The Search for Life Extension

I am interested in alternative health solutions and a member of the alternativehealthjournal facebook group. One of my facebook friends is Aubrey de Grey at Cambridge University  UK, who is the director of the Methuselah Foundation project. I have been following his work and have also been following the work of Dr David Sinclair of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc whose work at Harvard Medical School into research on resveratrol has led to the company being recently bought out by Glaxo Smith Kline for 720 million dollars. My current interest is centred around the latest research into the benefits of   resveratrol but I am concerned about the hype that many nutriceutical sellers are currently engaged in to promote some products  that have only small amounts of the substance. The following article is from: http://www.improvelifespan.com

Scientists researching into life extension may have almost cracked the problem according to many reports on the internet these days. The aim of life extension research is not just to allow us to put off death and to live longer in infirmity but to keep us youthful and active for longer both mentally and physically. The aim is to achieve a solution that lies not in repeatedly patching up the parts of the body that go wrong but to alter the processes within the DNA that cause aging which will ultimately prevent the parts going wrong.

They have come a long way since Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the DNA molecular structure in 1953 which was hailed as one of the most important biological discoveries of the 20th century.

“Big Pharma,” as the pharmaceutical industry is referred to, has been taking a lot of blows to it’s credibility as magazines such as Nexus report to a small but growing segment of the population who are actually interested in finding out the truth. But lets be fair, and not forget, that the vast sums invested by the Pharmaceutical industry have nevertheless brought about a lot of benefits in scientific research and there is still a lot of spin-off to be thankful for even though we may have to pay through the nose for those benefits. Everything is not simply black and white as some conspiracy theorists would like to infer.

We should not forget that whilst Big Pharma does indeed rule the roost, money also “rules OK” just as much for the growing nutraceutical companies as it does for Big Pharma albeit at a lower level.

A large nutraceutical (ref 1) industry has now sprung up to service the demands of a “new age” type of consumer who does not always investigate products as thoroughly as perhaps they should and subsequently often get taken advantage of by what they would otherwise think of as the “other side” i.e. the opposite to Big Pharma.

As a result the nutraceutical industry is not without criticism itself as many firms jump on the bandwagon of profit before principle. This is evident in the number of capsules and pills being sold that do not really have the right content or content mix for the purpose the buyer intended. Purity level percentages are often not made clear in labelling.

Profit margins in capsules and pills are enormous for expert marketers especially for those who buy raw materials to set up their own brand names and fill their own capsules. There are many home run businesses who fill their own capsules using a small kitchen table device. Other small businesses will contract out the capsule filling, bottling, and labelling to companies specialising in this type of service.

Referring back to life extension research it would appear that there a few basic natural ingredients that are showing good promise in positively affecting the DNA and the cellular level now that scientists are mapping the genome and such knowledge is now growing exponentially.

Some scientists are claiming that the solution to extending the human life span is so close that it is being suggested that anyone who is over the age of 50 is well advised to take as much notice of lifestyle and what they consume as possible so as to build a bridge to survive until the time when scientists achieve their stated goals. These stated goals have been summarised in statements by some specialists in the field that the life span achievable is so lengthy that the general public would not believe it if the actual expected life span lengths were openly declared.

The simple fact is that expected life spans that life extension scientists are now considering as perfectly feasible would sound like science fiction!

Many people now consider that the bridge to take them on to the time when life spans can be extended can also be built by using the substances I am mentioning in this article. The thinking goes that as long as these substances do not present any risk, and have some already known benefits then these are certainly good enough to use until the day that the case for them, or anything better, is proven.

This thinking further goes on to reason that if scientists are working with these substances, certain benefits have already been proven, and fledgling companies connected with the research have been sold for many hundreds of millions of dollars as a result then there must be “something in it.”

In the meantime there appears to be a war between the nutraceutical industry and the pharmaceutical industry and as usual with any war it is likely to be the innocents in the middle of the battle that will suffer if the natural and cheaper substances become unavailable.

Big Pharma generally ploughs money into creating patented synthetic versions of naturally occurring extracts otherwise cheaply available. However, Big Pharma has the advantage of the support of the medical profession being in their pocket and as a result the majority of the population put their faith into whatever their medical professionals tell them about what drug they need even if such drugs have undesirable side effects and consequences compared with a simpler and cheaper alternative natural product that does not have the side effects. The uneducated masses in the past have always traditionally looked up to their professionals without criticism but with the advent of the Internet we can, with good judgement and discernment, all become more educated about a range of subjects that have power over our lives.

