Cell Maintenance
The key to cell maintenance in my opinion is exercise, diet and other lifestyle choices. It has been demonstrated that exercise plays a vital role in developing healthy mitochondria and helps the body produce HGH (Human Growth Hormone). The extra flow of blood encourages the growth of neurons and neuron connectivity. Exercise also helps the brain create new cells and prevents shrinking in old age. HGH is involved at almost every level of the cell repair and cell division. The benefits of exercise is well documented.
The adage goes, "You are what you eat." It's important to develop a healthy pattern of good food choices that are low in sodium and saturated fats. Calorie restriction is known to improve the quality of cell health. Studies in rats have demonstrated that an exaggerated restriction of calories actually extends their lifespan. Resveratrol is valuable because it sends a signal to our cells telling them that you are starving. The cells have a built in mechanism for survival in the absence of calories which strengthens them. It is a proven fact that obese people have greater health issues. It isn't a common known fact that obesity can damage the body's cells. I think a balanced approach to foods is best.
The issue of lifestyle is not relegated only to diet and exercise. There are things that we can do that are either beneficial or detrimental to our bodies. Smoking is one of those things that can be detrimental to the body. In fact, any recreational drug such as alcohol and marijuana is suspect in that they create an unhealthy environment for our cells and encourage cell death. I don't have the imagination to list every detrimental behavior possible so I won't attempt it. I think that in using common sense I can eliminate most of these issues.
One of the things that good foods can do for me is to fight free radicals. Free radicals are molecultes in our bodies that are damaged chemically and have exposed unpaired electrons. These electrons can attach to cells and drain them of their energy. This can result in damaged mitochondria and result ultimately in cell death. Some foods are full of free radicals and we should avoid these types of foods. Foods with empty calories are prone to create free radicals as are foods prepared with certain preservatives and/or tainted with pesticides. The key to healthy foods is to stay away with anything processed artificially. Stay away from genetically altered foods such as meats, vegetables and fruits. Anything properly labeled as organic has a high probability of being healthy for you.
One way we can fight free radicals is through antioxidants. According to Wikipedia, "An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons or hydrogen from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions. When the chain reaction occurs in a cell, it can cause damage or death to the cell. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions. They do this by being oxidized themselves, so antioxidants are often reducing agents such as thiols, ascorbic acid, or polyphenols."
One common antioxidant is vitamin C which is found in all citrus. There are allot of other supplements that provide antioxidants such as malatonin. Malatonin is generated in our bodies naturally and acts as a trigger to our brains that it's time to go to sleep. This reaction is a natural one to a lack of light. This explains why I get sleepy when the lights grow dim. As we get older our bodies create less Malatonin which explains why the elderly have difficulty sleeping. Malatonin is a great sleep aid. Resveratrol is also an antioxidant.
C60-00
C60 is a powerful antioxidant. Unlike many antioxidants it does not lose its potential as some give away their electrical charge and sacrifice themselves in the process. C60 holds on to free radicals until they can do something useful. Once this occurs C60 is released back into the body to act as a free radical scavenger. C60-oo has a mysterious effect on the cells and it is suspected that it has long lasting benefits. It has been determined that c60 does not do well and can actually cause toxicity if added to water. This is why it is suspended in olive oil to forms lipids when taken as a supplement. You can read more about c60-oo in my article on "The Baati Rat Study" in the left menu. I will however repeat my assumptions here and supply some theories of action.
Predominant Theories of Activation
1) C60 passes through cell membranes where it:
A) Aides in repairing mitochondria, promotes bio-genesis (creation of new mitochondria), prevents or delays ROS (Cell destroying) activity, or perhaps resets the mitochondrial age.
B) Prevents oxidative stress and provides anti-oxidant action on the cellular level.
C) Renews DNA by demethylation when it binds itself to the DNA winding that is prone to degradation.
D) Deposits olive-oil in the cell where it normally could not permeate providing extra anti-oxidants and fuel.
2) It acts as a catalytic scavenger neutralizing free radicals in the body until they can do something useful. At that point the c60 is released and is available for scavenging again.
In the words of Niner, one of Longecity's citizens, "I think that we are doing something very beneficial at the cellular level, but that the mechanism is primarily (if not totally) antioxidant in nature. The antioxidants that most of us are familiar with are flawed in a number of ways. They variously have terrible pharmacokinetics, pro-oxidant activity, a requirement for chemical regeneration after each reaction, or poor localization- that is, they don't get into cells, or if they do, they don't get into the mitochondrial membranes where the vast majority of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced. C60-oo is lipophilic, gets into membranes, and based on studies with other fullerene compounds, gets into mitochondria. Its behavior has all the hallmarks of a powerful mitochondrial antioxidant. C60 acts as a catalytic antioxidant, so it doesn't get used up; rather it continues to work for a long time. Other c60 compounds have been shown to have SOD-mimetic ability.
