The Aging Process
Aging is essentially the accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time, and there isn’t much we can do to stop it. However, there are things we can do that affect the way we age, and in some ways slow down aging and reverse the effects. Keep in mind that our physical and social environments affect our aging, as well as our diet, the amount of movement we have in our lives, and how we manage stress.
People are living longer than they ever have before, in fact by the year 2030, one in six people in the world will be over the age of 60. The quality of life for those in the aging population has also improved dramatically over the past decade. Older people are taking an interest in making their lives better by continuing to be active, maintaining a healthy diet, and being proactive about identifying challenges that may affect their overall wellness.
Let’s face it, looking our best is also a concern. Skin health is a top worry for many aging Americans. Sagging skin, wrinkle development, skin elasticity, and skin hydration all have an effect on the way we perceive ourselves which ultimately can affect our overall well-being.
As you age, your nutritional needs change and the risk of nutritional deficiencies increases. For example, your stomach produces less acid as you age, which can reduce your body’s absorption of micronutrients such as vitamins B6 and B12, iron, and calcium. For this reason, adults over a certain age may need to supplement those nutrients.
Supplementation may offer great benefits to counter the aging process. Dietary supplements offer a way to ensure you’re getting the nutrients your body needs. By continuing to receive the vitamins and minerals you need, in the quantity your body desires for optimal wellness, your chances of conserving your well-being and slowing down the aging process increase.
Supplements for Anti-Aging Benefits
While many factors like genetics, lifestyle, and environment can increase the rate at which you age, a healthier lifestyle may be able to slow it down. Research reveals that several anti-aging supplements can help reverse the process and prevent age-related health problems.
Here are five supplements that may help slow aging:
Collagen
Collagen accounts for 30% of your body’s protein. It provides structure, support, or strength to your skin, muscles, bones, and connective tissue. Your body produces less collagen as you age, and existing collagen breaks down faster with age, as well.
Many lifestyle choices affect the amount of collagen in your body. Smoking, extended exposure to ultraviolet light, and eating too much sugar or refined carbohydrates decrease collagen levels in your body. Some symptoms that exist if your collagen levels are low may include:
- Wrinkled or crepey skin
- Shrinking or weakening muscles
- Joint pain
- Stiff/less flexible ligaments and tendons
Collagen has become a top-selling supplement because it may improve the thickness of your hair, the elasticity of your skin, and the health of your nails — all physical elements that are linked to youthfulness. In addition to these possible benefits, collagen may also help your body on the inside by:
- Increasing the Density of Bones: Because your bones are mostly made of collagen, as you age, your bone mass decreases as your collagen levels decrease. Collagen supplements may help inhibit the breakdown of bone.
- Reducing Osteoarthritis Pain: Researchers suggest that supplemental collagen may accumulate in cartilage and stimulate your tissues to make collagen which may lead to lower inflammation, better joint support, and less pain.
- Improving Heart Health: Collagen provides structure to your arteries which carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body. Without enough collagen, arteries can become rigid and may narrow, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
It is possible to get collagen through your diet. Foods that include high amounts of collagen are beef, pork, poultry, eggs, and fish. However, the highest concentration of collagen is found in the less appetizing parts of these choices (think tendons, organ meats, ligaments, chicken feet, shrimp shells), so a collagen supplement is a more popular choice.
Collagen supplements come in a few different forms and contain a digestible form of collagen called collagen peptides or hydrolyzed collagen. You can take collagen supplements in the form of pills or gummies, powders, or liquids. Collagen is critical for many processes in the body, and supplements can be beneficial for maintaining overall wellness, but may also reverse some of the physical effects of aging.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps protect your cells against the effects of free radicals — molecules that are created when the body breaks down food or is exposed to harmful environmental factors like tobacco smoke or radiation from the sun.
Free radicals may lead to the development of many harmful diseases in the body like cancer or heart disease. Vitamin C is not made by the body, so you need to get it through your diet or supplementation.
Vitamin C promotes collagen production and provides antioxidant protection from ultraviolet light that could otherwise cause skin damage. Vitamin C also has wound healing and anti-inflammatory effects making it helpful in preventing age-related diseases.
Some other anti-aging benefits of vitamin C supplementation include:
- Boosting immunity: Vitamin C supports multiple cellular functions of the body’s immune system. Because it is an antioxidant, it can fight free radicals in the body thereby improving immune system function.
- May help lower blood pressure: High blood pressure can lead to heart disease. Studies have shown that vitamin C may help lower blood pressure in both those with and without high blood pressure.
- May protect your memory: Low levels of vitamin C have been linked to an impaired ability to think and remember, and several studies have shown that people with dementia have lower levels of vitamin C. Vitamin C supplementation may ward off dementia, increase brain function, and improve cognitive health in the aging population.
Vitamin C is present in many fruits and vegetables, and through a balanced diet, you should be able to get the amount you need. However, the availability of some fruits and vegetables with high levels of vitamin C varies depending on the season, where you live, etc. Vitamin C supplements are a great option for those winter months when fresh produce is not as readily available.
Vitamin C usually comes in the form of ascorbic acid in supplements. It can be taken in the form of capsules, gummies, effervescent tablets, powders, or liquids. You want to make sure that the vitamin C supplement you choose to take has high bioavailability so that your body can absorb it well (like the 10X Health vitamin C!).
