According to a recent research published in the online version of Cell Stem Cell, vitamin C has shown promise in slowing down the ageing process by facilitating output of embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells.
By turning on a select set of genes, adult cells can be reprogrammed into cells with features similar to embryonic stem cells. Researchers found that adding vitamin C to reprogrammed cells (called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)) enhanced iPSC generation from both mouse and human cells. Vitamin C accelerated gene expression changes and promoted a more efficient transition to the fully reprogrammed state.
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that is abundant in citrus fruits. Vitamin C’s powerful antioxidant properties may be the reason why it assists in cell reprogramming; in fact its potent influence on cell reprogramming may be considered a step towards the reversal of the aging process, at the cellular level.
While the above findings may sound jargonic, the fact is antioxidant properties found in fruits and green vegetables are known to benefit our bodies, and thereby also our external appearances.
According to dermatologists, exposure to sunlight and pollutants in the atmosphere accounts for much of the damage to your skin. Eating foods rich in antioxidants, such as vitamins A, C, and E, helps to prevent this damage. Foods rich in antioxidants also help to slow ageing at the cellular level.
Vitamin C also has other health benefits such as protection against blood disorders such as anemia; research has also shown that inclusion of sufficient amount of vitamin C in your diet can reduce the risk of heart disease.
Recommended sources of Vitamin C are: Citrus fruits, green peppers, sprouts, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, strawberries, and raw cabbage.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Beauty Beverly Hills Introduces SUPRA Night Cream
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Sept 01, 2009 A Night-time, Anti-aging, Before Bed Applied Cream To Turn Back The Clock
Regal International, Inc., doing business as Beauty Beverly Hills (www.BeautyBeverlyHills.com) exclusive worldwide distributor of the EMK Placental anti-aging skin care product line, announces the launch of the SUPRA Night Cream(TM), a night-time skin care recovery cream designed to combat aging skin while one sleeps. It is principally based on two new revolutionary ingredients that are on the scientific cutting edge of high performance skincare: Biotechnological Herbal Placental Extract and Carnosine.
SUPRA night cream's( )first new ingredient is Herbal Placental Extract: a bio-identical plant based extract that has the same ability to rejuvenate the skin as human placenta. By stimulating cellular turnover and reviving the skin's natural metabolic processes, it helps to counteract the negative effects of maturing skin. Further, it promotes circulation and oxygenation, activating the flow of moisture while assisting in new collagen to the skin.
The second ingredient is Carnosine, a powerful ingredient included in the SUPRA night cream. This newly added ingredient is a key amino acid that acts as a powerful anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-glycation agent. It has the unique ability to reduce damage to maturing skin collagen.
"We have incorporated a breakthrough in skin care technology using over 30 proprietary ingredients, all organic that work synergistically to regenerate and invigorate the skin," says Benik Hovsepian, President of Beauty Beverly Hills. "This results in stimulating cellular turnover and reviving up the skin's natural metabolic processes, all necessary components for skin rejuvenation. Essentially, night-time application results in wrinkles and fine lines gradually diminishing while one sleeps."
The SUPRA night cream is designed for all skin types, including very sensitive skin.
It is the newest addition to the Beauty Beverly Hills EMK product line, an all green and environmentally-friendly product line that does not engage in animal testing.
"The new SUPRA night cream is part of an overall growth strategy with a commitment to developing cutting edge anti-aging skin care products that are also environmentally sustainable without animal testing," says Jason Bordbar, MBA, and Consultant for Beauty Beverly Hills. "The entire supply chain process, from development and production to packaging and distribution, all incorporate greener measures designed to reduce carbon footprints and minimize the impact that products produce on the environment."
The new organic SUPRA night cream is now available for immediate purchase online exclusively by www.BeautyBeverlyHills.com and at participating dealers.
Once only Available to Celebrities-- EMK is now available to you
.
About Beauty Beverly Hills
Regal International Inc., DBA Beauty Beverly Hills has provided marketing, sales and consulting services for the past two decades. It provides worldwide distributorship for the development and management of internet affiliates, marketing and sales for the EMK product line. Beauty Beverly Hills employs a powerful team of business professionals with an extensive track record in IT consulting, marketing and public relations.
For more information on the product visit http://www.BeautyBeverlyHills.com.
This release was issued on behalf of the above organization by Send2Press(R), a unit of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com
Fountain Of Youth Discovered
-- Just ask Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon and Celebrates
.
Regal International, Inc., doing business as Beauty Beverly Hills (www.BeautyBeverlyHills.com) exclusive worldwide distributor of the EMK Placental anti-aging skin care product line, announces the launch of the SUPRA Night Cream(TM), a night-time skin care recovery cream designed to combat aging skin while one sleeps. It is principally based on two new revolutionary ingredients that are on the scientific cutting edge of high performance skincare: Biotechnological Herbal Placental Extract and Carnosine.
SUPRA night cream's( )first new ingredient is Herbal Placental Extract: a bio-identical plant based extract that has the same ability to rejuvenate the skin as human placenta. By stimulating cellular turnover and reviving the skin's natural metabolic processes, it helps to counteract the negative effects of maturing skin. Further, it promotes circulation and oxygenation, activating the flow of moisture while assisting in new collagen to the skin.
