Nutrients and Supplements: What are Longevity Experts Saying and Why?
Longevity medicine is proactive, preventative medicine focused on delaying or eliminating the onset of chronic illnesses so you can maintain your ability to live a full life. It’s an approach that aims to extend your lifespan and improve your healthspan - the number of years you remain healthy and free from disease.
Part of healthy aging may mean incorporating vitamins and minerals into your routine to keep your body running efficiently. Ultimately, the best source of these essential nutrients is a balanced, healthy diet. Looking at what you are eating and drinking (and how you stay fit) should be key before starting any supplementation.
That said, our resident longevity enthusiast and medical director for Tall Tree’s Longevity Medicine program, Dr. Alex Brothers, has five supplements he often suggests as part of a broader approach to building healthy habits. We explore these below and ask you to keep in mind that these are not recommendations but rather information for you to consider in your conversations with your healthcare professional.
Remember, what is right for one person may not be right for you.
Science-supported nutrients for good health
Dr. Brothers identifies five supplements that the majority of the population may benefit from and that have the most evidence behind them. These are:
Omega-3
Creatine
Vitamin D
Magnesium
Methylated vitamin B complex
Omega-3
Omega-3
Higher levels of omega-3 in the blood has been shown to increase life expectancy. According to a study involving the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, in collaboration with The Fatty Acid Research Institute in the US and several universities in North America¹, levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood are as good a predictor of mortality from any cause as smoking.
The study used data from a long-term cohort study and concluded that “Having higher levels of these acids in the blood, as a result of regularly including oily fish in the diet, increases life expectancy by almost five years.”
There are three main types of omega-3 fats found in foods: ALA, EPA, and DHA. Our bodies can’t make ALA, which means we need to eat foods that contain it. ALA can be found in plant sources such as flax oil, walnuts, chia, or canola oil.
The best source of EPA and DHA is fish. According to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, “These fats may help lower blood pressure and triglyceride levels and prevent blood clots - all risk factors for developing heart disease².” Cold water fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, or tuna, can all be good sources of omega-3.
If you don’t eat enough fish, omega-3 fish oil supplements may be right for you. But check with your healthcare provider before starting to add any supplements to your routine. Supplements with fish liver oil may have high levels of vitamins A and D. If you are pregnant, avoid supplements with vitamin A.
Creatine
Creatine is often associated with boosting your workout routine or aiding in recovery. However, creatine has other benefits, including a positive impact on brain function, and may be helpful for people seeking to improve cognition or combat cognitive decline. Recent studies have shown that creatine as a dietary supplement can give a boost to both working memory and general intelligence³.
If you’d like to know more, this article on creatine supplementation and brain health does a good job of reviewing the literature and research and was cited by Andrew Huberman on his podcast episode “Nutrients for Brain Performance.”
Vitamin D
The sunshine vitamin, vitamin D, plays a big role in our well-being. It’s produced by our bodies - the sun’s energy turns a chemical in your skin into vitamin D3, which is carried first to your liver and then the kidneys to turn it into vitamin D.
As we age, our skin’s ability to produce Vitamin D declines. Low levels of vitamin D can lead to low bone calcium stores, which increases the risk of fractures. Researchers have also started to gather evidence that vitamin D does more than we thought for healthy aging⁴. Beyond helping the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus for building bone, according to Harvard University’s School of Public Health, “laboratory studies show that vitamin D can reduce cancer cell growth, help control infections and reduce inflammation.”
Vitamin D supplements come in vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Both are naturally occurring and produced in the presence of sunlight (why it’s known as the sunshine vitamin). D2 is produced in plants, and D3 in animals (including humans).
Magnesium
Magnesium is fundamental for our body’s health and function. Unfortunately, many Canadians are not getting enough magnesium through their diets⁵.
Magnesium can be relaxing and energiszing (a paradox, we know!). It supports our energy-producing pathways while also decreasing our stress response and improving sleep quality. Essentially, it helps balance and optimise our energy levels.
The potential signs of a magnesium deficiency are vast and include brain fog, headaches, elevated blood pressure, fatigue, muscle cramps, weakness, insomnia, anxiety, and many more (you get the picture).
There are lots of different types of magnesium, and not one type is better than the other. Given its different uses in the body, the type you choose is specific to your desired outcome and lifestyle. For more on the conditions that magnesium can help treat, as well as the different types of magnesium, check out our blog, “What does magnesium do?”.
