brought to light a new class of compounds like resveratrol that enables aging cells to reverse course and function as though they were young again. These compounds work in
synergy
with resveratrol, mutually complementing and reinforcing its rejuvenating biological effects.

The following box describes four nutrients that help promote more youthful gene expression. Many of them can be found in multi-ingredient formulations, so you only need to take a few pills each day to obtain these potencies.

A
GING
F
ACTOR
16:
L
OSS OF
I
NSULIN
S
ENSITIVITY

In youth, we efficiently utilize ingested carbohydrates to produce cellular energy with a minimal amount converted to body fat storage. Aging reduces cellular sensitivity to insulin, which results in most people suffering chronically high blood glucose and insulin. This not only contributes to common age-related disorders but also unfavorably influences gene expression patterns.

Even if a blood test shows fasting glucose levels are normal, too many of us suffer from constant exposure to excess glucose throughout our normal days. In the presence of excess glucose, healthy tissue comes under an incredibly destructive free-radical assault. The ensuing cellular destruction has been linked to everything from blood vessel damage and stroke to cancer.

The bottom line is that most of us are playing with fire when it comes to excess blood sugar. Without knowing it, we place ourselves under a lifelong assault from excess glucose that wreaks havoc on our bodies long before we or our doctors recognize it. This is why some experts call glucose
the silent killer
. Even modest spikes in blood sugar (fasting glucose above 85 mg/dL) have been linked to increased risk of heart attack.

S
OLUTION
:
R
ESTORE
Y
OUTHFUL
G
LUCOSE
C
ONTROL

The good news is that forward-thinking researchers have identified a number of safe, completely natural substances that work in different ways to keep our after-meal blood sugar levels in check.

The most recently discovered of these is
green coffee bean extract
. I’m going to go into a bit of detail here because it really is exciting.

It works by blocking the destructive elevation in blood sugar that occurs after meals. Researchers have identified the active compound in raw coffee beans that combats excess blood sugar as
chlorogenic acid
. It brings blood sugar under control by both reducing the release of stored glucose into our bloodstreams
and
stopping the creation of excess glucose within our bodies.

In a recent clinical trial, just 350 mg three times a day of green coffee bean extract produced a remarkable 35 percent reduction in after-meal glucose spike. After twelve weeks, study participants shed
on average almost eleven pounds, with fat loss accounting for 92 percent of the weight.

A
GING
F
ACTOR
17:
L
OSS OF
B
ONE
D
ENSITY

Aging gradually weakens bones through decalcification and trace mineral loss. A compromised skeletal system negatively affects immune strength, blood cell production, nervous system function, insulin sensitivity, energy metabolism, and weight management.

S
OLUTION
:
B
ROAD
-S
PECTRUM
B
ONE
S
UPPORT

Ninety-nine percent of the calcium in our bodies resides in our teeth and bones. It stands to reason that if our bones and teeth store so much calcium, we would need to obtain additional calcium to preserve their strength. The real controversy is why mainstream doctors remain unenlightened about the need of maturing people to take the
right
kind of calcium supplement—and the proper nutrients to support it.

Ideal forms of calcium to look for on labels are
dicalcium malate, calcium bis-glycinate
, or
calcium citrate
. They’re easily tolerated by the
body, highly absorbable, and supportive of bone mineral density—the key measure of a calcium supplement’s value.

A daily dose of at least 1,000 mg is recommended for female adults. Women can take up to 1,200 mg. You won’t get any additional benefit from high doses. (Men only need around 800 mg a day of supplemental calcium.)

Your body can’t readily absorb calcium without
vitamin D
₃
. This vitamin also ensures calcium deposits properly in bone tissue. There are receptors for vitamin D
₃
in more than thirty different tissue types throughout the body. D
₃
binds with them to promote immune function, reduce inflammation, reduce hardening of the arteries, enhance heart function, improve brain and nerve tissue performance, and even prevent cancer.

It’s a good idea to have your vitamin D blood levels checked to make sure you’re getting enough
. The current evidence suggests that your readings for
25-hydroxyvitamin-D
should be between 50 and 80 ng/mL in blood for optimal health. Experts suggest taking at least 2,000 IU per day, with most people requiring 5,000 IU per day, to achieve blood levels in a healthy range.

A
GING
F
ACTOR
18:
O
XIDATIVE
S
TRESS

Free radicals are fiery unstable molecules that have been implicated in most diseases associated with aging.

At the molecular level, the continuous chemical reactions keeping your heart beating, your blood moving, and your brain working look like controlled infernos. The constant exchange of electrons wheeling inside the tiny energy-producing powerhouses in your cells called the
mitochondria
throws off enormous quantities of energy.

The problem is that as we get older, the cellular structures that once kept these fires under control begin to degrade, including the mitochondria themselves. Aging causes our cells to lose control over these reactions and renders them more vulnerable to destruction.

S
OLUTION:
Q
UENCH THE
R
AGING
F
IRES
W
ITHIN

Antioxidants have become popular supplements to protect against free-radical-induced cell damage, but few people take the proper combination of antioxidant supplements to adequately compensate for age-induced loss of endogenous antioxidants such as SOD, glutathione, and catalase.

Children can benefit by taking vitamin supplements, but it is the
aging human
whose body is depleted of the endogenous antioxidants, hormones, enzymatic repair systems, and other biological chemicals needed to sustain life. What is optional in childhood becomes
mandatory
as humans enter middle age and become vulnerable to a host of degenerative diseases that await them if they fail to protect themselves.

The encouraging news is that supplements like fish oil, vitamin D, lipoic acid, curcumin, coQ
₁₀
, resveratrol, DHEA, vitamin K, and SAMe function to circumvent multiple aging factors that conspire to rob us of our youthful health. This means that you don’t have to take gobs of pills to counteract the multiple mechanisms of aging described in this chapter.

To find out about low-cost sources where you can obtain these nutrients in concentrated multi-ingredient formulas, log on to
www.suzannesomers.com
and click through to Life Extension or call 1-888-884-3666 any time of the day or night.

Thank you for reading this book. I hope at this point you have been encouraged to take your health into your own hands, and form a
plan
enabling you to live longer and healthier.