Healthy aging supplements are designed to help slow down the effects of aging. Aging is a process, not a disease, but as we get older we are at greater risk of developing diseases that accelerate this process.
To point out just a few tips for healthy aging remember that exercise, a healthy diet, plenty of water and a good amount of sleep each night can all help in slowing down the aging process, and the idea of using healthy aging supplements aims to extend both lifespan and healthspan (the amount of time you remain healthy and mobile).
Top Healthy Aging Supplements, Based on Efficiency
Healthy aging supplements are designed to help you reverse or slow down the aging process and support organ efficiency and metabolism.
There are a number of healthy aging supplements available on the market, and quality ones can help you get rid of degenerative conditions of aging, such as vision loss, cognitive decline, as well as bone and joint deterioration.
- Vision
According to the Nutrition Business Journal, the carotenoids zeaxanthin, lutein and astaxanthin helped boost overall sales of the supplements world in 2008. Sales of vision-health products rose 48 percent in 2008, three times more than sales of products for bone health.
Most epidemiological studies and clinical trials support the idea that zeaxanthin and lutein, both concentrated in the retina and lens of the eye, have a potential role in the prevention and treatment of certain eye conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and cataracts.
Zeaxanthin can help reduce the deleterious effects of glare, as well as improve visual performance and help protect against harmful blue light through antioxidant mechanisms.
Omega 3 fatty acids can help with vision as well. Studies comparing twins found that those who did not smoke and who ate more fish or consumed more omega 3 they had reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration than their twin who smoked and ate less fish or consumed less omega 3.
B gallaeen contained in green tea’s epigallocatechinte has been found to fight glaucoma and other eye diseases. Researchers who fed rats green tea found that the rats’ lenses, retinas and other eye tissues have absorbed the green tea nutrients, while harmful oxidative in their eyes was reduced for up to 20 hours.
- Cognition
The cognitive-health market can be broken down into many different directions, from brain function to memory or even to mood. Overall, cognitive health has risen sharply and is now a top health concern among the geriatric set, according to Mintel, a market research firm based in Chicago.
B vitamins are essential for cognitive health, especially choline – a precursor for biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Moreover, choline is also vital to making certain phospholipids, which essential components of all cell membranes, particularly phosphatidycholine.
Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly DHA, are also considered effective natural bioactives for cognitive health. The Framingham Heart Study conducted on 5,209 adults found that those who consumed 180 mg of DHA per day, or 2.7 servings of fish in a week, had a 50 percent reduction in dementia.
Phosphatidylserine (PS) helps comprise cell membranes, and is particularly concentrated in the brain, making it useful for a range of cognitive concerns, from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to Alzheimer’s disease or depression. Because omega 3 fatty acids also accumulate in the brain, researchers combined PS with EPA and DHA in a three-month, randomized, double-blind study of 60 children with ADHD.
- Bones
Bone health is another strong growth category, boosted by the exlosion if vitamin D sales. Sales of bone-health supplements jumped 16 percent to $1.4 billion in 2008. The FDA has amended the health claim for bones, adding vitamin D to calcium’s efficacy in maintaining healthy bone mineral density.
Bone-health supplements are starting to have a baseline of ingredients, such as calcium, vitamin D and magnesium, just to name a few. Inulin is increasingly being used to increase calcium absorption in adolescents, young adults and older women. As part of a study, adolescents who were given 8 grams of inulin-type fructan prebiotics each day for a year experienced considerably increased calcium absorption, as well as enhanced bone mineralization during pubertal growth.
Vitamin K is also entering the field, becoming a powerful player in the bone-health market. Vitamin K activates osteocalcin in bones, which binds calcium to bone surfaces. Vitamins K2, MK-4 and MK-7 are commercially available.
A comparison study between vitamin K1 and MK-7 vitamin K2 found that both were absorbed well, with peak serum concentrations at four hours after intake. The half life of vitamin K2, however, was seven to eight times as long as vitamin K1, which resulted in a more complete activation of osteocalcin.
Moreover, green tea has now been found to help with bone health as well. One study showed that the green tea catechin epigallocatechin increased the activity of a key enzyme that promotes bone growth by as much as 79 percent. In addition, EGC also significantly boosted levels of bone mineralization in the cells, which strengthens bones, and high concentrations of EGC blocked the activity of a type of cell that breaks down or weakens bones.
- Joints
The past four years have seen a rise in sales of products aimed specifically at joint health, which jumped from $1.26 billion to $1.56.
Glucosamine and chondroitin are well-know leaders in this category, and randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trials show that 1,500 milligrams of glucosamine a day reduced knee pain in a three-year study, while 1,200 of chondroitin a day reduced knee pain in a four-month study.
In addition, a recent human clinical trial compared UC-II brand collagen with a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin in treating osteoartritis of the knee. After 90 days, UC-II reduced the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) score by as much as 33 percent, compared to just 14 percent in the glucosamine/chondroitin group. Pain scores declined 20 percent in the UX-II grouo, while in the glucosamine/chondroitin thet declined 6 percent.
Natural eggshell membrane is a new addition to the category, but seems very promising. In an eight-week study of 67 patients, 500 mg of NEM resulted in a significant improvement in pain – 15.9 percent reduction – and stiffness – 12.8 reduction – after 10 days of supplementation. There was a trend for overall WOMAC score decline, however it did not reach significance after 60 days.
Boswellia, known traditionally as frankincense, is another new entrant in the category. 5-Loxin, a proprietary frankincense extract, was shown to improve pain and physical-function scores after seven days in 75 osteoarthritis patients.
Lastly, krill is another hot joint-health ingredient, containing the omega 3s DHA and EPA as well as phospholipids, protein, astaxanthin and other antioxidants. Not many clinical trials have been published on krill, but one study measured its effects on chronic inflammation in patients with osteoarthritis.