3 Promising Anti-Aging Drugs and an Anti-Aging Diet: Current Studies

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The field of anti-aging research is constantly evolving, and new discoveries and treatments are being developed all the time. Let’s look at a few of the most recent—and promising—advancements in anti-aging science.

1. Senolytics

Senolytic drugs are effective in treating a known cause of aging and could prevent a broad range of age-related diseases.

They act by destroying senescent cells—damaged cells that have stopped dividing but refuse to die. Senescent cells accumulate with aging at the causal sites of many chronic disorders and diseases. They can excrete a wide variety of potentially harmful or proinflammatory molecules that damage surrounding tissues.

Clearance of senescent cells has been demonstrated to delay aging, treat age-related diseases, and extend “health spans.”

Different from life span, which is the total number of years a person would live, “health span is how many of those years a person would be considered healthy and disease free,” Dr. Theodore Strange, chair of medicine and a geriatrician at Staten Island University Hospital, part of Northwell Health in New York, told The Epoch Times.

Some commonly studied senolytic compounds that are easy to obtain from your diet include:

• Fisetin, a plant-based flavonoid found in many fruits and vegetables, including strawberries, apples, onions, and grapes.
• Quercetin, another plant flavonol that’s found in onions, red wine, green tea, apples, and berries.

2. Metformin

There’s much evidence that metformin, a diabetes drug derived from a compound found in common French lilacs, could do more than help patients improve their blood sugar.

According to a critical 2021 review published in Frontiers in Endocrinology, it may slow aging.

The review found that the drug might not have this effect in people without diabetes, but its ability to reduce early death associated with diseases that include diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive decline can improve our health span and extend the time we spend in good health.

A 2020 review published in Cell Metabolism looked at several studies and concluded that metformin’s efficacy in reducing the hallmarks of biological aging is “reflective of its strength and potential as a therapeutic that can target crucial mechanistic pathways involved in aging.”

It’s important to remember that metformin is a prescription drug and can have side effects, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. It should only be used under a doctor’s guidance.

3. NAD+ Precursors

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a crucial molecule for life and health; it plays a role in energy metabolism, DNA repair, and the processes of cell survival or death.

Aging is accompanied by the gradual decline of NAD+ levels in our bodies.

This decline has been linked to several age-associated diseases, including cognitive decline, cancer, metabolic disease, and frailty. NAD+ precursors are compounds that we can take to increase levels of this critical substance in our bodies.

They include different forms of vitamin B3 (niacin)—nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)—and are present in certain foods.

Nicotinamide riboside can be found in cow’s milk, and nicotinamide mononucleotide is found naturally in foods such as edamame, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, and avocado.

Anti-Aging Diet: Calorie Restriction

Drugs and compounds from food aren’t the only way to slow aging. In fact, not eating can also have a profound effect.

A first-of-its-kind randomized controlled trial by an international team of researchers shows that restricting the number of calories we eat can slow the pace of aging in healthy adults.

The pace of aging was measured by participants’ blood DNA methylation (the process of adding a methyl group to DNA). The measured effect was equivalent to a 2 to 3 percent reduction in the pace of aging.

Previous research confirms that even a modest reduction in the rate of aging can have profound effects on population health.

Calen Ryan, a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University’s Butler Aging Center and co-lead author of the study, said that while the study found evidence that calorie restriction slowed the pace of aging in humans, it might not be right for everyone.

“Our findings are important because they provide evidence from a randomized trial that slowing human aging may be possible,” Ryan said in a statement. “They also give us a sense of the kinds of effects we might look for in trials of interventions that could appeal to more people, like intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating.”

Living a Healthy Lifestyle

Strange pointed out that there’s no one medication or class of medications that significantly slows the aging process and is approved for such use.

It’s important to note that while these advancements are promising, most are still in the early stages of research and have yet to be fully tested and proven in human trials.

However, keeping healthy habits is still one of the most effective ways to increase health span and improve overall health.

The key components of a healthy lifestyle include:

• A diet that’s rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
• Physical activity is crucial for maintaining good health and increasing our health spans. Regular exercise can help improve cardiovascular health, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
• Chronic stress can negatively affect physical health and increase our risk of developing chronic conditions. Finding healthy ways to manage stress, such as through meditation, yoga, or regular exercise, can help reduce stress levels and improve overall health.
• Getting enough sleep is essential for maintaining good health. Aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night and avoid staying up late or using electronic devices before bedtime, as this could interfere with sleep quality.
• Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are two unhealthy habits that could significantly reduce your health span by increasing your risk of chronic diseases and cancer. Quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption can have a positive effect on overall health that increases both health and life span.

“What we eat, staying active physically and mentally, and taking care of one’s self are the best ways possible to slow the aging process,” Strange said.