As we get older, our metabolism slows and energy production decreases and we feel the difference.
As we get older, free radicals cause increasing damage to our DNA and cells and we become more vulnerable to the diseases of aging.
As we get older, chronic inflammation increases and we live with daily aches and pains.
Less energy, more damage, more inflammation.
I recommend three initial interventions: an energy booster, an antioxidant, an anti-inflammatory.
So let’s talk about inflammation.
Inflammation is not inherently good or bad.
Acute (short-term) inflammation in response to an infection can be helpful in fighting off that infection when your body roadblocks the germs in place and prevents them from spreading.
Chronic (long-term) inflammation is what produces the daily aches and pains that come with age.
This inflammation is also called sterile inflammation since it does not result from an infection.
Sterile inflammation is one of the hallmarks of aging and is sometimes referred to as “inflammaging.”
So how can we stay ahead of the subtle, age-related inflammation that builds over time, and keep our bodies feeling balanced and renewed?
The Anti-Inflammatory
AKG (Alpha-ketoglutarate)
WHAT IS IT?
AKG is Alpha-ketoglutarate, which comes from another amino called glutamic acid and is part of our metabolism.
AKG is a natural molecule already made by your body — not a drug, just part of your normal cellular chemistry.
Chronic inflammation is linked to an age-associated functional decline with more aches and pains and less ability.
Blood AKG levels gradually drop with age: in humans, plasma AKG levels decline 10-fold between the ages of 40 and 80. Since AKG is not available in the human diet, direct supplementation is the only feasible route to restore youthful levels.
Dietary supplementation of AKG has been shown to promote a longer, healthier life associated with a decrease in levels of systemic inflammatory cytokines, meaning AKG suppresses chronic inflammation and this leads to improvements such as reduced frailty.
AKG has been shown to increase healthspan in multiple animal species, including in mice that scored an average of more than 40% better on tests of frailty, as measured by 31 functional outcomes including hair color, hearing, walking gait, grip strength.
And unlike pharmaceutical compounds with similar effects, AKG is naturally made by our own bodies and is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS).
Key Takeaway: AKG suppresses chronic inflammation, decreases physical frailty and increases functional ability.
HOW DO I FIND IT?
AKG is available without a prescription.
Supplement quality can vary and so it’s best to look for AKG in the form most used in studies: Calcium-AKG.
To find a supplier that works for you, go to any online retail platform that sells AKG and then head over to ConsumerLab to read the results of independent lab tests on products from that supplier.
WHAT’S NEXT?
So that covers the anti-inflammatory…but what about the energy booster? The antioxidant?
Let’s talk about the energy booster and how it helps increase energy production levels in your cells, restoring them to a more youthful level of function.
Let’s talk about the body’s master antioxidant and how it neutralizes oxidative stress and slows the aging process by preventing damage to your cells.
When you’re ready to explore these solutions at your own pace, begin with The First Step