The second ingredient is Carnosine, a powerful ingredient included in the SUPRA night cream. This newly added ingredient is a key amino acid that acts as a powerful anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-glycation agent. It has the unique ability to reduce damage to maturing skin collagen.
"We have incorporated a breakthrough in skin care technology using over 30 proprietary ingredients, all organic that work synergistically to regenerate and invigorate the skin," says Benik Hovsepian, President of Beauty Beverly Hills. "This results in stimulating cellular turnover and reviving up the skin's natural metabolic processes, all necessary components for skin rejuvenation. Essentially, night-time application results in wrinkles and fine lines gradually diminishing while one sleeps."
The SUPRA night cream is designed for all skin types, including very sensitive skin.
It is the newest addition to the Beauty Beverly Hills EMK product line, an all green and environmentally-friendly product line that does not engage in animal testing.
"The new SUPRA night cream is part of an overall growth strategy with a commitment to developing cutting edge anti-aging skin care products that are also environmentally sustainable without animal testing," says Jason Bordbar, MBA, and Consultant for Beauty Beverly Hills. "The entire supply chain process, from development and production to packaging and distribution, all incorporate greener measures designed to reduce carbon footprints and minimize the impact that products produce on the environment."
The new organic SUPRA night cream is now available for immediate purchase online exclusively by www.BeautyBeverlyHills.com and at participating dealers.
Once only Available to Celebrities-- EMK is now available to you
About Beauty Beverly Hills
Regal International Inc., DBA Beauty Beverly Hills has provided marketing, sales and consulting services for the past two decades. It provides worldwide distributorship for the development and management of internet affiliates, marketing and sales for the EMK product line. Beauty Beverly Hills employs a powerful team of business professionals with an extensive track record in IT consulting, marketing and public relations.
For more information on the product visit http://www.BeautyBeverlyHills.com.
This release was issued on behalf of the above organization by Send2Press(R), a unit of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com
Fountain Of Youth Discovered
-- Just ask Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon and Celebrates
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Obama White House Can Save $3.7 Trillion and Extend Lifespan 29+ Years, Predicts Revolutionary A4M Healthcare Plan
CHICAGO, July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M; www.worldhealth.net), the world's largest scientific/medical society dedicated to advancing research and clinical pursuits that enhance the quality, and extend the quantity, of the human lifespan, unveils an innovative, technology-based fix to healthcare with the potential to:
* Increase the lifespan, or improve the healthspan, of all Americans by 29+ years;
* Slash healthcare costs, saving $3.7 Trillion; and
* Replace the disease-based approach to medicine with a wellness-oriented model
A comprehensive program to reform and advance healthcare in the United States, The A4M Twelve-Point Actionable Healthcare Plan: A Blueprint for A Low Cost, High Yield Wellness Model of Healthcare by 2012 has garnered support from 35 professional medical organizations and educational institutions and was developed with invaluable input from the 24,000 physician, health practitioner, and scientist members of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M; www.worldhealth.net) who represent 110 nations worldwide.
Today, Capitol Hill debates a $1.65 trillion, 10-year plan to overhaul the nation's failing healthcare system. The majority of the plan focuses on how to pay for health insurance, rather than formulating a comprehensive plan of action of reform itself. The Twelve-Point Plan submits that the underlying philosophy of healthcare in this nation must be reformed in revolutionary new ways. As reported by the Congressional Budget Office, up to one-third of this nation's healthcare spending -- more than $700 billion -- does not improve Americans' health outcomes.
Anti-aging medicine is biotechnology joined with advanced clinical preventive medicine. Adoption of the anti-aging medical model delivers the best of advanced preventive medicine to all Americans, not just our older population. The Twelve-Point Plan offers new answers by urging the adoption of a technology-based, wellness-oriented healthcare model for America.
The A4M Twelve-Point Actionable Healthcare Plan provides practicable "here and now" solutions to reform and advance healthcare in the US, while addressing the challenges of global aging. Indeed, the implementation of The A4M Twelve-Point Actionable Healthcare Plan: A Blueprint for A Low Cost, High Yield Wellness Model of Healthcare by 2012 may save our society a projected $3.64 Trillion in healthcare costs, and extend the healthy lifespan of each of our nation's residents by up to 29 productive, vital years.
Complete references, supporting data, and projections may be viewed at: http://www.waaam.org/twelve_points_summary.php.
CONTACT: Catherine Cebula
PHONE: (877) 572-0608
WEBSITE: www.worldhealth.net
SOURCE The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M)
* Increase the lifespan, or improve the healthspan, of all Americans by 29+ years;
* Slash healthcare costs, saving $3.7 Trillion; and
* Replace the disease-based approach to medicine with a wellness-oriented model
A comprehensive program to reform and advance healthcare in the United States, The A4M Twelve-Point Actionable Healthcare Plan: A Blueprint for A Low Cost, High Yield Wellness Model of Healthcare by 2012 has garnered support from 35 professional medical organizations and educational institutions and was developed with invaluable input from the 24,000 physician, health practitioner, and scientist members of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M; www.worldhealth.net) who represent 110 nations worldwide.
