Synergistic Longevity Nutrients
(Longevity Nutrients part II)
By Lynn Toohey, PhD
In the February issue of The American Chiropractor, “Is ergothioneine the longevity vitamin? – Longevity Nutrients Part I” discussed the triage theory of longevity by scientist Dr. Bruce Ames. Dr. Ames proposes that many nutrients play double roles in survival and longevity, and draining valuable resource nutrients for survival can result in suboptimal unhealthy aging processes. Ergothioneine was listed at the top of Dr. Ames’ list, but it is certainly not the only longevity nutrient. Several other synergistic nutrients top that list, and they are the topic of Part II.
For instance, convincing evidence led Dr. Ames to classify taurine as a conditionally essential vitamin, stating that other conditionally essential vitamins should include alpha lipoic acid, CoQ10, and carnitine. Other dietary biochemicals are putative longevity nutrients on Dr. Ames’ list, and they include pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene, and astaxanthin.1
Nutrients Recommended as “Conditionally Essential”
Taurine: A wealth of information exists in academic literature databases linking taurine to longevity support, most notably two articles published in the highly regarded Science magazine. In June 2023, an article linked taurine to healthy aging and a lack of taurine to an accelerated aging process.2,3 Additionally, a researcher noted in July 2023 that taurine levels modulate aging.4
Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA): ALA is synthesized by the mitochondria, the “powerhouses” of the cell. What is seen in many dysfunctional mitochondriopathies is lowered alpha lipoic acid and, therefore, lowered antioxidant status. Healthy mitochondria are essential to the theme of longevity and consistently produce energy in the cells for all biochemical reactions. Researchers published in Biomedical Research International maintained that alpha lipoic acid is one of the main longevity antioxidants involved in the antioxidant theory of aging.5 ALA reduces NAD to NADH at the very beginning of the Kreb’s cycle. NADH is a powerful reducing agent that regulates cellular and metabolic signaling pathways, thereby having a tremendous influence on the aging process.6
CoQ10: Coenzyme Q 10 is an antioxidant and critical component of the energy-producing Kreb’s cycle in the mitochondria. It is best absorbed in the reduced form (ubiquinol). Our endogenous levels of CoQ10 in the body decrease with age. The support that CoQ10 offers the mitochondria alone puts it in a category of its own as a longevity nutrient.
L-Carnitine: Scientists report that L-carnitine activates what is known as “vitagenes.” Vitagenes consist of a group of genes involved in preserving cellular homeostasis during stressful conditions. “Maintenance of optimal long-term health conditions is accomplished by a complex network of longevity assurance processes that are controlled by vitagenes.”7
Other Putative Longevity Nutrients
Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (PQQ): PQQ, referred to as a “potent antioxidant,” boosts the energy function of CoQ10 and has been shown to increase mitochondrial biogenesis!8
Some researchers believe that this potent antioxidant activity is involved in enhancing longevity support and positively supporting a healthy life span. The induction and development of cellular senescence are believed to be closely connected with inflammatory reactions, and PQQ is thought to create a cellular environment that does not contribute to cellular senescence. In fact, article authors declared that they “provided evidence that PQQ delays TNF-α-induced cellular senescence and has anti-inflammaging properties.” 9
Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Lycopene, and Astaxanthin are powerhouse antioxidants that have individually and collectively been associated throughout scientific literature as being integral to any longevity protocol. There is a reason that they make the top of Dr. Ames’ list of longevity nutrients.
Lutein is one of the major carotenoids in most fruits and vegetables. It upregulates the endogenous antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase, and it is thought that this is the mechanism by which it is associated with support of lifespan activity. 10
Zeaxanthin is one of the powerful antioxidants linked to helping microbial dysbiosis. Microbial dysbiosis is an imbalance of microbial species and a reduction in microbial diversity within certain microbiomes. This is correlated with changes in blood bacterial DNA concentration (BB-DNA). BB-DNA has surfaced as one of the potential theories of aging since microbial dysbiosis can result in inflammation and dysfunction. The scientific conclusion in one study was that zeaxanthin supports an absence of dysfunctional BB-DNA. 11
“The role of the microbiome in human aging is important: the microbiome directly impacts aging through the gastrointestinal system.” It stresses the importance of supplementing with a good variety of pre- and probiotics. It has been suggested that “probiotics and prebiotics may be effective alternatives, considering the relationship between the microbiome and healthy aging.”12 Additionally, Lactobacillus varieties of probiotics appear to be able to absorb and accumulate ergothioneine from their surroundings.13
Astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant and has a property that allows it to bind to DNA, thereby putting it in close proximity to DNA to provide antioxidant support. This ability is closely related to the associations made with astaxanthin and longevity.14
In summary, many nutrients can help us live long, healthy lives. Many of them have synergistic action and work on varied biological pathways that influence our life span. To take advantage of all of these synergistic actions is an effort to maximize the input we have on environmental longevity influences.
