For the last billion years or so life on planet Earth has evolved with remarkable diversity, filling every niche, even those that seem unlivable. Included within this diversity of life are creatures that are essentially immortal, for example, the hydra, a fresh-water polyp that can live as long as 1400 years¹. Even more incredible is an immortal jellyfish² (Turritopsis dohrnii) that potentially, has been alive for the last 65 million years! If they had a memory, they could tell us what wiped the dinosaurs out! Recently, researchers re-animated a Bdelloid rotifer, a tiny animal that had been frozen in the Siberian permafrost for more than 24,000 years³.

Yet, for mammals, lifespan is much shorter. Human beings have a potential lifespan of more than 120 years⁴ which is much shorter than the amazing animals mentioned above but is still remarkable when others, like the common mouse gets only three years⁵. This hardly seems fair to the humble house mouse when its distant relative, the naked mole rat gets closer to 30 years⁶.

Can we change the speed we age?
The deeper you look the clearer it becomes that just like the diversity of life there is a diversity of longevity. And with that realization researchers have rushed to investigate the difference between short and long-lived species to identify and perhaps even develop interventions translating the lessons we learn from research and harnessing them to prolong the years we spend youthful and healthy on this planet.

In 2013 scientists published a paper called the Hallmarks of Aging in a research journal called Cell⁷. This paper identified nine hallmarks or causes of aging that ranged from DNA damage to mitochondrial dysfunction to cellular senescence. Each hallmark qualified as being involved in aging by the results of laboratory experiments. If you made a hallmark worse, it accelerated the aging process and if you protected it, you slowed down the aging process. This paper was important because it gave researchers targets to investigate to see if they could impact aging, and in so doing, they unleashed a phenomenal level of research to find compounds that positively affect each hallmark. And the size of the prize is huge. When a company solves the question of slowing the aging process, it will disrupt a trillion-dollar industry and give birth to a brand new one overnight.

Measuring the speed at which we age
Recently researchers have discovered that we have a biological clock that sits on our DNA with time being recorded by the number of methyl groups attached to our DNA⁸. Using machine learning they identified patterns of methylation that are closely correlated with our chronological age. And in the process discovered that different people age at different speeds not just outwardly but on the inside as well, and measurably so by looking at their DNA methylation patterns. Of course, we already knew that people age at different rates because we see some people fit and healthy into the 10th decade whereas some are not so lucky and seem to get the diseases of old age as early as their 5th decade. But to have a simple test to confirm this and allow people to assess the age their cells are acting compared to their chronological age is an incredible breakthrough.

What is exciting is that your biological age does not need to be your destiny and can be changed. If you have turned 50 and your DNA methylation is at a level that is usually seen with someone in their 70s then by making lifestyle changes like exercise and diet and taking new supplements you can bring your biological age into line with your chronological age. And perhaps even more exciting is that if your results are similar you can take the same actions to slow down your biological aging. It is entirely possible in your chronological 50s or 60s that you could celebrate your 40th or 30th decade again! And it is available to everyone, today, right now with simple actions.

Moving from luck to strategy in aging
For the first time in human history we are about to take the luck out of getting old with health and vitality and make healthy aging with an extended healthspan accessible to us all. In my book, "Harnessing the Nine Hallmarks of Aging," I have distilled the very latest in research and created a lifelong healthy aging plan for people who want to age better and arrive at a more mature age with more health and vitality than any previous generation of humans have obtained. I describe specific strategies for those who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond and share breakthroughs in our understanding of what molecules and supplements can impact and slow the aging process.

For example, molecules like Hobamine (2-HOBA)⁹, an extract from Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat, has recently been isolated and shows incredible potential to slow the aging process by protecting our delicate DNA and other cellular components and machinery from the damage associated with oxidative stress throughout our lifetime. Also, NAD, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is an important co-enzyme that fuels our mitochondria and our cellular repair and maintenance mechanisms. NAD levels decline in our cells as we age, so by restoring this vital co-enzyme via supplements like NMN¹⁰ (nicotinamide mononucleotide) researchers have seen changes in our cells that are associated with levels of health seen in cells that are considerably younger.

