Aging, lifespan, aging-associated diseases and disorders
As someone who recently had the distinctly unpleasurable experience of shingles, I decided to research the vaccines available for this viral disease. Shingles is caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV), which also causes chicken pox (Figure 1). VZV is a type of herpes virus. Presently, in the US, most children are vaccinated against chicken pox. … Read more
Calorie restriction and intermittent fasting are both associated with improved health and longevity in many animals. Studies with monkeys and humans are consistent with health benefits of both calorie restriction and intermittent fasting, but the studies are difficult to compare due to differences in the diet and feeding patterns in the monkey studies and the … Read more
Some friends asked me about an anti-aging supplement called Basis by Elysium Health. This prompted me to look into the biology behind the two “active” ingredients in this and other anti-aging dietary supplements. The compounds are nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene. Pterostilbene is chemically related to resveratrol; both are bioactive components found in certain berries, grapes, … Read more
Some anti-aging supplements include compounds, like nicotinamide riboside, that increase nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD: oxidized NAD+ and reduced NADH) and stilbenoid compounds, like resveratrol or pterostilbene, that are anti-oxidants and regulators of protein function. The findings that resveratrol inhibited human platelet aggregation and prevented cancer cell proliferation in culture and cancer in mice created excitement … Read more
Cellular and whole-body metabolism changes with age. An emerging idea is that preventing these metabolic changes may reduce negative effects of aging or at least delay them. Indeed, this idea is popular enough that companies are developing and selling dietary supplements intended to boost “healthy” metabolism. Many are intended to boost the amount of a … Read more