Today, Capitol Hill debates a $1.65 trillion, 10-year plan to overhaul the nation's failing healthcare system. The majority of the plan focuses on how to pay for health insurance, rather than formulating a comprehensive plan of action of reform itself. The Twelve-Point Plan submits that the underlying philosophy of healthcare in this nation must be reformed in revolutionary new ways. As reported by the Congressional Budget Office, up to one-third of this nation's healthcare spending -- more than $700 billion -- does not improve Americans' health outcomes.
Anti-aging medicine is biotechnology joined with advanced clinical preventive medicine. Adoption of the anti-aging medical model delivers the best of advanced preventive medicine to all Americans, not just our older population. The Twelve-Point Plan offers new answers by urging the adoption of a technology-based, wellness-oriented healthcare model for America.
The A4M Twelve-Point Actionable Healthcare Plan provides practicable "here and now" solutions to reform and advance healthcare in the US, while addressing the challenges of global aging. Indeed, the implementation of The A4M Twelve-Point Actionable Healthcare Plan: A Blueprint for A Low Cost, High Yield Wellness Model of Healthcare by 2012 may save our society a projected $3.64 Trillion in healthcare costs, and extend the healthy lifespan of each of our nation's residents by up to 29 productive, vital years.
Complete references, supporting data, and projections may be viewed at: http://www.waaam.org/twelve_points_summary.php.
CONTACT: Catherine Cebula
PHONE: (877) 572-0608
WEBSITE: www.worldhealth.net
SOURCE The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M)
Fish Oil: A Miracle "Cure" for Menopause?
Lots of women won’t take hormone replacement because of the risk of blood clots and cancer. So it’s great to have a natural alternative that relieves many symptoms associated with menopause — fish oil.
A recent study showed that fish oil cut the number of hot flashes in half in women ages 40 - 55. The women took a fish oil supplement rich in the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, for about eight weeks. (Lucas M, Asselin G, et al. Menopause, 2009 Mar-April;16(2):357-66.)
The same researchers also found that that fish oil improved symptoms of moderate to severe psychological distress. That’s not surprising, since fish oil has been found to help relieve depression, feelings of aggression, bipolar disorder and some memory problems. Just relieving hot flashes often helps women sleep better at night, which in turn, can help improve mood. (Lucas M, Asselin G, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Feb;89(2):641-51.)
If you’re a woman age 50 or older, you should also know that fish can improve cholesterol levels and reduce the risk for heart disease, stroke and blood clots, lower your chances of developing breast or endometrial cancer, help keep bones stronger, relieve dry eyes, even help you maintain a healthy weight. If fish oil were a patented drug marketed by a giant pharmaceutical company, I’m sure it would be called a miracle “cure” for menopause!
The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: Even if you eat plenty of fish, it’s hard to get enough omega-3s to have optimal health benefits. Fish oil is one of the easiest and best all around anti-aging nutrients you can take. Make sure you get a fresh, pure, molecularly distilled brand of fish oil rich in EPA and DHA.
A recent study showed that fish oil cut the number of hot flashes in half in women ages 40 - 55. The women took a fish oil supplement rich in the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, for about eight weeks. (Lucas M, Asselin G, et al. Menopause, 2009 Mar-April;16(2):357-66.)
The same researchers also found that that fish oil improved symptoms of moderate to severe psychological distress. That’s not surprising, since fish oil has been found to help relieve depression, feelings of aggression, bipolar disorder and some memory problems. Just relieving hot flashes often helps women sleep better at night, which in turn, can help improve mood. (Lucas M, Asselin G, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Feb;89(2):641-51.)
If you’re a woman age 50 or older, you should also know that fish can improve cholesterol levels and reduce the risk for heart disease, stroke and blood clots, lower your chances of developing breast or endometrial cancer, help keep bones stronger, relieve dry eyes, even help you maintain a healthy weight. If fish oil were a patented drug marketed by a giant pharmaceutical company, I’m sure it would be called a miracle “cure” for menopause!
The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: Even if you eat plenty of fish, it’s hard to get enough omega-3s to have optimal health benefits. Fish oil is one of the easiest and best all around anti-aging nutrients you can take. Make sure you get a fresh, pure, molecularly distilled brand of fish oil rich in EPA and DHA.
Yo Betta Eat ‘Dem Sweet Potatoes, Boy!
It seems the color purple in a new breed of sweet potato is a likely culprit in reducing cancer risk. Researchers at Kansas State University are studying the purple sweet potato for its remarkable anti-cancer components.
Purple sweet potatoes have high contents of anthocyanin (the pigment responsible for the purple colors in foods like blueberries, red grapes and red cabbage) which have been established for its reduced cancer risk.
The study determined that the purple sweet potato had significantly higher anthocyanin contents compared to the other potatoes. Dr. George Wang, associate professor of human nutrition at K- State and lead study researcher suggests that the purple sweet potato “should be generally recognized as safe and won’t need to be evaluated by FDA for an approval.”