In the future, there will be significant advances in our ability to slow the aging process beyond what we have available to us today. For now however, adopting the strategies outlined in "Harnessing the Nine Hallmarks of Aging" will help you slow the speed of aging that your cells experience, and with this you are taking affirmative action to delay the diseases associated with old age. The sooner you start the better shape your cells will be in and this will be reflected in how you feel, how you look and increase your healthspan - the amount of time you spend in your body while experiencing amazing health.

1. This Tiny Animal Can Live an Estimated 1,400 Years - Scientific American
2. Science of the immortal jellyfish, Earth's longest living animal - Science Focus
3. A living bdelloid rotifer from 24,000-year-old Arctic permafrost - ScienceDirect
4. Longitudinal analysis of blood markers reveals progressive loss of resilience and predicts human lifespan limit | Nature Communications
5. House mouse (Mus musculus) longevity, ageing, and life history - senescence.info
6. Naked mole rat may hold the secret to long life - phys.org
7. The Hallmarks of Aging: Cell
8. Epigenetic clock - Wikipedia
9. 2-hydroxybenzylamine - Search Results - PubMed
10. Long-term administration of nicotinamide mononucleotide mitigates age-associated physiological decline in mice - nih.gov
11. Fisetin is a senotherapeutic that extends health and lifespan - PubMed
12. Senolytics reduce coronavirus-related mortality in old mice | Science
13. COVID-FISETIN: Pilot in SARS-CoV-2 of Fisetin to Alleviate Dysfunction and Inflammation - ClinicalTrials.gov

The term “Superfood” was first used in the 1990s when a cookbook that was co-written by Dr. Michael Van Straten, a practitioner of alternative medicine, appeared in the bookshops. It was titled Superfoods and it claimed to provide the reader with information regarding various nutrients to help the body improve resistance against diseases and stress. Since that time, “superfoods” is primarily associated with fruits, vegetables and any other food products that are considered to be healthy for the body.

As time progressed, however, nutritious Mother Nature made foods that once held the superfood distinction, were overthrown by exotic foods, as if they were the only ones now worthy of the superfoods monarchy. In fact, the superfoods term has been used so frequently by food and product promoters over the past decade, the public now believes that these exotic foods have near-magical qualities to compensate for their high prices.

Whenever a scientific study provides evidence regarding a positive effect of some chemical property or properties found in a so-called superfood, that superfoods promotional influence is instantly boosted and more companies can jump on the superfood bandwagon.

This is yet another reason why food promoters are constantly searching for yet undiscovered sources of remarkable nutrients. The public is continuously bombarded with new food products that allegedly can provide all sorts of healthy benefits to the body single-handedly. Over the years, the term “superfood” has retained its appeal to the public but it is now used mainly to create hype about a product to make it more marketable. With all the marketing gimmicks aside, what really constitutes a superfood?

Up until now, there is no scientifically accepted definition of “superfood.” As mentioned, the term is generally used to refer to foods that are jam-packed with nutrients and can provide health benefits to your body¹ Contrary to the marketing claims, there is no food product—no matter how exotic—that can single-handedly provide all of your health needs. Limiting yourself to eating these so-called superfoods can actually result in an impaired, one-sided diet that can do you more harm than good.

Vitamins and minerals usually work in synergy and thereby need to work with one another in order to be able to provide what the body needs. This is a fact that is usually overlooked by people in their desire to get a one-way ticket to good health. Superfoods also work in synergy, and therefore—in more cases than not—it is wise to consume them as a package, or the whole food.

