Longevity Support
Mar 30, 2022
Disclaimer
Our Integrative Medical Advisory team has developed or collected these protocols from practitioners and supplier partners to help health care practitioners make decisions when building treatment plans. By following this protocol, you understand and accept that the recommendations in the protocol are for initial guidance and need to seek medical professional advise.
Global life expectancy has been increasing over the last few decades. During this time the rate of age-related diseases has been increasing as well. (15) Improving quality of life and longevity is essential to having a full healthy and vibrant community of aging adults.
Different biomarkers, such as oxidative stress and vitamin D status, may provide insight into risk of developing a chronic disease at an older age. For example, increased levels of oxidative stress are associated with frailty and sarcopenia in geriatric populations. (2) Vitamin D status can act as an indicator for possible ill health when aging. (4) Telomere length and integrity have been found to correlate with all-cause mortality. (17) Therefore, addressing a range of age-associated biomarkers and risk factors is key in increasing life expectancy and improving quality of life in later years.
Due to the nature of this protocol focusing on all-cause mortality, telomere length, and long-term risk reduction, the supportive research selected below primarily focuses on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and/or observational cohort studies.
Multivitamin
Multivitamin formulation, minimum 8 weeks (9)
- Multivitamin use was associated with a 5.1% longer telomere length of leukocyte DNA in women aged 35 to 74 (18)
- Multivitamins containing a combination of minerals and herbs improved ratings of calmness and decreased perceived mental stress in healthy women aged 50-75 years within a few hours after administration (13)
- Multivitamin supplementation in elderly women was associated with an increase in inhibitory neural processes, indicating a possible improvement in neural efficiency during memory retrieval (14)
- Multivitamins were shown to improve alertness, daily functioning, and mood according to overall score on depression, anxiety, and stress scale in men aged 50-69 years old (9)
Omega-3 fatty acids
1.25-2.5 g, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), total per day, minimum 4 weeks (11)(16)
- Omega-3 PUFAs in middle to late aged adults decreased inflammation as demonstrated by reductions in IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 (16)
- Improved inflammation, immune cell aging, and decreased oxidative stress by 15% in healthy sedentary overweight middle-aged and older adults; Additionally telomere lengths were found to increase when omega 6 to omega-3 ratios decreased (11)
- Meta-analysis of 13 RCTs found marine-sourced omega-3 supplementation was associated with decreased risk of myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and related mortality, in a dose-dependent fashion (10)
Green tea
300 mg, total per day, minimum of 14 days; or 1-5 cups per day of brewed green tea (1)(6)(12)
- Cohort analysis of 313,381 subjects followed for a mean of 17.3 years found that high consumption of green tea (≥ 5 cups/day) decreased all-cause mortality; moderate consumption (3-4 cups per day) decreased respiratory- and cancer-related mortality (1)
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of 39 cohort studies found that for each cup of tea consumed (estimated 338 mg total flavonoids), there was a decreased risk of CVD mortality (4%), CVD events (2%), stroke (4%), and all-cause mortality (1.5%) (6)
- Green tea extract modulated inflammation by improving total antioxidant status, myeloperoxidase and lactoferrin release (12)
Vitamin D
Minimum 800-2000 IU/day
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of 52 trials found a decrease in all-cause mortality with vitamin D3 supplementation and a decrease of 16% for risk of cancer death (20)
- Meta-analysis of 159 trials found vitamin D3 to decrease mortality in independently living and institutionalized care elderly (3)
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of 73 cohort studies and 22 randomized controlled trials found an inverse association of vitamin D levels with risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality; supplementation decreased overall mortality in older adults (5)
- Meta-analysis of 42 randomized controlled trials found a decrease in all-cause mortality when supplemented long term (3 years or more) (21)
B-Complex vitamin
Variable based on each B vitamin and form
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 articles found supplement decreased stress status in healthy and at-risk populations (those at risk for poor nutrient status or poor mood status) (19)
- Long term supplementation (2 years) of B-complex improved health-related quality of life in older adults with elevated homocysteine (7)
- Total plasma homocysteine was found to be 30% lower than placebo when supplemented long-term (2 years) with B-complex in patients with mild cognitive impairment; cognitive decline also slowed and executive function stabilized (8)