This new breed of powerful sweet potato was developed by K-State’s Ted Carey, professor of horticulture, at John C. Pair Horticultural Center in Haysville. “If we claim it for a health benefit such as cancer prevention in the future, we still need scientific data to convince FDA for a health claim approval” said Wang.
The benefits of the purple pigment do not end there. Further research suggests that the purple sweet potato has significant aging-reducing properties. According to K-State’s Soyoung Lim, doctoral student in human nutrition who is also working on the study “compounds [in the purple sweet potato] have been found to have anti-aging and antioxidant components. The specially bred purple sweet potato had a much higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity than the other regularly occurring purple sweet potatoes.
Lim presented the research at the Experimental Biology Meeting in New Orleans in April. She is doing a follow-up study this summer that will involve treating animal cancer cells with the pigments. Further research will determine how many and how often one should eat the purple sweet potato for its antic-cancer properties to be effective. Currently, this breed of sweet potato is available at Asian grocery stores, however, Wang advises that the unique variety developed by K-State contains “much higher contents of anthocyanins.”
If purple is not your color, or impatience serves you well, conventional sweet potatoes contain unique root storage proteins that have been observed to have significant antioxidant capacities. Studies suggest that these proteins had about one-third the antioxidant activity of glutathione-one of the body’s most impressive internally produced antioxidants.
Additional research at K-State also suggest that if you are frequently exposed to second hand smoke, sweet potatoes may save your life. While studying the relationship between vitamin A, lung inflammation, and emphysema, Richard Baybutt, associate professor of nutrition at Kansas State, made a surprising discovery: a common carcinogen in cigarette smoke, benzo(a)pyrene, induces vitamin A deficiency. Baybutt’s earlier research had shown that laboratory animals fed a vitamin A-deficient diet developed emphysema. He suggests that a diet rich in vitamin A can reduce the effects of emphysema.
Baybutt believes vitamin A’s protective effects may help explain why some smokers do not develop emphysema. “There are a lot of people who live to be 90 years old and are smokers,” he said. “Why? Probably because of their diet…The implications are that those who start smoking at an early age are more likely to become vitamin A deficient and develop complications associated with cancer and emphysema” he said.
Sweet potatoes by their nature are an excellent source of Vitamins C and A (also known as the anti-aging vitamin). According to Jennifer Haas a dietician with the Nova Medical Group in Virginia, “Both beta-carotene and vitamin C are very powerful antioxidants that work in the body to eliminate free radicals.” Free radicals damage cells and can cause heart disease, diabetes and colon cancer.
FYI: Sweet potatoes last for about two weeks when stored in a cool, dark, well-ventilated area. Storing sweet potatoes in the refrigerator will alter their flavor. When cooked (as they should always be eaten), they last up to one week in the refrigerator. Steam them for eight minutes, with the skin on (wash, of course). I buy mine at Whole Foods and find them to be considerably sweeter with more orange pigment.
Purple sweet potatoes have high contents of anthocyanin (the pigment responsible for the purple colors in foods like blueberries, red grapes and red cabbage) which have been established for its reduced cancer risk.
The study determined that the purple sweet potato had significantly higher anthocyanin contents compared to the other potatoes. Dr. George Wang, associate professor of human nutrition at K- State and lead study researcher suggests that the purple sweet potato “should be generally recognized as safe and won’t need to be evaluated by FDA for an approval.”
This new breed of powerful sweet potato was developed by K-State’s Ted Carey, professor of horticulture, at John C. Pair Horticultural Center in Haysville. “If we claim it for a health benefit such as cancer prevention in the future, we still need scientific data to convince FDA for a health claim approval” said Wang.
The benefits of the purple pigment do not end there. Further research suggests that the purple sweet potato has significant aging-reducing properties. According to K-State’s Soyoung Lim, doctoral student in human nutrition who is also working on the study “compounds [in the purple sweet potato] have been found to have anti-aging and antioxidant components. The specially bred purple sweet potato had a much higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity than the other regularly occurring purple sweet potatoes.
Lim presented the research at the Experimental Biology Meeting in New Orleans in April. She is doing a follow-up study this summer that will involve treating animal cancer cells with the pigments. Further research will determine how many and how often one should eat the purple sweet potato for its antic-cancer properties to be effective. Currently, this breed of sweet potato is available at Asian grocery stores, however, Wang advises that the unique variety developed by K-State contains “much higher contents of anthocyanins.”
If purple is not your color, or impatience serves you well, conventional sweet potatoes contain unique root storage proteins that have been observed to have significant antioxidant capacities. Studies suggest that these proteins had about one-third the antioxidant activity of glutathione-one of the body’s most impressive internally produced antioxidants.
Additional research at K-State also suggest that if you are frequently exposed to second hand smoke, sweet potatoes may save your life. While studying the relationship between vitamin A, lung inflammation, and emphysema, Richard Baybutt, associate professor of nutrition at Kansas State, made a surprising discovery: a common carcinogen in cigarette smoke, benzo(a)pyrene, induces vitamin A deficiency. Baybutt’s earlier research had shown that laboratory animals fed a vitamin A-deficient diet developed emphysema. He suggests that a diet rich in vitamin A can reduce the effects of emphysema.