Mitochondrial ROS are definitely bad actors. They damage most any biomolecule they come in contact with, but their damage to mitochondrial DNA is particularly problematic in that it leads ultimately to the creation of senescent cells that do a great deal of damage, constantly pumping out pro-inflammatory molecules and refusing to die. There are a number of mechanisms and processes involved in aging, but I would have to put mitochondrial ROS damage at the top of the list.
Rats and mice are oxidatively challenged. They don't have antioxidant defenses that are as good as ours, and would be expected to benefit more from a really good antioxidant than humans would. That means that we should not expect to live to 150 from c60-oo alone, but this is the first compound that properly employed might actually move the needle in a significant way for human longevity. Rather than a 90% increase in lifespan, I'd be thinking more along the lines of 10%. That's not a prediction or promise, more like an educated guess. If it's off by a lot, I hope I've undershot rather than overshot, but it could go the other way. To put it another way, there are large error bars."
Assumptions
Even though the cause of the double life extension of the Wistar rats is not completely understood I can conclude a number of things. Firstly, c60-oo is reasonably safe to experiment with. The purpose of the test was not to determine the effects of longevity of rats on c60-oo. The purpose of the test was to show the level of toxicity. The test proves c60 has no toxic affects on the body when suspended in olive oil and actually shows protective super-antioxidant properties. If it remains in the body it is likely doing something useful. Secondly, there are possible benefits of cell protection, repair or maintenance. If any one of these benefits, either alone or in tandem, are true then c60-oo can be an elixir providing a route to greater health and longevity. Couple this with c60's ability to scavenge free radicals from the body, c60's promises are too good to ignore. It should be noted that there has been no reproduction of this experiment. One is currently on the way but it will take four years to complete. Also, there has been no peer review of this test and it's data. There has been a number of people who have taken c60-oo during the last year. Anecdotal evidence shows that it has positive benefits.
Below is a link to poll results on Longecity for individuals who have or are currently taking c60-oo. I have not taken this poll. 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.
Longecity c60 poll
Carnosine
Carnosine is an amino acid peptide found in all proteins. It is particularly found in meats. While it's mechanisms of effect are not quite known, it is commonly excepted that Canosine is a vital and useful component in the prevention of cell death (AKA Old Age). It has been proven to prevent the hardening and accumulation of junk between cells (AGEs) and it delays and reverses cell death (senescence). We do know that something good is going on inside the cells when taking carnosine. It is suspected that it works by protecting telomeres from shortening. It is neither and activator or an inhibitor but it is a telomere protector. People taking this supplement boast visible anecdotal results.
The adage goes, "You are what you eat." It's important to develop a healthy pattern of good food choices that are low in sodium and saturated fats. Calorie restriction is known to improve the quality of cell health. Studies in rats have demonstrated that an exaggerated restriction of calories actually extends their lifespan. Resveratrol is valuable because it sends a signal to our cells telling them that you are starving. The cells have a built in mechanism for survival in the absence of calories which strengthens them. It is a proven fact that obese people have greater health issues. It isn't a common known fact that obesity can damage the body's cells. I think a balanced approach to foods is best.
The issue of lifestyle is not relegated only to diet and exercise. There are things that we can do that are either beneficial or detrimental to our bodies. Smoking is one of those things that can be detrimental to the body. In fact, any recreational drug such as alcohol and marijuana is suspect in that they create an unhealthy environment for our cells and encourage cell death. I don't have the imagination to list every detrimental behavior possible so I won't attempt it. I think that in using common sense I can eliminate most of these issues.
One of the things that good foods can do for me is to fight free radicals. Free radicals are molecultes in our bodies that are damaged chemically and have exposed unpaired electrons. These electrons can attach to cells and drain them of their energy. This can result in damaged mitochondria and result ultimately in cell death. Some foods are full of free radicals and we should avoid these types of foods. Foods with empty calories are prone to create free radicals as are foods prepared with certain preservatives and/or tainted with pesticides. The key to healthy foods is to stay away with anything processed artificially. Stay away from genetically altered foods such as meats, vegetables and fruits. Anything properly labeled as organic has a high probability of being healthy for you.
One way we can fight free radicals is through antioxidants. According to Wikipedia, "An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons or hydrogen from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions. When the chain reaction occurs in a cell, it can cause damage or death to the cell. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions. They do this by being oxidized themselves, so antioxidants are often reducing agents such as thiols, ascorbic acid, or polyphenols."
One common antioxidant is vitamin C which is found in all citrus. There are allot of other supplements that provide antioxidants such as malatonin. Malatonin is generated in our bodies naturally and acts as a trigger to our brains that it's time to go to sleep. This reaction is a natural one to a lack of light. This explains why I get sleepy when the lights grow dim. As we get older our bodies create less Malatonin which explains why the elderly have difficulty sleeping. Malatonin is a great sleep aid. Resveratrol is also an antioxidant.