Curcumin
Curcumin is a yellow antioxidant compound found in the spice turmeric. Studies show that curcumin has potential health benefits that include antioxidant, immunity-boosting, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
Curcumin belongs to a class of more than 8,000 compounds called polyphenols. They are found in plant-based foods and work as antioxidants within the body. As a group, polyphenols may protect against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases.
There has been research done showing the benefits of turmeric and curcumin. Some of these benefits are anti-aging benefits and include:
- Lowering the risk of chronic disease: Antioxidants like curcumin control free radicals which can cause disease. Supplementing with curcumin may increase the levels of these antioxidants and prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease from occurring.
- Pain management: With age comes joint pain, usually in the form of osteoarthritis. In a short-term study that was conducted, curcumin’s anti-inflammatory properties helped with symptoms caused by chronic pain.
- Alleviating symptoms of depression: Scientists believe that health issues like inflammation, hypothyroidism, and damage from free radicals can contribute to poor mental health — all of which curcumin has been shown to relieve.
- Brain health: Curcumin may also help improve your memory and general brain function. Early studies suggest that regularly eating moderate amounts of curcumin can help increase brain chemicals that are linked to better memory formation and growth. Curcumin is also linked to a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
There is no standard or recommended dosage of curcumin you should take each day, so it’s important to speak with your healthcare provider before beginning a new supplement.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral that is critical to the proper functioning of the human body. It helps keep blood pressure normal, heart rhythm steady, and bones strong. It’s commonly known as the “spark of life” and is responsible for over 300 biochemical reactions in the body.
As we age, our digestion becomes less efficient and the absorption of magnesium into the body is often reduced. This, and an overall lessened intake of magnesium in our diets can lead to issues with our well-being.
A magnesium deficiency can be inflammatory and lead to disorders like type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or obesity. A deficiency can also slow down the immune system’s response leading to illnesses being more severe and longer lasting.
The anti-aging benefits of magnesium have been studied, and the findings definitely point to the idea that magnesium may help slow down the aging process within the body. Some ways in which magnesium may support anti-aging include:
- Boosting exercise performance: Magnesium may be particularly beneficial to older adults and those with a deficiency. Magnesium helps move blood sugar into your muscles and dispose of lactate, which can build up during exercise and cause fatigue.
- Promoting heart health: A 2021 study found that magnesium supplements can help lower high blood pressure levels, which may be a risk factor for heart disease.
- Improve bone health: 50-60% of your body’s magnesium is found in your bones, so it is essential to keep your magnesium levels up to promote bone health. As we age, we lose bone mass which can lead to osteoporosis, so taking magnesium supplements is even more important.
- Support better sleep: Good sleep is imperative to wellness. As we age, sleep quality and duration tend to wane. A magnesium supplement may lower the time it takes to fall asleep and may increase the amount of sleep you get.
Magnesium is paramount to our well-being, and our intake of the mineral tends to decrease because of natural changes in the body with age. Taking a magnesium supplement may offer many anti-aging benefits as well as increase your overall wellness.
Omega – Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), found in fish oil and nuts. You must get them from your diet or supplementation because your body does not make them on its own. Omega-3 fatty acids are part of the support structure of every cell in your body — they give you energy, and they keep your heart, lungs, blood vessels, and immune system working the way they should.
Omega 3 fatty acids have many potential benefits when it comes to anti-aging. Cardiovascular health begins to decline with age as arteries become less flexible; omega-3 fatty acids may prevent and reverse the effects of this hardening of the arteries. By helping to lower your triglyceride levels, omega-3 fatty acids help lower your blood pressure leading to a healthier heart.
Beyond the many potential anti-aging benefits for the heart, omega-3 fatty acids may help lower your risk of developing:
- Certain cancers, including breast and colon cancer
- Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- Inflammation
- Depression or anxiety
The best food sources for omega-3 fatty acids include certain types of fish, ground flaxseed, walnuts, and edamame. The American Heart Association recommends people without a history of heart disease eat at least two servings of fish per week. If fish isn’t something you like, or if you are allergic to it, plant-based omega-3 fatty acids are the route to take.
Omega-3 supplements come in many forms, but you’ll want to look for one that has the most bioavailability. Natural fish oil supplements are probably the best choice for people looking to maximize their wellness. Capsules or soft gels are usually the choice for these supplements as they are easy to swallow and mask the smell of the fish oil.
An Age-Defying Lifestyle
Incorporating these five supplements into your routine may help you on your way to looking and feeling your best, but it’s important to remember that dietary supplements cannot do it all. A lifestyle that includes a healthy diet, plenty of active movement, hydration, and the necessary amount of sleep matters most to maintaining a youthful appearance, warding off age-related symptoms, and improving your overall well-being.
If you’re interested in reaching your optimal wellness through supplementation as well as learning about other ways to boost your body’s potential and promote longevity, 10X Health has many solutions to reach your best self. We help you take control of your well-being by providing ways to naturally improve your lifestyle and body. Our products and services cover every advantage in reaching your wellness goals.
Reach out to 10X Health today to discover your body’s potential through our many anti-aging products and services!