Baybutt believes vitamin A’s protective effects may help explain why some smokers do not develop emphysema. “There are a lot of people who live to be 90 years old and are smokers,” he said. “Why? Probably because of their diet…The implications are that those who start smoking at an early age are more likely to become vitamin A deficient and develop complications associated with cancer and emphysema” he said.
Sweet potatoes by their nature are an excellent source of Vitamins C and A (also known as the anti-aging vitamin). According to Jennifer Haas a dietician with the Nova Medical Group in Virginia, “Both beta-carotene and vitamin C are very powerful antioxidants that work in the body to eliminate free radicals.” Free radicals damage cells and can cause heart disease, diabetes and colon cancer.
FYI: Sweet potatoes last for about two weeks when stored in a cool, dark, well-ventilated area. Storing sweet potatoes in the refrigerator will alter their flavor. When cooked (as they should always be eaten), they last up to one week in the refrigerator. Steam them for eight minutes, with the skin on (wash, of course). I buy mine at Whole Foods and find them to be considerably sweeter with more orange pigment.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Secrets of Anti-Aging From a 105-Year-Old Woman
Written by Ann Butenas
The world is full of anti-aging products, secrets, tips, and illusions, but if you truly want to feel remarkably years younger in an instant, then stand next to a gal well into her 105th year of life and see how you feel!
The simple fact that she is of such a mature age does not make you feel younger in and of itself. The fact that she is still full of life makes you feel younger, almost as if you have years ahead of you, no matter what your age.
I had to remind myself of this fact while at a meeting this morning. A younger man in the group, around age 27, pointed out that I am, well, older than he is. Yes, at 45, I am older, but that does not make me OLD. He was implying that I would probably be retiring within a few years. What???? I don’t know what his generation is thinking, but in my world, we never retire. People in my family are still employed at the time of their demise. My grandfather was into his nineties when he passed away, yet he was, up until a few months prior to his death, heading out to the office every day, just as he had for nearly 70 years. My uncle, age 74, works full-time as a medical doctor. I truly believe that his energy and work ethic have kept him young. You would never be able to tell at first glance that he is 74. I guarantee you that the young man who noted I would probably be retiring in a few years will be retired well before I will even think about it!
So, let’s get back to standing next to an elderly lady. (No, you are not standing next to me. Picture my granny here. Focus!) This past Sunday, I had the honor of meeting her at the airport on her return trip from the east coast. She had a three-hour layover before her “puddle jumper” plane escorted her back to her small town in the Midwest. This gave Grandma and my husband and I the opportunity to spend some quality time with each other. All I can say, is, Grandma surely can make all of us look bad when it comes to living life to the fullest!
According to sources on About.com, “for seniors, the term ‘aging well’ includes having a healthy body, an active mind, a healthy lifestyle, and a positive attitude. For Grandma, that means check, check, check, and double-check! She fits all of those criteria, and more! In 2004, a team of researchers from the University of Texas conducted a study that revealed, unsurprisingly, that “people with an upbeat view of life were less likely than pessimists to show signs of frailty.” Their findings suggested that people who held fast to a positive outlook on life were much less likely to become frail. Grandma has that one nailed down.
After we picked her up at the airport and retrieved her belongings from the baggage claim, we headed over to the adjacent terminal to find a place to grab a bite to eat and just chat before her connecting flight departed. The airport gave Grandma the use of a wheelchair as a courtesy. (For legal reasons, I am wondering if they give these to anyone who looks over 50!) Grandma could have walked on her own, but I think she enjoyed putting me to work, telling me to pull over at the nearest eating establishment! At the rate she was requiring me to hustle, I was afraid I might get pulled over for speeding!
We found a place to grab a bite to eat. During our lunch, Grandma began to pontificate about life.
“You know,” she began. “I keep thinking about Heaven. I mean, how do they possibly have room for all of those people up there?”
I never thought about it that way and asked her, “What do you mean? There is plenty of room. I am sure of that.”
“No,” she continued. “I just don’t see how there could be much more room up there now. I suppose I have to wait around to die until they kick a few out.”
She took a slurp of her soup and then said, “And I certainly do not intend to head in the opposite direction when I die!” Leave it to Grandma to have such a delicate reference to Hell.
Since we were on the topic, I asked her who she would probably see first in Heaven, provided they cleared out the clutter first.
“Oh, I suppose I would see Lloyd and L.A.,” she expressed, in reference to her late husband who passed away 30 years ago and to my late father, her oldest son, who died at a young age.
“Do you think they will let Uncle Blaine up there when he dies?” I joked.
Not missing a beat and recognizing the orneriness of her 74-year-old, very energetic son, Grandma replied, “They may not want him!” Then she laughed that all-out guffaw for which she is known by family and friends. If you are sitting or standing near her when she laughs, you could get sprayed! Bring some wipes.
