Traditionally, January is when people make resolutions about reforming their diet and exercise habits to lose weight and get fitter and healthier. Most of the time, these good intentions fall by the wayside in February. That’s traditional too. But while exercise (especially) and diet are still the cornerstones of a long, healthy life, in our new “geroscience” age, a veritable war chest of non-prescription supplements, and a few pharma drugs, may be able to enhance healthspan and possibly lifespan, willpower optional. Enter the “stack,” your collection of supplements taken on the regular.
So, in the spirit of “New Year, Better You,” I’m offering up my stack, about 22 capsules/tablets, divided throughout the day and at bedtime. For some, that will sound like too much of a good thing, but you may get an idea about adding a new supplement or three or switching out ones you’re already taking. For others, it’s not enough – wellness entrepreneur Bryan Johnson takes nearly a hundred pills a day. (Netflix just added a new documentary about Johnson and his longevity quest, Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever.)
Keep in mind, this is my stack which I have personalized to shore up the chinks in my body’s armor. That’s possible thanks to more sophisticated diagnostic tests that can discern what those chinks are, a window into the so-called Hallmarks of Aging (chronic inflammation, cellular senescence, autophagy inhibition, mitochondrial dysfunction, etc.) that drive the aging process in all of us, but somewhat differently in each one of us. Accordingly, no one stack fits all.
A caveat: A few of the most potent and/or promising gero-science compounds are prescription drugs, like hormone supplementation and the GLP-1 meds, which I have written about in previous blogs and is not included in this supplements-only stack.
On to my current stack:
TA-65, 1,000 IU a day
This compound was initially developed by a biotech firm, synthesized from the Chinese healing herb astragalus. It’s been shown to enhance the production of telomerase, in mice and men (and women), the enzyme that protects the ends of our chromosomes, telomeres, responsible for allowing cells to continue to divide. I’ve published my own TA-65 research but the real eye-opener was a study last year that showed that boosting telomerase influences our epigenetics, the on/off switches for our genes. In this way, enhancing our telomeres looks to positively impact the genes that regulate the aging process, in effect slowing it down by pushing back against many of the Hallmarks of Aging. In 2019, I had the telomeres of a 39 year-old but, thanks to multiple cases of COVID, they’ve shortened to those of a 69 year-old! A bonus: TA-65 reduces the number of exhausted, “senescent” T immune cells, of which I have a higher-than-desirable number.
TruNiagen (nicotinamide riboside): 500 mg a day
NAD+ is a crucial co-enzyme in the complex cycle that generates energy from the combustion of oxygen and glucose or fatty acids inside the mitochondria of the cells. I take TruNiagen to raise my rather low NAD+ levels back into the youthful range which may protect my telomeres and upregulate another longevity-enhancing enzymatic system, the sirtuins.
MitoPure by Timeline (Urolithin A): 500 mg a day
Urolithin A is a metabolite, or breakdown product, of ellagic acid which is found in polyphenol-rich fruits like blueberries and pomegranates. The problem is, 30% of people can’t produce it inside the gut because their gut bacteria, the microbiome, isn’t working properly. So I take it as a hedge in case I’m in the unlucky third and missing out on urolithin A’s benefits – it reduces inflammation and enhances muscle function and the production of new mitochondria, with no side effects.
Spermidine: 8 mg a day
Our cells produce this compound and we consume it in the form of, for instance, wheat germ, cheese and soy. The studies suggest more is better. The animal research indicates spermidine improves cognitive function and at a cellular level, enhances autophagy, the healthful removal and recycling of old proteins. (Rapamycin does something similar but at the cost of not insignificant side effects.) Human studies correlate higher spermidine levels with a decrease in deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Lithium orotate: Low dose lithium 10 mg
Most people are familiar with lithium as a drug therapy for bipolar disorder, but that’s at dosages in the hundreds of milligrams. A small but growing body of clinical research suggests that much lower doses may confer a range of brain benefits, including increasing the amount of a brain chemical, BDNF, involved in memory and learning, and protecting the blood-brain barrier. One intriguing data point: low intake of lithium in areas that are naturally poor in the mineral is associated with higher levels of suicide.
ProdromeNeuro: Omega-3 plasmalogen oil 900 mg a day
Plasmalogen oil is actually a precursor of the omega 3 fats that, while perhaps oversold for their heart benefits, are a valuable brain ally. Our brains contain plasmalogens, important for brain health, but the oil in this supplement is extracted from a potato-shaped marine organism, the sea squirt. Supplementing with the sea squirt stuff can buffer the decline in our own brain levels and, the research suggests, may improve cognitive function and protect against Alzheimer’s disease. I have one copy of the gene mutation, APOE4, that puts me at significantly higher risk for both mild cognitive impairment and AD so taking the ProdromeNeuro product strikes me as a smart insurance policy.
Melatonin sustained release: 3 mg at bedtime for sleep
It’s a potent antioxidant that has cancer prevention properties.
Magnesium glycinate: 250 mg at bedtime
This supplement is a twofer. The magnesium is a sleep and regularity enhancer as well as helping to maintain healthy serum and red blood cell magnesium levels. The glycine has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps replenish our body’s levels of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant.
N-Acetylcysteine 500 mg a day.
NAC is the absorbable form of the amino acid cysteine, found in high-protein foods. Cysteine, along with glycine and glutamate, is a building block for glutathione, one of the body’s most important antioxidants, involved in tissue building and repair. I take NAC to maintain my glutathione level in the healthy upper end of the range.
N1O1 nitric oxide boosting supplement, 1 daily lozenge
This supplement, a combo of vitamin and mineral ingredients, does indeed boost the body’s production of nitric oxide, enhancing endothelial function – the suppleness of the blood vessels – which, in turn, improves cardiovascular and sexual function.
In addition, I take daily a customized multivitamin/mineral/supplement formula of seven capsules which contains:
Vitamin A 750 mcg
Vitamin D3 3000 IU (75 mcg)
Vitamin C 500 mg
Vitamin E 200 mg as tocopherol
Vitamin K2 as menaquinone-7 100 mcg
High dose B-complex with 1000 mcg methylfolate and 250 mcg methyl B12 for methylation and to keep homocysteine in optimal range.
Astaxanthin 10 mg a potent carotenoid that reduces inflammation
Alpha lipoic acid 100 mg liver protectant and Vit E/C recycling
CoQ10 100 mg promotes mitochondrial efficiency
Lycopene 5 mg for a healthy prostate
Selenium 50 mcg
Molybdenum 45 mcg
Manganese 2 mg
Zinc 20 mg often low and involved in over 300 reactions in the body
Magnesium glycinate 150 mg (so total 400 mg a day with bedtime dose)
Milk thistle 200 mg for liver protection
Green tea extract 250 mg potent anti-cancer/antioxidant effects
L-Carnosine 120 mg to prevent advanced glycation end products production.
Alpha GPC 300 mg as a source of choline to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine
My holiday season wish: May you look and feel younger in 2025 than you did in 2024.
Shim HS, Iaconelli J, Shang X, et al. TERT activation targets DNA methylation and multiple aging hallmarks. Cell. Published online June 13, 2024:S0092-8674(24)00592-0. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2024.05.048
Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever
Daniel J. Drucker. The benefits of GLP-1 drugs beyond obesity. Science. 18 Jul 2024:Vol 385, Issue 6706. doi:10.1126/science.adn4128
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