To supplement or not?

The facts and myths about the impacts of supplements on reducing biological age

Dr Nichola Conlon and Nikolina Lauc (CEO and co-founder of GlycanAge) discuss the impact of supplementation on biological age. To watch the recording of their discussion, click the link below.

 

 

With many supplements on the market claiming to ‘reversing aging’ it can be hard to distinguish which are reputable. Dr Nichola Conlon and Nikolina Lauc discuss what to look for when purchasing supplements, which supplements have data to show their efficacy and what the latest research says is the best way to reduce your biological age.

 

Supplements can reverse biological age

Firstly, it is important to note that the body cannot tell the difference between a substance derived from food, supplements or drugs. Therefore, nutrients derived from food or supplements are no less powerful and they can all have an effect at a cellular level.

The ability to test biological age and measure a person’s response to different supplements or other interventions is a relatively new concept. Therefore, not many studies have been conducted on the ability of a supplement to reverse biological age. However, it is expected that supplements which support cellular health and target the root causes of cellular aging will have beneficial effects on biological age.

There are some very positive initial studies that have shown deficiencies in vitamin D accelerate biological age and restoration of vitamin D levels with supplements reduce biological age.

NAD+ is known to target the cellular mechanisms which drive the aging process. That is why during our clinical trial biological age was one of the factors measured in collaboration with GlycanAge. The results showed that Nuchido TIME+ reverse biological age by 1.26 years after only 28 days of supplementation.

 

Personalisation is key for health optimisation

However, before blindly buying supplements or making drastic changes to your lifestyle it is important to tailor them to your personal requirements. You can do this by getting regular blood tests to identify any deficiencies you may have such as B12, Vitamin D or folate.

It can also be beneficial to have your genetics tested to identify any mutations that you may have, for example an MTHFR mutation can impair the cells’ ability to convert folic acid into the active from folate, contributing to folate deficiencies.

By analysing your genetic profile and monitoring your blood biomarkers you can ensure you are taking the correct supplements for your body and in the correct format, which will benefit your cellular health.

Everyone’s biology is different, so the diet and exercise routines of someone else may not be optimal for you. Furthermore, by consistently measuring your biological age you can analyse which lifestyle habits and supplements are beneficial for you.

The increased availability of such testing has allowed a new era of personalised health optimisation, going beyond just external effects, you can now see the impacts of these changes at a cellular level.

 

Choose supplements with clinical evidence

When choosing supplements it is important to choose those which are science based and have clinical evidence of their efficacy and safety. Supplement companies are not required to perform clinical testing in humans to support their marketing claims, and because running a clinical trial is a very expensive and time-consuming process many supplement companies never test their products in this manner.

At Nuchido we are very passionate about bringing scientific rigour to the supplement industry, which is why we conducted our clinical trial. A randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled crossover study of Nuchido TIME+ demonstrated:

  • Nuchido TIME+ significantly increases cellular NAD+ after only 7 days
  • Unlike NR or NMN it works by switching back on youthful cellular NAD+ production by reactivating a key enzyme in the Salvage Pathway
  • An increase in the longevity protein SIRT1, a downstream target of NAD+
  • A reduction of inflammatory cytokines indicating that NAD+ is being directed towards beneficial processes rather than inflammatory CD38
  • A reduction in biomarkers of glycation
  • A reversal of biological age

 

How does Dr Nichola Conlon stay 20? 

Nuchido CEO Dr Nichola Conlon has been measuring her biological age for a few years and her most recent test showed her biological age is 20, 15 years lower than her chronological age.

Nichola is a huge advocate for getting the basics right. Numerous studies show that focusing on your diet, exercise and sleep are a critical foundation for optimal health and extremely effective at reversing biological age.

Nichola is a fan of incorporating a variety of foods into her diet to support her gut health, regular exercise, fasting and tracking her sleep with an Oura ring. She also supplements with Nuchido TIME+ to optimise her NAD+ levels, Vitamin D3 and K2.

 

 

Overall, the emerging data shows that supplementation can be a very beneficial tool alongside lifestyle changes for optimising your health and reversing biological age. However, it is important to choose supplements based on your personal requirements and those which have clinical evidence supporting their claims.

To learn more about measuring your biological age with GlycanAge click here.