After lunch, her sweet tooth kicked in. She was on the prowl for some chocolate or a big cinnamon roll with all of the calories smeared over it. At her age, calories are the least of her worries! (Wouldn’t that be great?) She is not large, yet eating is her favorite sport. “If I can’t eat it, I don’t want it,” she will respond when asked what she wants for her birthday. “I’ll eat anything.”
I have heard that a sense of humor keeps the years off of a person, too. No wonder Grandma is still rocking it! At one point during our airport stay, we got a bit bored. I had an idea and asked Grandma if she would be willing to participate. I did not have to ask her twice.
We decided that I would sit in the wheelchair and she would push ME! She got up out of the chair and I plopped my hindquarters in it. She stood behind it and began pushing me down the terminal. Between fits of laughter, I had to yell, “Grandma! Slow down! You’re scaring me!” My husband had the foresight to break out the camera at this point. Since I was thus caught on film “abusing” a geriatric, I then made my husband get in the chair, and, yes, Grandma pushed HIM! The looks we got from people ran from general intrigue to “what’s the number for the geriatric abuse hotline?” It was, in true fashion, a Borat-like moment! And Grandma loved it! If you don’t believe me, check out the photos with this article. No, I did not pay her to smile. She is smiling because she knows that she is named in MY will and that, with her active and upbeat lifestyle, she quite possibly could outlive me. Don’t let the chocolate reference fool you! She has it going on…and on…..and on….
Once we put the wheelchair aside, she asked me, “So, how about a cruise next summer?”
That is yet another way to avert the aging process. Make plans to live for…and live a life that others would die for! Just make sure you keep a comfortable place up in Heaven for Grandma one of these years!
The world is full of anti-aging products, secrets, tips, and illusions, but if you truly want to feel remarkably years younger in an instant, then stand next to a gal well into her 105th year of life and see how you feel!
The simple fact that she is of such a mature age does not make you feel younger in and of itself. The fact that she is still full of life makes you feel younger, almost as if you have years ahead of you, no matter what your age.
I had to remind myself of this fact while at a meeting this morning. A younger man in the group, around age 27, pointed out that I am, well, older than he is. Yes, at 45, I am older, but that does not make me OLD. He was implying that I would probably be retiring within a few years. What???? I don’t know what his generation is thinking, but in my world, we never retire. People in my family are still employed at the time of their demise. My grandfather was into his nineties when he passed away, yet he was, up until a few months prior to his death, heading out to the office every day, just as he had for nearly 70 years. My uncle, age 74, works full-time as a medical doctor. I truly believe that his energy and work ethic have kept him young. You would never be able to tell at first glance that he is 74. I guarantee you that the young man who noted I would probably be retiring in a few years will be retired well before I will even think about it!
So, let’s get back to standing next to an elderly lady. (No, you are not standing next to me. Picture my granny here. Focus!) This past Sunday, I had the honor of meeting her at the airport on her return trip from the east coast. She had a three-hour layover before her “puddle jumper” plane escorted her back to her small town in the Midwest. This gave Grandma and my husband and I the opportunity to spend some quality time with each other. All I can say, is, Grandma surely can make all of us look bad when it comes to living life to the fullest!
According to sources on About.com, “for seniors, the term ‘aging well’ includes having a healthy body, an active mind, a healthy lifestyle, and a positive attitude. For Grandma, that means check, check, check, and double-check! She fits all of those criteria, and more! In 2004, a team of researchers from the University of Texas conducted a study that revealed, unsurprisingly, that “people with an upbeat view of life were less likely than pessimists to show signs of frailty.” Their findings suggested that people who held fast to a positive outlook on life were much less likely to become frail. Grandma has that one nailed down.
After we picked her up at the airport and retrieved her belongings from the baggage claim, we headed over to the adjacent terminal to find a place to grab a bite to eat and just chat before her connecting flight departed. The airport gave Grandma the use of a wheelchair as a courtesy. (For legal reasons, I am wondering if they give these to anyone who looks over 50!) Grandma could have walked on her own, but I think she enjoyed putting me to work, telling me to pull over at the nearest eating establishment! At the rate she was requiring me to hustle, I was afraid I might get pulled over for speeding!
We found a place to grab a bite to eat. During our lunch, Grandma began to pontificate about life.
“You know,” she began. “I keep thinking about Heaven. I mean, how do they possibly have room for all of those people up there?”
I never thought about it that way and asked her, “What do you mean? There is plenty of room. I am sure of that.”
“No,” she continued. “I just don’t see how there could be much more room up there now. I suppose I have to wait around to die until they kick a few out.”
She took a slurp of her soup and then said, “And I certainly do not intend to head in the opposite direction when I die!” Leave it to Grandma to have such a delicate reference to Hell.
Since we were on the topic, I asked her who she would probably see first in Heaven, provided they cleared out the clutter first.
“Oh, I suppose I would see Lloyd and L.A.,” she expressed, in reference to her late husband who passed away 30 years ago and to my late father, her oldest son, who died at a young age.
“Do you think they will let Uncle Blaine up there when he dies?” I joked.
Not missing a beat and recognizing the orneriness of her 74-year-old, very energetic son, Grandma replied, “They may not want him!” Then she laughed that all-out guffaw for which she is known by family and friends. If you are sitting or standing near her when she laughs, you could get sprayed! Bring some wipes.