One example of this is magnesium chloride hexahydrate which has proven efficacy in treating a number of health disorders. Well qualified doctors, professors and scientists of many different disciplines have researched this important mineral for over 90 years. Still, however, regular mainstream health professionals are totally unaware of the benefits of this important mineral and it’s use in transdermal magnesium therapy which I and many others have used with positive results.

When I was diagnosed with diabetes type 2 and high blood pressure I searched for natural solutions as I did not want to go onto prescription drugs. What I discovered about magnesium chloride and transdermal therapy not only amazed me but astounded me that I could find out something that the medical professionals were unaware of and not being educated about.

My first investigations into the importance of magnesium showed that it is a mineral in the body which many people in the western world, as a result of modern agricultural and food processing methods, are deficient in.

Further investigation pointed me in the direction of magnesium chloride as being the most bio available form and when I asked the nurse at the local health centre about it she appeared to have no knowledge of it but, nevertheless, looked it up on her computer and agreed with me that this was indeed the best bio-available form of magnesium (for oral intake) but added that it did have the drawback of a laxative effect if too much is taken.

Vitamin and mineral pill sellers often seem to have no in-depth knowledge of what they sell and many are offering totally useless and un bio-available magnesium pills in numerous different forms. After some difficulty I eventually located some magnesium chloride pills ( mixed with taurine ) on the Internet but most supplement pill sellers did not offer the chloride form at all and I had no luck trying to find a pure form.

Further investigation brought me upon the website of Dr Mark Sircus at www.magnesiumforlife.com and his book about transdermal magnesium therapy. I learnt how transdermal therapy using magnesium chloride “oil” ( it is not oil but just has an oily feel to it) by-passes the kidneys and liver to put an ionic charge into the system at a cellular level. I was amazed, once I researched this subject, how it has been neglected and ignored for many decades.

After speaking personally to Dr. Sircus on the telephone I subsequently bought, for my own use, some magnesium chloride hexahydrate flakes in bulk from a wholesale import source which were purified from Dead Sea Salts. I chose a particular purity level (there is an analysis on the website) which had the best level of purity I could find. It had a lower level of sodium chloride, potassium or impurities than cheaper versions I found available. This suited me as I had no need for extra potassium which is readily available in our diet (particularly in bananas) and too much potassium was, I had read, apparently not good for you.

One interesting aspect of this transdermal therapy is that there are numerous firms selling what is referred to as magnesium “oil” for this very purpose. However, it is possible to make your own magnesium oil simply by mixing magnesium chloride hexahydrate flakes with water to produce your own for pennies.

I had previously been quite run down and depressed and it eventually took me about four months ( as it had been suggested it would by the information I had researched ) to get my energy levels back to normal but in that time my imagination had been aroused to find out about other alternative therapies that might be available.

Whilst my research into other connected areas was going on I put up a website in an honest attempt to help people at www.globaltrade-eu.com/magnesium to tell the world about this subject that I believed should be more widely publicised. At this website can be found links to many sources of research by qualified professionals including a report by the World Health Organisation on the efficacy of magnesium chloride.

My next investigations led me to life extension research. This included information about the best and most potent form of anti-oxidants (ref 4 ) as, like many people, my previous supplementary intake of them had been limited to vitamin E capsules. Just as an aside here I would also point out that many leading supermarkets and nutraceutical wholesalers and retailers are selling synthetic vitamin E capsules (dlalpha tocopherol ) which are comparatively ineffective compared with natural vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol) Labelling usually simply says “vitamin E , tocopherol, or alpha tocopherol which the uninitiated are unable to distinguish from natural vitamin E and even if it says dl-alpha tocopherol most people wouldn’t know the difference between that and d-alpha tocopherol.

I now hit upon the superfruit Pomegranate and acquired a taste for the juice of the fruit which is, due to publicity of its ant-oxidant benefits, now becoming more widely available in supermarkets. It is a fruit that has one of the highest levels of anti-oxidants. (ref 3) (ref 4)

Here is a 2006 quote from Professor Michael Aviram from the Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences and Rambam Medical Center in Israel who suggested that pomegranate juice could offer health benefits for diabetics, despite the juice containing significant sugar concentrations :-

"In most juices, sugars are present in free - and harmful - forms," explained Aviram. "In pomegranate juice, however, the sugars are attached to unique antioxidants, which actually make these sugars protective against atherosclerosis."

