Introduction
5 May 2013
Where do I begin? LiveLog is a record of my attempts at preventive geriatrics. In March of 2013 aging expert and Chief Science Officer of the SENS Foundation Aubrey DeGrey presented a speech as to why he believes science is just around the corner to defeating the symptoms of the disease of aging. While he speculates at immortality I believe this to be a red herring which is not a goal I believe will be attainable. I do believe from what I have seen of the science is that we have a real opportunity to improve the quality if not the extension of human life. By the time any approved medicines or therapies are actually available to the public I will likely be too far along in age or dead.
For over a year I have been fighting against what I have seen to be early onset symptoms of aging. I am currently 52 years of age and at the age of 50 I noticed that my memory and recall were beginning to slip. After some research I came across the fascinating topic of nootropics. According to Wikipedia nootropics are cognitive enhancers that are neuroprotective or extremely nontoxic. Nootropics are by definition cognitive enhancers, but a cognitive enhancer is not necessarily a nootropic. There are a number of nootropics in the form of supplementation that are available to the general public. I have been on a regime of nootropics for over a year and the anecdotal evidence to their efficiency in this lab rat have turned me from a skeptic to a real believer. The key component of anything I put in my body is that it must be that it is nontoxic. At this time I have only been involved in maintenance. Let me explain.
You may have caught it over the news in recent years that science has discovered what they believe to be the key to longevity and perhaps the reverse of aging. All of this science revolves around two concepts. One is the lengthening of telomeres and the other is molecular repair. Dr. De Gray and the SENS Foundation are aiming at a number of technologies which will in effect reverse aging through attacking all the mechanisms that cause aging. You might draw the analogy of car maintenance and repair. If you take good care of a car by replacing the oil, plugs and wires it can go for a very long time. When something does breakdown you repair or replace that part. In the human body this would be molecular repair. Proper diet and exercise will take care of the maintenance of our bodies.
The one breakthrough I wish to draw attention to is the subject of telomeres. Science has concluded that it is the shortening of telomeres which results in the mortality of mammals. In short, telomeres are the time clock that determine the age of human cells. At the end of each DNA strand is a sequence of nucleotides. Every time a cell replicates it looses one of these nucleotides. Eventually the DNA within a cell will loose its telomeres resulting in cell death. This is at the microscopic level the definition of aging. Aging then is the process of dying. What science has discovered is that an enzyme called telomerase is responsible for maintaining the length of telomeres. If we are involved in this process we are involved in the process of repair.
When we are young our bodies will produce enough telomerase to keep cells alive. As we age we lose the ability to create telomeres and cells eventually die. Science has found that certain substances in nature are known to stimulate telomerase in the body and cause the cells to grow new telomeres on their DNA strands. Experimentation with mice and rats in the lab have proven to not only extend their life but in some cases reverse the effects of aging. Sounds too good to be true? As with most things in life there may be a catch. It seems that the main mechanism of cancer cells is there ability to short-circuit the mechanisms of cells and create an abundance of telomerase which in effect keeps these stupid cells from dying a normal cell death.
It is not conclusive as to whether or not telomerase activation causes cancer. Some argue that this does not seem to be the natural affect as young people who still create their own rarely get cancer associated with old age. In normal cells the presence of telomerase may actually prevent cancer because the telomeres actually prevent the cells from dividing in an unnatural way. There have been numerous study's that conclude that extending telomeres does not cause cancer. It is when the end of the DNA strands are exposed that they seek for and look for other bonds which if they find could result in negative consequences. I am no molecular scientist so there may be room for critique of my explanation. What we need to focus on is that there are natural processes in play within our bodies that if they are functional should prevent cancers. It is when these functions break down that cancers begin.
My effort toward preventative geriatrics will focus on both maintenance and repair. Both will be executed through diet and exercise since I have an aversion to needles and any other evasive procedures. I will be attempting to prevent cell death by encouraging telomerase activation and protection. My log will outline my supplementation, exercise and will document any side-affects good or bad. In a perfect world I should see NO CHANGE since change seems to be a marker of age as we know it. If I observe a reverse in aging then that would be an unexpected result which I sceptically believe will not happen. It could be that all this will result in either nothing or since it is a given I will die one day, death. It would be hard to determine if my protocol had any effect on me unless I live pass my grandfather's age. He lived to be 86 but the quality of life at that age was deplorable. I hope to experience a better outcome.
As a disclaimer I should tell you, "DON'T DO THIS AT HOME!" There is no guarantee of a positive outcome if any. I am not encouraging anyone to experiment like myself. My decision to delve in these things is based upon my own research and comfort with the risk. I can not be held responsible for your actions should you attempt to follow my example. You are solely responsible if you attempt anything you see or read about on livelog.weebly.com.