After lunch, her sweet tooth kicked in. She was on the prowl for some chocolate or a big cinnamon roll with all of the calories smeared over it. At her age, calories are the least of her worries! (Wouldn’t that be great?) She is not large, yet eating is her favorite sport. “If I can’t eat it, I don’t want it,” she will respond when asked what she wants for her birthday. “I’ll eat anything.”
I have heard that a sense of humor keeps the years off of a person, too. No wonder Grandma is still rocking it! At one point during our airport stay, we got a bit bored. I had an idea and asked Grandma if she would be willing to participate. I did not have to ask her twice.
We decided that I would sit in the wheelchair and she would push ME! She got up out of the chair and I plopped my hindquarters in it. She stood behind it and began pushing me down the terminal. Between fits of laughter, I had to yell, “Grandma! Slow down! You’re scaring me!” My husband had the foresight to break out the camera at this point. Since I was thus caught on film “abusing” a geriatric, I then made my husband get in the chair, and, yes, Grandma pushed HIM! The looks we got from people ran from general intrigue to “what’s the number for the geriatric abuse hotline?” It was, in true fashion, a Borat-like moment! And Grandma loved it! If you don’t believe me, check out the photos with this article. No, I did not pay her to smile. She is smiling because she knows that she is named in MY will and that, with her active and upbeat lifestyle, she quite possibly could outlive me. Don’t let the chocolate reference fool you! She has it going on…and on…..and on….
Once we put the wheelchair aside, she asked me, “So, how about a cruise next summer?”
That is yet another way to avert the aging process. Make plans to live for…and live a life that others would die for! Just make sure you keep a comfortable place up in Heaven for Grandma one of these years!
Friday, July 17, 2009
The End of Aging? Inside the New Hunt for a Cure to Growing Old
Old age has always been like the weather: Everybody talks about aging, but nobody does anything about it. Oh, they’ve tried. For millennia, charlatans have been offering remedies for aging that didn’t work any better than baldness cures and virility restorers.
Now, however, with baldness cures and virility restorers that do work found as close as the nearest drugstore, researchers have started looking into ways to slow, stop or perhaps even reverse the changes that accompany aging. If these scientists succeed, their breakthroughs may lead to major changes in human society.
We’ve long regarded aging as something almost mystical or supernatural, and it’s easy to see why. Unlike, say, smallpox, aging doesn’t come on suddenly or spread from person to person. You also don’t recover from it, as you do from most infectious diseases. It happens gradually, and it’s pretty much unrelenting. Eyesight dims, joints get stiff and achy, teeth go bad and, in general, things just keep getting worse until death arrives.
But research demonstrates that aging isn’t a supernatural process; it’s a physical one that gradually occurs as systems wear out beyond the body’s ability to repair them. Cells fill up with metabolic debris called lipofuscin that they can’t digest, accompanied by decreasing functionality. They also undergo glycation, gumming up and caramelizing with sugars that have bonded to proteins. Mitochondrial DNA can suffer mutations, and the body slowly loses stem cells, which weakens healing and repair.
Aging is breakdown, but broken things can be fixed. After all, cars and airplanes tend to wear out as they get older, but with sufficient maintenance they can last far beyond their design life.
Biogerontologists like Aubrey de Grey, author of Ending Aging, believe that living longer is a fairly straightforward engineering problem: Find out what breaks and fix it. De Grey promotes an approach he calls Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence, or SENS. It identifies seven specific breakdowns and attempts to attack each of them in turn. He and others are researching longevity with support from nonprofits and an X Prize approach aimed at extending the life span of mice. (Researchers call it the Mprize, a reference to their quest to engineer the “Methuselah mouse.”) I certainly wish them well — after all, I’m not getting any younger — but de Grey says that it will probably be 20 or 30 years before we see effective antiaging drugs on the market.
Scientists have already identified more modest life extenders. It’s pretty thoroughly established that red wine’s resveratrol activates the SIRT-1 gene, which seems to clean out intracellular gunk. (The gene is also triggered by calorie restriction.) Studies show that rats dosed with resveratrol — or given low-calorie diets — seem to live longer and remain far more vital than ordinary rats. Sirtris Pharmaceuticals is currently conducting human testing of a drug called SRT501 as a treatment for diabetes, but it may also hold promise for retarding the aging process and alleviating a number of inflammatory diseases that go with getting older.
At Stanford, researchers have reversed the aging of skin in mice, making it look and act like young skin, which contains cells that reproduce rapidly. This treatment isn’t ready for humans, but it suggests an approach. And given the popularity of cosmetics that merely address the appearance of aging, it seems likely a product that actually produces new skin would sell like hotcakes.
Meanwhile, commercial resveratrol supplements are available, and people are taking them, including some scientists in the field. As part of the research for this column, I started taking one.
On the flip side, people often see extended longevity as dubious, envisioning extra years in the nursing home. As Jay Leno says, “People tell you to eat right and exercise, but that only gives you more years in your 80s. Who needs that? What I really want are more years in my 20s.” New treatments for aging would give us just that — or at least healthier years in our 60s and 70s. The goal isn’t just more years in your life, but more life in your years.