By this time I had overcome my depression and lack of energy and had acquired enthusiasm for finding out about serious scientists’ life extension research.

I discovered about scientists’ very recent research into resveratrol (ref 5) which is found in red wine and also research into the phenomenon known as the “French Paradox” (ref 6) whereby residents of this region are statistically known for having a low incidence of heart disease despite a typical western high fat diet.

Whilst I am not scientifically trained in any shape or form I do believe that I am intelligent enough to understand and be discerning of what I read and to adequately digest the findings that more technically qualified people than myself are discovering.

It became clear to me that resveratrol was already becoming quite sought after despite the fact that the scientific “jury” was still out Besides, I decided, it would take years before the scientific establishment accepted all the claims being made for all of it’s supposed benefits. The history of magnesium chloride had already shown me a good example of this process of important and beneficial knowledge being unknown to the general public.

The World Health Organisation suggests that resveratrol single-handedly reduces cardiovascular risk by 40% and is more effective than vitamin E and protects against a wider number of free radicals to prevent oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). It inhibits platelet aggregation by blocking the action of thrombin and several other aggregating factors. It promotes production of nitric oxide which relaxes and dilates the arteries. It reduces blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels as well as the intrinsic hypertensive agent endothelin-1.

I tried a 1 month supply of resveratrol capsules myself which, again, I bought from the Internet, and this had positive results on my daily blood pressure and blood glucose readings.

Researchers have found strong evidence to show that resveratrol is the only natural product to stop cancerous cell development at various stages.

The prestigious review ‘Science’ reported (ref 7) that resveratrol blocks proliferation of cancerous cells during three important stages of development.

Other studies of the effects of resveratrol on its own and in combination with other antioxidants show that it will protect the brain against oxidative stress which is known to have a major role in most neuro-degenerative diseases.

Research by Harvard Medical School and Dr David Sinclair co-founder of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc who are developing a synthetic version of resveratrol are looking into life extension and in this respect I would draw the readers attention to the last paragraph of a press release (28th December 2008) I have issued for a new website at www.wholesale.resveratrol.ibc.hk which is repeated here in it’s entirety.

My company is now making available the raw material of resveratrol powder at a high purity level in smaller quantities than normally available from bulk raw material suppliers and at the same time to be at competitive wholesale prices due to our judicious sourcing. This is to assist the news in getting spread to end users and to help small or independent retailers and capsule producers. I believe that this method is the best way for the word to spread.

I am now also researching two other substances; “Astragaloside IV” (ref 8) ( an important enzyme activator for cell life reproduction) and Sulforaphane (ref 9) (found in Broccoli) both of which are being identified in cellular health and life extension.

The aim is not to profiteer but to genuinely spread the word about just a few superfoods and extracts which I believe, on the basis of current research, will offer genuine benefit and which I have personally used.

There is no intention of establishing a full portfolio of so called dietary supplements many of which, in my opinion, appear to be of doubtful benefit. If I haven’t researched it and used it I wont sell it.

This all came about from my own health problems and has resulted in me discarding previous products in my business to concentrate on something that I believe, in the long run, will eventually prove to be of genuine benefit to the end user and a worthy way for me to invest my time and efforts.

It is my genuine belief that using the small business market as a way of getting the word out is a more practical and lower cost way than the results that are likely to come about by relying on either Big Pharma or the big corporate nutraceuticals. I make no apology for any “plugs” in this article. We all have to try to earn a modest living somehow and how better than in a worthy cause?

I would also like to develop a health drink based on these substances for which I have a formula and trade mark brand name ready. If anyone has funds they are willing to invest to market such a project I would be pleased to hear from them.

To summarise on life extension I would state my own personal belief that our DNA should keep the body in perfect balance and harmony but it seems that somehow it has been purposely de-programmed with an inherent fault to limit our life span.

Many scholars have pointed out that the ancient written records ( which were written down a long time after the events that they recorded) if correctly translated actually don’t say that God (with a capital G ) made man in His image but instead should read “the gods” (with a small g) made man in their image. This fits in nicely with Sitchin’s theories about us being used as a slave race by another advanced race (although not necessarily by extraterrestrials as this part of the theory is irrelevant for the purposes of the argument about us being programmed with faulty DNA ) and I believe this is why we were created together with an inbuilt life span limit by a technically advanced race.

