An Intro to the Science of Longevity and Anti-Aging🧙

The Dance of Longevity: From Survival to Thriving

If we could journey back in time 250 years, we’d see a world where the life expectancy averaged around a sobering 40 years. People lived a shorter, harsher existence, dictated largely by survival rather than thriving. Life was a physical struggle. Have you seen 1883 (the Yellowstone prequel)? Albeit 1883 was only 140 years ago, I imagine it was something like that. Living by the seat of your pants with no plans for tomorrow. And why would you plan for tomorrow if a rattlesnake might bite your ass while pinching a loaf. And I thought taco bell gave me deadly shits 💀.

A simpler time. One where you needn’t worry about planning for retirement or eating your greens. Simply put - nobody gave a shit about eating enough fiber if you might cut your foot and die of a staff infection.

Yet, in that struggle, there was simplicity. There was less pollution, fewer processed foods, and a forced active lifestyle that kept the body in constant movement. The very hardship that made life shorter may, paradoxically, have also made it healthier in some aspects. Yet, the constant threat of disease, famine, and injury took its toll, painting a grim picture of life two centuries ago.

It would be interesting to see how long people could have lived with some of the technological advancements we have today. It does seem like people probably would have eaten healthier and generally lived pretty active lives.

How the Industrial Revolution Shaped Science

Fast forward to the Industrial Revolution, an era of soot and smoke, of machines and rapid urbanization. As life transitioned from fields to factories, significant scientific advancements emerged.

The advent of germ theory (1850-1920): revolutionized our understanding of disease and infection, leading to breakthroughs like the smallpox vaccine.

Sanitation infrastructure improved (late 1900s): The invention of modern sewer systems and plumbing dramatically helped reduce the spread of deadly diseases like cholera. Apparently walking around in the streets when they are covered in feces isn’t great for for your health?

Invention of penicillin (1928): On holiday, Alexander Fleming left a dish of Staphylococcus bacteria open. Returning, he found a mold, Penicillium notatum, halting bacteria growth. This led to penicillin, the world's first antibiotic, sparking a medical revolution that significantly boosted global life expectancy by defeating previously fatal diseases.

These advancements pushed life expectancy upwards, offering people more years, but not necessarily healthier ones. Industrialization brought about new health hazards like air pollution and occupational hazards. The shift from a physically demanding lifestyle to sedentary factory work started the slow march towards today's sedentary society.

The Changing Perspectives on Health in Our Lifetime

Late 90’s - Lyfestyle Revelations & Diet Dysphoria

The late 20th century is famously marked by the widespread acknowledgment that 'smoking is bad.' It’s hard to believe that my parents grew up in an age when you could literally smoke on airplanes. In the wise words of child star Dickie Roberts, that’s nuckin’ futs.

It was the beginning of a wider shift in public consciousness towards health, wellbeing, and lifestyle choices. But smoking was just the tip of the iceberg. Our understanding of the role of diet, exercise, and mental health in our longevity expanded. People actually started talking about mental health - growing up, I didn’t even know what that meant.

We began to recognize sugar as the sweet killer, processed foods as time bombs, and sedentary lifestyles as silent assassins. The quest for longevity began to mean not just more years in life, but more life in years.

What’s interesting to me is despite our insane advancements in health and science, it feels like every few years our knowledge on diet gets flipped on it’s head. Remember in the early 90’s we believed that all fats were the enemy while we were so complicit to processed sugars? I do. Meanwhile today we are to believe that processed sugars are basically the devil and fats (excluding trans fats) are generally considered healthy for you.

The Modern Day - What Do We Actually Worry About

Fast forward to today, where every day seems to bring new revelations in health and longevity. We’re waking up to the realization of everyday poisons lurking in our environment, from plastics to pollution. There’s a burgeoning understanding of the crucial role of sleep, the power of mindfulness, the importance of gut health. As our understanding of the human body deepens, we're pushing boundaries, questioning what was once considered inevitable about aging.

Now, the dawning era of regenerative medicine is promising a future where damaged organs might be repaired, or even grown anew. Vaccines for major killers like cancer and heart disease are no longer the stuff of science fiction but scientific pursuit. AI doctors are crunching data to predict, prevent, and cure illnesses before they become life-threatening.

The intriguing question that arises is: what if the leading cause of death becomes simply 'old age?' A world where disease is predictably preventable, where accidents and violence are the primary risks. A subset of humanity is relentlessly pursuing this audacious vision - to transform the natural inevitability of aging into a manageable condition.