If antiaging drugs eventually work, who could be against them? Well, Dr. Leon Kass, for one. Kass, former chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics, writes: “Is it really true that longer life for individuals is an unqualified good? If the human life span were increased even by only 20 years, would the pleasures of life increase proportionately?”
The obvious answer: It depends on the individual. But on a societal level, the extension of people's productive working lives could pay huge dividends. If people stay youthful longer, we’ll see less pressure on the stressed-out social security systems of most industrialized countries. If 65-year-olds were as vigorous as 35-year-olds, or even 45-year-olds, there would be no reason to fund their retirement. Pushing the retirement age back a decade or two could save trillions. And, of course, if you can actually reverse aging, the whole notion of retirement becomes obsolete.
The reality is that Americans now live longer, healthier lives by several decades than the majority did a century ago. Most of us think it’s a good thing. Would extending this phenomenon by several more decades be good, too? Seems like it to me.
Now, however, with baldness cures and virility restorers that do work found as close as the nearest drugstore, researchers have started looking into ways to slow, stop or perhaps even reverse the changes that accompany aging. If these scientists succeed, their breakthroughs may lead to major changes in human society.
We’ve long regarded aging as something almost mystical or supernatural, and it’s easy to see why. Unlike, say, smallpox, aging doesn’t come on suddenly or spread from person to person. You also don’t recover from it, as you do from most infectious diseases. It happens gradually, and it’s pretty much unrelenting. Eyesight dims, joints get stiff and achy, teeth go bad and, in general, things just keep getting worse until death arrives.
But research demonstrates that aging isn’t a supernatural process; it’s a physical one that gradually occurs as systems wear out beyond the body’s ability to repair them. Cells fill up with metabolic debris called lipofuscin that they can’t digest, accompanied by decreasing functionality. They also undergo glycation, gumming up and caramelizing with sugars that have bonded to proteins. Mitochondrial DNA can suffer mutations, and the body slowly loses stem cells, which weakens healing and repair.
Aging is breakdown, but broken things can be fixed. After all, cars and airplanes tend to wear out as they get older, but with sufficient maintenance they can last far beyond their design life.
Biogerontologists like Aubrey de Grey, author of Ending Aging, believe that living longer is a fairly straightforward engineering problem: Find out what breaks and fix it. De Grey promotes an approach he calls Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence, or SENS. It identifies seven specific breakdowns and attempts to attack each of them in turn. He and others are researching longevity with support from nonprofits and an X Prize approach aimed at extending the life span of mice. (Researchers call it the Mprize, a reference to their quest to engineer the “Methuselah mouse.”) I certainly wish them well — after all, I’m not getting any younger — but de Grey says that it will probably be 20 or 30 years before we see effective antiaging drugs on the market.
Scientists have already identified more modest life extenders. It’s pretty thoroughly established that red wine’s resveratrol activates the SIRT-1 gene, which seems to clean out intracellular gunk. (The gene is also triggered by calorie restriction.) Studies show that rats dosed with resveratrol — or given low-calorie diets — seem to live longer and remain far more vital than ordinary rats. Sirtris Pharmaceuticals is currently conducting human testing of a drug called SRT501 as a treatment for diabetes, but it may also hold promise for retarding the aging process and alleviating a number of inflammatory diseases that go with getting older.
At Stanford, researchers have reversed the aging of skin in mice, making it look and act like young skin, which contains cells that reproduce rapidly. This treatment isn’t ready for humans, but it suggests an approach. And given the popularity of cosmetics that merely address the appearance of aging, it seems likely a product that actually produces new skin would sell like hotcakes.
Meanwhile, commercial resveratrol supplements are available, and people are taking them, including some scientists in the field. As part of the research for this column, I started taking one.
On the flip side, people often see extended longevity as dubious, envisioning extra years in the nursing home. As Jay Leno says, “People tell you to eat right and exercise, but that only gives you more years in your 80s. Who needs that? What I really want are more years in my 20s.” New treatments for aging would give us just that — or at least healthier years in our 60s and 70s. The goal isn’t just more years in your life, but more life in your years.
If antiaging drugs eventually work, who could be against them? Well, Dr. Leon Kass, for one. Kass, former chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics, writes: “Is it really true that longer life for individuals is an unqualified good? If the human life span were increased even by only 20 years, would the pleasures of life increase proportionately?”
The obvious answer: It depends on the individual. But on a societal level, the extension of people's productive working lives could pay huge dividends. If people stay youthful longer, we’ll see less pressure on the stressed-out social security systems of most industrialized countries. If 65-year-olds were as vigorous as 35-year-olds, or even 45-year-olds, there would be no reason to fund their retirement. Pushing the retirement age back a decade or two could save trillions. And, of course, if you can actually reverse aging, the whole notion of retirement becomes obsolete.
The reality is that Americans now live longer, healthier lives by several decades than the majority did a century ago. Most of us think it’s a good thing. Would extending this phenomenon by several more decades be good, too? Seems like it to me.
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