Food scientists can easily isolate one or two components of a superfood, and even though those components might look good based on a study or two, nature doesn’t work in isolation. This is why you don’t find a single isolated tocopherol (an isomer of vitamin E) in a food like almonds, but instead an array of mixed tocopherols, all of which work in synergy. Research has even shown that when we consume only one form of vitamin E (alpha tocopherol), it is at the detriment of the other forms, which potentially harms the body.²

Berry, Berry Good
The members of the berry kingdom are great examples of superfoods. These edible, fleshy and colorful fruits are full of antioxidants that can actually help in reversing and preventing diseases that are associated with free radicals.³ Free radicals are unstable molecules that react with various body chemicals, causing irreversible damage to our cells.⁴ As a person grows older, the damage caused by free radicals often worsens, which may speed up the process of aging and contribute to age-related health concerns. Antioxidants can help prevent premature aging by quenching the destructive action of free radicals.⁵ Berries, especially those with dark color, have one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants—flavonoids and anthocyanidins—found in nature.⁶

Anthocyanidins play an important role in memory function and can help decrease the rate of a person’s mental decline. Actually, a study was able to show that age-related cognitive decline reduced by about 1.5 to 2.5 years just by eating berries at least once a week.⁷ In addition, the same antioxidant can also fight the development of macular degeneration, an eye disorder usually brought about by old age.⁸

The risk of cancer and heart diseases, on the other hand, can be reduced by various flavonoids, especially quercetin.⁹ The immune system already has its own troop of cancer-fighting cells, but a study has shown that quercetin can greatly increase the number of anti-cancer cells in the body.¹⁰ It also can regulate cholesterol and blood pressure levels, which are two primary factors for heart disease.¹¹

Vitamin K
However, berries are not the only sources of nutrients that can fight heart disease. Green leafy vegetables are a great source of Vitamin K, which can also decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Unbeknownst to many, vitamin K works hand in hand with Vitamin D. Osteocalcin, a protein hormone present in Vitamin K, binds Vitamin D into your bones thus promoting bone health and prevents it from being deposited in your blood vessels.¹² Thus, protecting your blood vessels from being clogged and decreasing the risk of heart disease.

Nature is full of colors. More than just aesthetics, the different colors of natural products can actually give you a clue to the nutrient levels in them. Although some fruits or vegetables may have more nutrients than others, this does not mean that they are the only ones that provide the nutrients that you need. The next time that you eat, make sure that you have a colorful plate in front of you. This is your true and surefire ticket to good health.

References

1. MedicineNet. (n.d.). Definition of Superfoods. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=125459.
2. Chen H, et al. Mixed tocopherol preparation is superior to alpha-tocopherol alone against hypoxia-reoxygenation injury. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2002 Feb 22;291(2):349-53.
3. Paredes-López O, et al. Berries: improving human health and healthy aging, and promoting quality life. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2010 Sep;65(3):299–308. doi: 10.1007/s11130-010-0177-1.
4. WebMD. (n.d.). Free Radicals. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/free-radicals.
5. WebMD. (n.d.) Antioxidants – Topic Overview. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/antioxidants-topic-overview.
6. Stibich, Mark. (2014, May 1). Anti-Aging Properties of Berries. Retrieved from http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/qt/berries_aging.htm.
7. Park, Alice. (2012, April 26). Brain Food: Berries Can Slow Cognitive Decline. Time
8. Wang JJ, et al. Genetic susceptibility, dietary antioxidants, and long-term incidence of age-related macular degeneration in two populations. Ophthalmology. 2014 Mar;121(3):667–75.
9. Knekt P, et al. Flavonoid intake and risk of chronic disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Sep;76(3):560–8.
10. Brito AF, et al. Quercetin in cancer treatment, alone or in combination with conventional therapeutics? Curr Med Chem. 2015 Aug 12.
11. Dower JI, et al. Effects of the pure flavonoids epicatechin and quercetin on vascular function and cardiometabolic health: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 May;101(5):914-21. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.098590. Epub 2015 Feb 25.
12. Mercola. Without Vitamin K2, Vitamin D May Actually Encourage Heart Disease. (2011, July 16) Retrieved from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/16/fatsoluble-vitamin-shown-to-reduce-coronary-calcification.aspx.