Scientists at McMaster University have discovered a mix of ingredients found in the grocery store that they say might help keep us young. A cocktail of ingredients made from common dietary supplements available from a local supermarket were found to stop signs of aging in mice, and could lead to the development of anti-aging supplements.
The cocktail developed by the researches had powerful results that helped with common symptoms of aging including mobility, declines in cognitive function, and mortality.
The dietary cocktail that could prevent signs of aging included vitamins B1, C, D, E, acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), beta carotene, folic acid, garlic, ginger root, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, green tea extract, magnesium, melatonin, potassium, cod liver oil, and flax seed oil. The combination of ingredients that might be useful in humans was chosen because of their individual effect on five mechanisms involved in the aging process.
The researchers point out that free radical damage correlates with heart disease, stroke, Type II diabetes, many cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and inflammatory and autoimmune conditions that also are linked to aging.
David Rollo, associate professor of biology at McMaster says, "For aging humans maintaining zestful living into later years may provide greater social and economic benefits than simply extending years of likely decrepitude. This study obtained a truly remarkable extension of physical function in old mice, far greater than the respectable extension of longevity that we previous documented. This holds great promise for extending the quality of life of "health span" of humans."
Research about the anti aging cocktail that could be applied to humans is ongoing. The researchers hope their findings will lead to better supplements for health and longevity. Mice given the mix of ingredients that was soaked into a piece of a bagel for consistency maintained youthful mobility well into old age compared to mice not given the dietary cocktail.
The researchers concluded that mixing the right supplement blend could get rid of common maladies associated with aging, saying the …”results provide proof of principle that complex dietary cocktails can powerfully ameliorate biomarkers of aging and modulate mechanisms considered ultimate goals for aging interventions.”
Exp. Biol. Med. 2010; 235:66-76
doi:10.1258/ebm.2009.009219
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