Lifespan@JoinLifespan
New paper by @BKennedy_aging finds that supplement users have a significantly younger Age Delta, which is not the case for medication users
What were the supplements?
1. Alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG), carotenoids, calcium, CoQ10, curcumin, D3, and NAD+ boosters were associated with lower Age Delta
2. The paper "shows for the first time that an inexpensive, non-invasive, saliva-based biological age test can be a powerful tool to conduct population research and uncover relationships between lifestyle, medications, and supplement use"
3. Heavy supplement use was neither beneficial nor harmful
4. However, older men appeared to respond better to AKG than older women
5. AKG was associated with lower Age Residual regardless of weight, weekly exercise, or alcohol intake, with slightly larger benefits seen in those who exercise more often
6. Traditionally, doctors view polypharmacy (more than one treatment) as a liability to be avoided. However, "it is more likely that polypharmacy is a consequence and not a cause of age-related morbidity."
7. Several observational studies find combining two drugs reduces all-cause mortality. The potential risks and harms of supplement polypharmacy are less understood.
8. In this cohort almost 11% of the participants were taking more than 5 supplements, yet their health condition was excellent and higher supplement use was not associated with older biological age, suggesting that supplement combinations are well tolerated
Useful study. Well done @BKennedy_aging and team. Food for thought 🤔
