OPTIMUM DAY

Berberine, a compound extracted from various plants used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. While most dietary supplements have subtle effects, berberine is an outlier in this regard. By influencing key metabolic regulators, berberine has a powerful ability to lower blood sugar that is comparable to some pharmaceutical drugs. Berberine also has other metabolic effects that may aid weight loss, such as improved cholesterol balance and a reduction in triglycerides.

Research suggests that blood sugar plays a central role in the ageing process and that many blood sugar-lowering diabetes drugs can slow ageing and extend lifespan in healthy mice. Another goal of berberine supplementation is therefore to mimic these effects in non-diabetic humans.

Ashwagandha is a herb used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, primarily for stress and anxiety relief. The available research supports these effects. Mental stress has very real and negative chemical effects throughout the body that negatively impact health and longevity. Supplementation with ashwagandha dampens these effects, probably by influencing levels of the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol, with the goal of improving stress resilience and general wellbeing.

Though ashwagandha is not the ‘cure all’ it is sometimes claimed to be, it does seem to have wide-ranging general health benefits. Studies suggest that ashwagandha may enhance sleep, physical performance, immune health and sexual health. These could be related to stress suppression or other unknown mechanisms.

Alpha Ketoglutarate, commonly known as AKG, is a crucial metabolite produced by the body naturally. It’s a component of the Krebs cycle, a necessary stage of aerobic respiration - the process in which oxygen is used to extract energy from nutrients. It also plays many other important roles, such as in the production of proteins and the regulation of gene activity. Calcium AKG is a useful supplement when it comes to optimising physical performance. This is because it is used to make amino acids needed to synthesise muscle proteins, and so many athletes take it with the aim of improving body composition and muscle strength.

Unfortunately, AKG levels decline sharply with age. One goal of calcium AKG supplementation is to restore AKG levels and enhance vitality, as has been achieved in model organisms.

L-Carnitine is a naturally occurring amino acid found in meat, and plays an important role in fat metabolism. It transports fatty acids into mitochondria (the power plants of the cell) where they can be used to generate ATP, the cell’s universal fuel. L-Carnitine also boosts cells’ ability to neutralise reactive oxygen species, which are harmful byproducts of ATP production in the mitochondria. The aim of supplementation with L-carnitine is to support fat metabolism and weight loss while protecting the cell against damage from toxic metabolites.

L-carnitine may also be useful for optimising exercise, not only because of its ability to enhance physical performance, but also because it appears to protect against muscle damage and soreness following exercise.

5-Hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP, is the precursor for serotonin, a neurotransmitter with complex and diverse biological functions including in mood, learning and memory. 5-HTP reliably increases levels of serotonin in the brain and has been used to combat depression. It also shows potential for enhancing sleep, a vital component of health and wellbeing, and for aiding weight loss by increasing satiety or ‘fullness’.

Magnesium is an essential mineral, meaning we cannot survive without it. Magnesium is required for the extraction of energy from nutrients, for the regulation of blood sugar levels, for the production of proteins and DNA, for the conduction of electrical signals along nerve fibres and more. There is evidence that magnesium supplementation can improve multiple aspects of metabolic health, especially in people who are not consuming enough of it. There are also some early indications that magnesium supplementation can reduce the sleep disruptions that occur during ageing.

Green tea is known to be particularly rich in catechins (a group of plant compounds that are under investigation for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) as well as containing other beneficial plant compounds. Antioxidants are compounds that scavenge and neutralise harmful byproducts of human metabolism called reactive oxygen species (ROS). Green tea also contains caffeine, which seems to act synergistically with catechins to raise fat metabolism and promote weight loss.

Additionally, most scientists studying ageing believe that ROS are at least partial contributors to the ageing process. One goal of supplementation with powerful antioxidants like green tea extract is to increase the body’s defences against ROS and thereby slow age-related damage.

Guarana is a natural stimulant originating from the seeds of a tree native to the Amazon. It is rich in caffeine as well as multiple plant compounds with antioxidant effects. Guarana is primarily taken for its stimulant properties, with studies suggesting it improves cognitive performance in certain tasks while reducing mental fatigue. By reducing fatigue, guarana may also help improve motivation and focus during physical activity, which is further enhanced by the stimulant properties of caffeine.

Much like green tea extract, the antioxidants present within guarana may have some beneficial effects with regard to the ageing process by enhancing the body’s defences against reactive oxygen species.