C60-00
C60 is a powerful antioxidant. Unlike many antioxidants it does not lose its potential as some give away their electrical charge and sacrifice themselves in the process. C60 holds on to free radicals until they can do something useful. Once this occurs C60 is released back into the body to act as a free radical scavenger. C60-oo has a mysterious effect on the cells and it is suspected that it has long lasting benefits. It has been determined that c60 does not do well and can actually cause toxicity if added to water. This is why it is suspended in olive oil to forms lipids when taken as a supplement. You can read more about c60-oo in my article on "The Baati Rat Study" in the left menu. I will however repeat my assumptions here and supply some theories of action.
Predominant Theories of Activation
1) C60 passes through cell membranes where it:
A) Aides in repairing mitochondria, promotes bio-genesis (creation of new mitochondria), prevents or delays ROS (Cell destroying) activity, or perhaps resets the mitochondrial age.
B) Prevents oxidative stress and provides anti-oxidant action on the cellular level.
C) Renews DNA by demethylation when it binds itself to the DNA winding that is prone to degradation.
D) Deposits olive-oil in the cell where it normally could not permeate providing extra anti-oxidants and fuel.
2) It acts as a catalytic scavenger neutralizing free radicals in the body until they can do something useful. At that point the c60 is released and is available for scavenging again.
In the words of Niner, one of Longecity's citizens, "I think that we are doing something very beneficial at the cellular level, but that the mechanism is primarily (if not totally) antioxidant in nature. The antioxidants that most of us are familiar with are flawed in a number of ways. They variously have terrible pharmacokinetics, pro-oxidant activity, a requirement for chemical regeneration after each reaction, or poor localization- that is, they don't get into cells, or if they do, they don't get into the mitochondrial membranes where the vast majority of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced. C60-oo is lipophilic, gets into membranes, and based on studies with other fullerene compounds, gets into mitochondria. Its behavior has all the hallmarks of a powerful mitochondrial antioxidant. C60 acts as a catalytic antioxidant, so it doesn't get used up; rather it continues to work for a long time. Other c60 compounds have been shown to have SOD-mimetic ability.
Mitochondrial ROS are definitely bad actors. They damage most any biomolecule they come in contact with, but their damage to mitochondrial DNA is particularly problematic in that it leads ultimately to the creation of senescent cells that do a great deal of damage, constantly pumping out pro-inflammatory molecules and refusing to die. There are a number of mechanisms and processes involved in aging, but I would have to put mitochondrial ROS damage at the top of the list.
Rats and mice are oxidatively challenged. They don't have antioxidant defenses that are as good as ours, and would be expected to benefit more from a really good antioxidant than humans would. That means that we should not expect to live to 150 from c60-oo alone, but this is the first compound that properly employed might actually move the needle in a significant way for human longevity. Rather than a 90% increase in lifespan, I'd be thinking more along the lines of 10%. That's not a prediction or promise, more like an educated guess. If it's off by a lot, I hope I've undershot rather than overshot, but it could go the other way. To put it another way, there are large error bars."
Assumptions
Even though the cause of the double life extension of the Wistar rats is not completely understood I can conclude a number of things. Firstly, c60-oo is reasonably safe to experiment with. The purpose of the test was not to determine the effects of longevity of rats on c60-oo. The purpose of the test was to show the level of toxicity. The test proves c60 has no toxic affects on the body when suspended in olive oil and actually shows protective super-antioxidant properties. If it remains in the body it is likely doing something useful. Secondly, there are possible benefits of cell protection, repair or maintenance. If any one of these benefits, either alone or in tandem, are true then c60-oo can be an elixir providing a route to greater health and longevity. Couple this with c60's ability to scavenge free radicals from the body, c60's promises are too good to ignore. It should be noted that there has been no reproduction of this experiment. One is currently on the way but it will take four years to complete. Also, there has been no peer review of this test and it's data. There has been a number of people who have taken c60-oo during the last year. Anecdotal evidence shows that it has positive benefits.
Below is a link to poll results on Longecity for individuals who have or are currently taking c60-oo. I have not taken this poll. 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.
Longecity c60 poll
Carnosine
Carnosine is an amino acid peptide found in all proteins. It is particularly found in meats. While it's mechanisms of effect are not quite known, it is commonly excepted that Canosine is a vital and useful component in the prevention of cell death (AKA Old Age). It has been proven to prevent the hardening and accumulation of junk between cells (AGEs) and it delays and reverses cell death (senescence). We do know that something good is going on inside the cells when taking carnosine. It is suspected that it works by protecting telomeres from shortening. It is neither and activator or an inhibitor but it is a telomere protector. People taking this supplement boast visible anecdotal results.