Great summary. It's easy to get swayed by the charming talking heads when it comes to supplements. In my health coaching practice, I stress that each supplement should be treated like any drug. For the right person, in the right setting, it could be really important or cause more harm than good.
Dr. Ashori, I appreciate your comment very much. Last week, I saw an article in Fortune magazine on "the top 5 NAD supplements" (they forgot to add the +) that completey failed to note that NAD+ hasn't been proven to work in humans. So the hype is real. We need more doctors like you giving patients a dose of realism.
Dr. Ashori, I appreciate your comment very much. Last week, I saw an article in Fortune magazine on "the top 5 NAD supplements" (they forgot to add the +) that completey failed to note that NAD+ hasn't been proven to work in humans. So the hype is real. We need more doctors like you giving patients a dose of realism.
Sorry! I stand corrected, Madame FMD. I’m working on putting all these supplements into one, branded AGING with STRENGTH superpill. What could go wrong?
This is really great. Thank you! I appreciate you start by saying sleep, diet, exercise and social are the most important for our overall longevity. Those alone are tough to get down.
At 61 I do, and have for decades, take Omega 3s. And also Vitamin D. So yay! But I’m a hiker / walker / biker and get good safe sun amounts. So important.
Although not in the “longevity” category necessarily what about the use of beet root powder to natural increase nitric oxide. Would be nice to have a healthy blood pressure without pharmacological (ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, etc) which seem to be addressing symptoms and not cause?
Not exactly an enthusiastic endorsement. It sounds like your Caveat 1 are the first 100 things on the list to do first. Then it sounds like you are relying on Dr Internet to know if any of those supplements are good for you.
Mark, my enthusiasm is for people to not rely on shortcuts to moving one's body, eating whole foods, getting proper sleep and having a decent social life. No supplement is going to be more effective than those things. But also, yes, I'm skeptical of what's being sold by longevity chiselers as "anti-aging."
If by Dr. Internet you mean I've spent time researching each supplement, and the research has been online, you are correct, sir.
Actually I meant that we frequently scour the internet to find answers or ideas even in the area of answering questions like "what supplement might help me with x". The problem is that most of us are certainly not experts that can pick apart the information we find and determine if it is applicable for our uses nor are we trained enough to go through the whatever actual studies might be available to understand the often very limited way these things are tested. Yes, the information we find might be useful for us, hopefully useful enough so we can understand if there are any side effects or what amounts of supplements are safe. But thats not really enough for us to self diagnose and feel confident that the choice is a good one. Most of these things, but not all, have very little real evidence of being beneficial in any material way for general consumption without any doctor feedback and the lack of studies often feeds into conspiracy theories that big pharma or the western medicine cabal deliberately overlook "natural" supplements. Clearly I hope that more research is devoted into the supplement world to find out of there are some combinations that will help over and above the "caveat 1" list. And it would be nice if doctors actively followed this information so they could decide whether or not to suggest any of these things for their patients.
Mark, it's true what you say. The online supplement world is self-fulfilling prophesy of many false statements, very often. But also, some of the researchers publishing studies on these supplements also start companies that sell the supplements and cite (their own) research in support. So its a tendentious circle, sometimes. Consumers are mostly left in the dark when that happens.
Great job on this Paul! I totally concur, especially wrt DHA and brain longevity. It’s worth adding that a simple multivitamin like Centrum showed dementia reduction benefit in a large RCT in adults over 65. It’s a kitchen sink approach to supplementing, but there’s proven benefit in that age group.
Annie, thanks for your informative note. A daily multivitamin seems like a no-brainer (pun intended). There's just no downside to taking one, it seems.
AJ, thank you for mentioning taurine. In fact, I had a write up on it ready to include in this list but I ran out of time trying to write what it does in simple, non-technical terms. Maybe I'll put in in, once I simplify it.
Very helpful 💕. Some of these are not fully baked, which is good to know given the attention they’ve received. Hopefully we’ll be getting more definitive answers ‘soon’.
Indeed, Jean. But as mentioned that the top of this post, if you're taking supplements but not taking care of your physical, food, sleep and social health, you're not helping yourself.
Anthony, good call out. I'd previously written about metformin (and rapamycin) but should have included it in this article. I've added a section on metformin, so it's now a post about the "top 12" longevity supplements (that may or may not work). Thanks for your gimlet eye.
So Paul, what supplements do you take? I take my prescription meds, a multi-vitamin and a supplement for hair, skin and nails and that's it. At 85, I'm still physically active, play all the NY Times games, and get 5-7 hrs. of sleep nightly. Do I really want to live to 100? :-)
Great summary. It's easy to get swayed by the charming talking heads when it comes to supplements. In my health coaching practice, I stress that each supplement should be treated like any drug. For the right person, in the right setting, it could be really important or cause more harm than good.
Dr. Ashori, I appreciate your comment very much. Last week, I saw an article in Fortune magazine on "the top 5 NAD supplements" (they forgot to add the +) that completey failed to note that NAD+ hasn't been proven to work in humans. So the hype is real. We need more doctors like you giving patients a dose of realism.