The fact that this theory disposes of the idea of the “God” of the old testament, who it turns out was just a bunch of advanced beings, some of whom who took advantage of us, should not automatically exclude any theory that there may indeed exist a higher spiritual element as the creator(s) of our Universe. The latest theories of quantum physics are leading us toward this more enlightened and logical viewpoint.

Since having my first out of body experience at the age of 26 (and a few others since) I have studied voluminous material on metaphysical subjects as well as the basic theories of quantum physics. This has led me to believe that we are spiritual entities occupying a material body and this is a theory which has been propounded by many great thinkers long before quantum physics was around.

I have been an avid amateur student of many metaphysical and philosophical subjects for over 35 years long before the research benefits of the Internet were available.

My personal opinions have been formed as a result of reading eclectically which has often included studying opposing viewpoints to arrive at what I believe is a logical and common sense verdict. I invite everyone to do the same and as Duncan Roads, editor of Nexus would say: “Consider everything – believe nothing.”

However, you don’t have to agree with my personal opinions to recognise the common sense and logic of what I am trying to convey with regard to the natural health benefits available and the life extension possibilities promised.

If the aims of life extension scientists can be achieved as they have proclaimed then we can reprogram our DNA back to how it should be.

People familiar with theories of suppressed free energy resources will recognise that if these suppressed resources exist and are eventually put into practice, together with the achievement of life extension, reverse the co-ordinated dumbing down of the masses currently in operation, and, additionally, we can manage not to destroy ourselves as a race, then there could indeed be an amazing future in store for us.

Perhaps it’s all too much to expect but I believe that we each have an individual responsibility to try to help the achievement of these goals.

Further information about me can be found at www.lordtonymackenzie.com which, whilst it honestly reflects my qualifications, beliefs and integrity, should be read “tongue in cheek” and with a sense of humour regarding the “titles.”


References:-  
1.    Definition of Nutraceutical. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutraceutical
2.    What the experts say. http://mfoundation.org/index.php?pagename=mj_about_what
3.    Pomegranates: the fruity panacea http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3937053.stm
4.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant
5.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resveratrol
6.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Paradox
7.    http://www.sciencemag.org
8.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astragalus#Medicinal_use
9.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sulforaphane ##


Updates January 2009

Resveratrol Longevity Secret Unlocked by Scientists: It's the Chromosomes!

New York Times report 26th November 2008: Scientists Find Clues to Aging in a Red Wine Ingredient’s Role in Activating a Protein

US government clinical trials website ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on December 31, 2008

......it has been demonstrated that Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease neurons are rescued by the over-expression of SIRT1, induced by either caloric restriction or administration of resveratrol, a potential activator of this enzyme. The therapeutic use of resveratrol (a polyphenol present in red wines) and other related compounds, which utilize SIRT1 pathway modulators, in treating aging-related brain disorders will be discussed in this review. Provided herein are novel new compound related with resveratrol or sirtinol that are able to modulate sirtuin activity that will be tested to treat and/or prevent a wide variety of diseases including, disorders related to aging or neurodegenerative diseases. Modulation of sirtuins: new targets for antiageing

Vasoprotective effects of resveratrol and SIRT1: attenuation of cigarette smoke-induced oxidative stress and proinflammatory phenotypic alterations

...Resveratrol, a red wine polyphenol, is known to protect against cardiovascular diseases and cancers, as well as to promote antiaging effects in numerous organisms. It also modulates pathomechanisms of debilitating neurological disorders, such as strokes, ischemia, and Huntington's disease. The role of resveratrol in Alzheimer's disease is still unclear, although some recent studies on red wine bioactive compounds suggest that resveratrol modulates multiple mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease pathology ... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16766037?dopt=Abstract< br />
Red Wine Compound May Slow Drinking-Linked Liver Condition. Mouse study suggests resveratrol impedes fatty buildup in the organ, which is linked to cirrhosis. FRIDAY, Oct. 17 2008. (HealthDay News) -- The accumulation of fat in the liver caused by chronic alcohol consumption might be prevented by consuming the red wine ingredient resveratrol, a new study in mice suggests. www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70589.html

Is Resveratrol the Fountain of Youth?

Resveratrol Has Anti-aging and Anti-Cancer Properties, Linked to Cardiovascular Health

Resveratrol Found to Halt Growth of Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Red Wine’s Resveratrol May Help Battle Obesity

Resveratrol in red wine protects body from excess food consumption

Miracle Fat Loss "Drug" is Actually Resveratrol Nutrient