NMN: The New Fountain of Youth?

Let's talk about a new alphabet soup in town - NMN, short for Nicotinamide Mononucleotide. If you haven't already heard the buzz, it's quickly becoming the next anti-aging superstar. So what exactly is it?

NMN is a naturally occurring compound found in small amounts in our bodies and in some foods, like broccoli, cabbage, and avocado. It's a key player in the production of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a crucial coenzyme found in every cell of our bodies that plays a significant role in energy metabolism and maintaining proper cell function.

NAD+ is hot stuff because it's needed for crucial biological processes, like repairing DNA, controlling inflammation, and resetting our circadian rhythms. As we age, however, our NAD+ levels decrease – a decline linked to a host of aging-related diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, and insulin resistance.

Researchers suggest that by supplementing NMN, we might boost our NAD+ levels, counteracting the natural decline that happens with age. The hope? That it could slow down the aging process, and potentially ward off related diseases.

What other potential benefits can NMN present to our longevity?

1. Boosts NAD+ Levels: ^as discussed.

2. Promotes Longevity: By boosting NAD+ levels, NMN might improve age-associated physiological decline, which could potentially contribute to a longer lifespan.

3. Enhances Energy Production: By improving mitochondrial function. A firm handshake to the powerhouse of the cell 🤝.

4. Supports Heart Health: Some research suggests that NMN can aid in restoring blood vessel growth, improving cardiovascular health, and potentially even reversing some aspects of aging in blood vessels and muscles. Considering 1 in 5 deaths in the US are related to cardiovascular disease, I’d say that’s pretty cool.

5. Improves Insulin Sensitivity: Initial research suggests NMN may have a role in improving insulin sensitivity and overall metabolic health.

6. Neuroprotection: Preliminary studies suggest that NMN could have neuroprotective effects, potentially playing a role in brain health and function.

7. Promotes DNA Repair: NMN might support the body's ability to repair DNA, a process that naturally declines with age.

Bear in mind - a lot of these claims are justified by studies in mice, so there’s lots of research to further prove these supposed benefits. But these mice studies are still pretty cool so let’s talk about it.

In 2013, a Harvard study showed that mice given NMN demonstrated increased muscle strength, improved liver function, enhanced mitochondrial function, improved eye function and even a resurgence of youthful coloured fur. Sounds pretty fantastic, right?

The only question I have is... Is this safe to feed my dog?

But what does this mean for humans?

Let's don our lab coats and get nerdy🤓 - we’re going to dissect a famous study performed by Dr. David Sinclair who is slowly becoming the face of anti-aging research and is a huge advocate of NMN for it’s role in longevity.

Competitors: NMN vs. Placebo.

Duration: 60 days

Tests: NAD+/NADH levels, insulin resistance, and stamina.

The results:

NMN, boosted the energy juice (NAD+/NADH levels) in our team by 38%. That's a nice, juicy uptick from 11.3% at halftime (day 30). Meanwhile, the placebo group only managed a meager 14.3% bump. A win for team NMN? Not quite. The ref (aka science) claims it's not a significant victory, yet acknowledges NMN's promising performance. So, we've got some head-scratching to do here.

Next, our insulin resistance (HOMA IR Index) scoreboard, a fancy term for measuring how much insulin our pancreas pumps to regulate blood sugar. Here, our NMN team kept a steady pace, with a tiny 0.6% rise, while the doppelgangers let themselves go, ballooning by 30.6%. Researchers suggest this could mean NMN's helping slow down the aging clock. Seems promising.

What about stamina, you ask? Well, the NMN team boosted their walking endurance by 6.5% by day 60, while the doppelgangers stuck at a 3.9% increase. Not a massive leap, but if it's a marathon, not a sprint, we're curious to see if NMN could widen this gap over time.

Conclusion: Statistically speaking, it’s too early to tell. Remember, while the results are promising for NMN, they are hardly statistically significant to definitively say. But, we can't ignore NMN's promising hints, like nudging up NAD+ levels and potentially improving health and endurance.

Caveat: the referee was an employee of the NMN-supplying company. Not exactly a deal-breaker, but worth a side-eye. I for one would also like to see a study including more people and a longer duration (and not financed by a supplement company).

One things for sure! We’ll be keeping a close eye on this one.

I hope you liked today's post. While we’re going to continue to bring you the topics that we’ve been covering to date, we’re formally expanding our niche to longevity and anti-aging.