Dr. Ashori, I appreciate your comment very much. Last week, I saw an article in Fortune magazine on "the top 5 NAD supplements" (they forgot to add the +) that completey failed to note that NAD+ hasn't been proven to work in humans. So the hype is real. We need more doctors like you giving patients a dose of realism.
Well done Paul. Very concise, informative and valuable! 🙏👏🏻
Moran, I'm glad you, a certified nutritionist, find this helpful.
Functional Medicine Dietitian. And Yes! You hit all the right supplements and the credible support for each.
Now… do you know of a company that bottles some of these into one pill? 😂
Sorry! I stand corrected, Madame FMD. I’m working on putting all these supplements into one, branded AGING with STRENGTH superpill. What could go wrong?
Nothing more than you’ll likely make more $$$ than writing 😉
This is really great. Thank you! I appreciate you start by saying sleep, diet, exercise and social are the most important for our overall longevity. Those alone are tough to get down.
At 61 I do, and have for decades, take Omega 3s. And also Vitamin D. So yay! But I’m a hiker / walker / biker and get good safe sun amounts. So important.
I’d like to hear about Calcium, DHEA, Methyl B!
Tricia, congratulations on nailing the fundamentals. That's impressive.
Vit D is covered in this post but I'll add calcium, DHEA and Methyl B to the list.
Keep going.
Quercetin
Janice, thanks.
Although not in the “longevity” category necessarily what about the use of beet root powder to natural increase nitric oxide. Would be nice to have a healthy blood pressure without pharmacological (ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, etc) which seem to be addressing symptoms and not cause?
Brian, thanks for this. I'll add them to the list. More to come.
Not exactly an enthusiastic endorsement. It sounds like your Caveat 1 are the first 100 things on the list to do first. Then it sounds like you are relying on Dr Internet to know if any of those supplements are good for you.
Mark, my enthusiasm is for people to not rely on shortcuts to moving one's body, eating whole foods, getting proper sleep and having a decent social life. No supplement is going to be more effective than those things. But also, yes, I'm skeptical of what's being sold by longevity chiselers as "anti-aging."
If by Dr. Internet you mean I've spent time researching each supplement, and the research has been online, you are correct, sir.
Actually I meant that we frequently scour the internet to find answers or ideas even in the area of answering questions like "what supplement might help me with x". The problem is that most of us are certainly not experts that can pick apart the information we find and determine if it is applicable for our uses nor are we trained enough to go through the whatever actual studies might be available to understand the often very limited way these things are tested. Yes, the information we find might be useful for us, hopefully useful enough so we can understand if there are any side effects or what amounts of supplements are safe. But thats not really enough for us to self diagnose and feel confident that the choice is a good one. Most of these things, but not all, have very little real evidence of being beneficial in any material way for general consumption without any doctor feedback and the lack of studies often feeds into conspiracy theories that big pharma or the western medicine cabal deliberately overlook "natural" supplements. Clearly I hope that more research is devoted into the supplement world to find out of there are some combinations that will help over and above the "caveat 1" list. And it would be nice if doctors actively followed this information so they could decide whether or not to suggest any of these things for their patients.
Mark, it's true what you say. The online supplement world is self-fulfilling prophesy of many false statements, very often. But also, some of the researchers publishing studies on these supplements also start companies that sell the supplements and cite (their own) research in support. So its a tendentious circle, sometimes. Consumers are mostly left in the dark when that happens.
Great job on this Paul! I totally concur, especially wrt DHA and brain longevity. It’s worth adding that a simple multivitamin like Centrum showed dementia reduction benefit in a large RCT in adults over 65. It’s a kitchen sink approach to supplementing, but there’s proven benefit in that age group.
Annie, thanks for your informative note. A daily multivitamin seems like a no-brainer (pun intended). There's just no downside to taking one, it seems.
Excellent summary. Curious if the order had any meaning
AJ, good question. The order is not relevant in this list, alas. I didn’t want it to be predictable.
Ha of course, makes sense
May want to consider Taurine for future study. It's use is driven by longevity hopes/claims more so than magnesium
AJ, thank you for mentioning taurine. In fact, I had a write up on it ready to include in this list but I ran out of time trying to write what it does in simple, non-technical terms. Maybe I'll put in in, once I simplify it.
Very helpful 💕. Some of these are not fully baked, which is good to know given the attention they’ve received. Hopefully we’ll be getting more definitive answers ‘soon’.
Jean, I'm glad this is helpful to you. Yes, this post could have been alternatively titled, "11 not fully baked longevity supplements, and omega-3"
They’ve been fully hyped, however 😂
Lookin’ at you, Rapamycn! 👀
Indeed, Jean. But as mentioned that the top of this post, if you're taking supplements but not taking care of your physical, food, sleep and social health, you're not helping yourself.
Thank you for this in depth article.
What about Metformin?
I keep reading it’s the longevity drug of choice
Anthony, good call out. I'd previously written about metformin (and rapamycin) but should have included it in this article. I've added a section on metformin, so it's now a post about the "top 12" longevity supplements (that may or may not work). Thanks for your gimlet eye.
So Paul, what supplements do you take? I take my prescription meds, a multi-vitamin and a supplement for hair, skin and nails and that's it. At 85, I'm still physically active, play all the NY Times games, and get 5-7 hrs. of sleep nightly. Do I really want to live to 100? :-)