Methylated Vitamin B Complex
Low levels of B vitamins may be linked to depression, dementia, and mental impairment.
Fortunately, B vitamins are found in many foods, so as long as you follow a healthy and nutrient-dense diet, you are not likely to develop a deficiency. But a note of caution, “Pregnancy, medical conditions, surgeries, genetics, medications, dietary restrictions, and age can all affect how your body absorbs and uses B vitamins,” which may make supplementation necessary to optimize your health.
So, what is methylated Vitamin B complex, and how can it benefit you? Let’s start with methylation. “Methylated” vitamins are in their active form, which makes them ready to be absorbed faster into your body than unmethylated vitamins⁹.
The “complex” in Vitamin B complex means that one pill contains all eight B vitamins, packing a powerful punch. Each type of B vitamin has its own primary health benefits. These include¹⁰:
Vitamin B1 (thiamin): crucial for the growth and function of various cells. Found in meats, fish, and whole grains.
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): supports cellular functions related to energy production, cell growth, and breaking down fats and medications. Found in meats, fortified foods, as well as some nuts and green leafy vegetables.
Vitamin B3 (niacin): works with enzymes to create materials like cholesterol and fat, converts nutrients into energy, has antioxidant effects, and creates and repairs DNA. Found in red meat and poultry, fish, brown rice, nuts, fortified breads, bananas, and more.
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): makes coenzyme A, which helps enzymes build and break down fatty acids. Also helps produce necessary fats, supporting brain health. Found in beef, chicken, organ meats, fortified cereals, and some vegetables.
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): assists enzymes in performing functions such as breaking down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats and supports immune function and brain health. Found in beef liver, tuna, salmon, fortified cereals, chickpeas, poultry, and some vegetables and fruits.
Vitamin B7 (biotin): plays an important role in helping enzymes to break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins in food. Found in beef liver, cooked eggs, salmon, avocados, pork, sweet potatoes, nuts, and seeds.
Vitamin B9 (folate, folic acid): helps to form DNA and RNA and is involved in protein metabolism. It’s needed to produce healthy red blood cells and is important during pregnancy and fetal development. Found in a variety of foods (like dark leafy green vegetables, beans, eggs, and more), but the form added to foods and supplements, folic acid, is better absorbed. In 1998 the US FDA required food manufacturers to add folic acid to things like bread, cereal, pasta, rice, and other grain products.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin): needed to form red blood cells and DNA. Plays a vital role in the function and development of brain and nerve cells. Found in things like fish, liver, red meat, eggs, poultry, dairy products, fortified cereals, and fortified nutritional yeast.
How do you know what’s right for you?
Do you fill up a car that is already full of gas? No! So why would adding supplementation to our diets be any different?
Supplements are to be used just as their name suggests. They supplement a whole food and nutrient-dense diet where we should be getting most of our micronutrients.
The first part of supplementation is knowing what your levels are currently and if you would benefit from any supplementation. Detailed blood testing can measure the levels of these essential nutrients in your body and alert you to any deficits, including vitamin deficiencies (if you’re interested in knowing your levels but don’t know where to start, check out Healthspan Laboratories).
The decision to take certain vitamins or supplements needs to be right for you. As Kamal Patel, Co-founder of Examine, put it recently in this newsletter on multivitamins, “Your body is your temple! And entrants to your temple need to be thoroughly screened.”
If you are interested in learning more, starting to more closely examine your diet, or adding to your current routine, let’s chat. We want to help you successfully integrate healthy habits into your daily life and optimise your health as you age.
This article was written for information purposes only and was not intended to diagnose or prescribe.
Megan van Heyningen &
Evan Carey
References:
¹ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916522004737
² https://www.heartandstroke.ca/articles/the-benefits-of-omega-3-fats#:~:text=Omega%2D3s%20from%20fish&text=These%20fats%20may%20help%20lower,a%20role%20in%20reducing%20inflammation.
³ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1691485/pdf/14561278.pdf
⁴ https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/vitamin-d-and-your-health-breaking-old-rules-raising-new-hopes
⁵ https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-nutrition-surveillance/health-nutrition-surveys/canadian-community-health-survey-cchs/canadian-adults-meet-their-nutrient-requirements-through-food-intake-alone-health-canada-2012.html
⁹ https://methyl-life.com/blogs/supplementation/methylated-b-vitamins-b9b12-strengths-and-limitations-of-methylated-vitamins
¹⁰ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamins/vitamin-b/
RELATED POSTS