Where do I begin? LiveLog is a record of my attempts at preventive geriatrics. In March of 2013 aging expert and Chief Science Officer of the SENS Foundation Aubrey DeGrey presented a speech as to why he believes science is just around the corner to defeating the symptoms of the disease of aging. While he speculates at immortality I believe this to be a red herring which is not a goal I believe will be attainable. I do believe from what I have seen of the science is that we have a real opportunity to improve the quality if not the extension of human life. By the time any approved medicines or therapies are actually available to the public I will likely be too far along in age or dead.
For over a year I have been fighting against what I have seen to be early onset symptoms of aging. I am currently 52 years of age and at the age of 50 I noticed that my memory and recall were beginning to slip. After some research I came across the fascinating topic of nootropics. According to Wikipedia nootropics are cognitive enhancers that are neuroprotective or extremely nontoxic. Nootropics are by definition cognitive enhancers, but a cognitive enhancer is not necessarily a nootropic. There are a number of nootropics in the form of supplementation that are available to the general public. I have been on a regime of nootropics for over a year and the anecdotal evidence to their efficiency in this lab rat have turned me from a skeptic to a real believer. The key component of anything I put in my body is that it must be that it is nontoxic. At this time I have only been involved in maintenance. Let me explain.
You may have caught it over the news in recent years that science has discovered what they believe to be the key to longevity and perhaps the reverse of aging. All of this science revolves around two concepts. One is the lengthening of telomeres and the other is molecular repair. Dr. De Gray and the SENS Foundation are aiming at a number of technologies which will in effect reverse aging through attacking all the mechanisms that cause aging. You might draw the analogy of car maintenance and repair. If you take good care of a car by replacing the oil, plugs and wires it can go for a very long time. When something does breakdown you repair or replace that part. In the human body this would be molecular repair. Proper diet and exercise will take care of the maintenance of our bodies.
The one breakthrough I wish to draw attention to is the subject of telomeres. Science has concluded that it is the shortening of telomeres which results in the mortality of mammals. In short, telomeres are the time clock that determine the age of human cells. At the end of each DNA strand is a sequence of nucleotides. Every time a cell replicates it looses one of these nucleotides. Eventually the DNA within a cell will loose its telomeres resulting in cell death. This is at the microscopic level the definition of aging. Aging then is the process of dying. What science has discovered is that an enzyme called telomerase is responsible for maintaining the length of telomeres. If we are involved in this process we are involved in the process of repair.
When we are young our bodies will produce enough telomerase to keep cells alive. As we age we lose the ability to create telomeres and cells eventually die. Science has found that certain substances in nature are known to stimulate telomerase in the body and cause the cells to grow new telomeres on their DNA strands. Experimentation with mice and rats in the lab have proven to not only extend their life but in some cases reverse the effects of aging. Sounds too good to be true? As with most things in life there may be a catch. It seems that the main mechanism of cancer cells is there ability to short-circuit the mechanisms of cells and create an abundance of telomerase which in effect keeps these stupid cells from dying a normal cell death.
It is not conclusive as to whether or not telomerase activation causes cancer. Some argue that this does not seem to be the natural affect as young people who still create their own rarely get cancer associated with old age. In normal cells the presence of telomerase may actually prevent cancer because the telomeres actually prevent the cells from dividing in an unnatural way. There have been numerous study's that conclude that extending telomeres does not cause cancer. It is when the end of the DNA strands are exposed that they seek for and look for other bonds which if they find could result in negative consequences. I am no molecular scientist so there may be room for critique of my explanation. What we need to focus on is that there are natural processes in play within our bodies that if they are functional should prevent cancers. It is when these functions break down that cancers begin.
My effort toward preventative geriatrics will focus on both maintenance and repair. Both will be executed through diet and exercise since I have an aversion to needles and any other evasive procedures. I will be attempting to prevent cell death by encouraging telomerase activation and protection. My log will outline my supplementation, exercise and will document any side-affects good or bad. In a perfect world I should see NO CHANGE since change seems to be a marker of age as we know it. If I observe a reverse in aging then that would be an unexpected result which I sceptically believe will not happen. It could be that all this will result in either nothing or since it is a given I will die one day, death. It would be hard to determine if my protocol had any effect on me unless I live pass my grandfather's age. He lived to be 86 but the quality of life at that age was deplorable. I hope to experience a better outcome.
As a disclaimer I should tell you, "DON'T DO THIS AT HOME!" There is no guarantee of a positive outcome if any. I am not encouraging anyone to experiment like myself. My decision to delve in these things is based upon my own research and comfort with the risk. I can not be held responsible for your actions should you attempt to follow my example. You are solely responsible if you attempt anything you see or read about on livelog.weebly.com.