A number of proteins and amino acids are being studied for their potential effects on human longevity. Here we take a look at 3 key anti-aging proteins and the various ways they can be used to help ‘hold back time’.
The skin is composed primarily of water, as well as elastin and collagen, two proteins that help maintain its elasticity and resistance.
Unfortunately, production of these two proteins declines with age, leading to the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, especially in areas of the body exposed to sunlight. By the age of 60, the skin has lost more than a third of its total collagen, synthesis having decreased by 1.5% a year from the age of 25.
To reduce these visible effects of aging, one solution is to stimulate endogenous collagen production. You can, for example, increase your vitamin C intake (the liposomal version has excellent bioavailability) as it plays a key role in collagen formation. Many people also choose to consume collagen directly (via meat broths or collagen supplements, for example) to provide the body with the components necessary for its production (see Marine Collagen).
However, aging is not the only factor responsible for falling collagen levels, so here are three tips to help you maintain your ‘collagen capital’:
The breakdown of proteins including collagen is another mechanism of aging (1). Over time, proteins in the body increasingly fall victim to a process called glycation. In becoming ‘glycated’, they lose their function, and in some cases, accumulate in the body, negatively affecting how functional cells, organs, and indeed our entire bodies, work. Those most affected include albumin, insulin, hemoglobin, immunoglobulins, lipoproteins, and of course ... collagen.
Among the potential inhibitors of this process is carnosine, a dipeptide (a potential ‘piece’ of protein) that the body produces itself. The problem is that levels of carnosine in the body also decline as we get older. Past the age of 70, muscle concentrations of carnosine fall by more than 60%, which partly explains the loss of muscle associated with aging. That’s why carnosine (see the supplement Carnosine) is sometimes considered to be an ‘anti-aging protein.
There are other potential ways of reducing the glycation process over the long term:
There’s a whole family of proteins, known as ‘youth proteins’, called sirtuins.. They act on several cellular mechanisms associated with aging such as DNA repair, resistance to oxidative stress, and combatting inflammation. But once again, their levels decline with age. And since we can’t supplement with sirtuins, we have to rely on two compounds, which according to several studies, are likely to activate their production: NAD, an essential coenzyme present in cells (2-3) and AMPK, a protein kinase, another worthy holder of the title ‘anti-aging protein’.
Concerning NAD, supplementation is ineffective as the compound is broken down in the gut (4). But that doesn’t happen to its precursors, nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), both of which are considered to be potential ‘anti-aging’ substances for this very reason. The same goes for AMPK: we need to use compounds that activate its internal production and can get past the intestinal barrier. The formulation AMPK Booster from SuperSmart contains compounds of this sort: berberine, fisetin and gypenosides.
Tips for boosting sirtuin production:
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