References
Ames BN. Prolonging healthy aging: Longevity vitamins and proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Oct 23;115(43):10836-10844. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1809045115. Epub 2018 Oct 15. PMID: 30322941; PMCID: PMC6205492.
Singh P, Gollapalli K, Mangiola S, Schranner D, Yusuf MA, Chamoli M, Shi SL, Lopes Bastos B, Nair T, Riermeier A, Vayndorf EM, Wu JZ, Nilakhe A, Nguyen CQ, Muir M, Kiflezghi MG, Foulger A, Junker A, Devine J, Sharan K, Chinta SJ, Rajput S, Rane A, Baumert P, Schönfelder M, Iavarone F, di Lorenzo G, Kumari S, Gupta A, Sarkar R, Khyriem C, Chawla AS, Sharma A, Sarper N, Chattopadhyay N, Biswal BK, Settembre C, Nagarajan P, Targoff KL, Picard M, Gupta S, Velagapudi V, Papenfuss AT, Kaya A, Ferreira MG, Kennedy BK, Andersen JK, Lithgow GJ, Ali AM, Mukhopadhyay A, Palotie A, Kastenmüller G, Kaeberlein M, Wackerhage H, Pal B, Yadav VK. Taurine deficiency as a driver of aging. Science. 2023 Jun 9;380(6649):eabn9257. doi: 10.1126/science.abn9257. Epub 2023 Jun 9. PMID: 37289866; PMCID: PMC10630957.
McGaunn J, Baur JA. Taurine linked with healthy aging. Science. 2023 Jun 9;380(6649):1010-1011. doi: 10.1126/science.adi3025. Epub 2023 Jun 8. PMID: 37289872.
Kriebs A. Taurine levels modulate aging. Nat Aging. 2023 Jul;3(7):758-759. doi: 10.1038/s43587-023-00465-3. PMID: 37414989.Sadowska-Bartosz I, & Bartosz G. Effect of antioxidants supplementation on aging and longevity. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:404680.
Chini CCS, Tarragó MG, Chini EN. NAD and the aging process: Role in life, death and everything in between. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2017 Nov 5;455:62-74. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2016.11.003. Epub 2016 Nov 5. PMID: 27825999; PMCID: PMC5419884.
Calabrese V, Cornelius C, Dinkova-Kostova AT, Iavicoli I, Di Paola R, Koverech A, Cuzzocrea S, Rizzarelli E, Calabrese EJ. Cellular stress responses, hormetic phytochemicals and vitagenes in aging and longevity. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012 May;1822(5):753-83. doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2011.11.002. Epub 2011 Nov 6. PMID: 22108204.
Chowanadisai W, Bauerly KA, Tchaparian E, Wong A, Cortopassi GA, Rucker RB. Pyrroloquinoline quinone stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis through cAMP response element-binding protein phosphorylation and increased PGC-1alpha expression. J Biol Chem. 2010 Jan 1;285(1):142-52. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M109.030130. Epub 2009 Oct 27. PMID: 19861415; PMCID: PMC2804159.
Hao J, Ni X, Giunta S, Wu J, Shuang X, Xu K, Li R, Zhang W, Xia S. Pyrroloquinoline quinone delays inflammaging induced by TNF-α through the p16/p21 and Jagged1 signalling pathways. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2020 Jan;47(1):102-110. doi: 10.1111/1440-1681.13176. Epub 2019 Oct 10. PMID: 31520547.
Zhang Z, Han S, Wang H, Wang T. Lutein extends the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2014 Jan-Feb;58(1):153-9. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2013.07.007. Epub 2013 Aug 8. PMID: 23993264.
Giacconi R, D'Aquila P, Malavolta M, Piacenza F, Bürkle A, Villanueva MM, Dollé MET, Jansen E, Grune T, Gonos ES, Franceschi C, Capri M, Gradinaru D, Grubeck-Loebenstein B, Sikora E, Stuetz W, Weber D, Toussaint O, Debacq-Chainiaux F, Hervonen A, Hurme M, Slagboom PE, Schön C, Bernhardt J, Breusing N, Duncan T, Passarino G, Bellizzi D, Provinciali M. Bacterial DNAemia in older participants and nonagenarian offspring and association with redox biomarkers: Results from MARK-AGE study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2023 Jan 26;78(1):42-50. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glac154. PMID: 35914804; PMCID: PMC9879758.
Boyajian JL, Ghebretatios M, Schaly S, Islam P, Prakash S. Microbiome and human aging: probiotic and prebiotic potentials in longevity, skin health and cellular senescence. Nutrients. 2021 Dec 18;13(12):4550. doi: 10.3390/nu13124550. PMID: 34960102; PMCID: PMC8705837.
Cheah IK, Lee JZ, Tang RMY, Koh PW, Halliwell B. Does Lactobacillus reuteri influence ergothioneine levels in the human body? FEBS Lett. 2022 May;596(10):1241-1251. doi: 10.1002/1873-3468.14364. Epub 2022 May 10. PMID: 35486429.
Sudharshan SJ, Dyavaiah M. Astaxanthin protects oxidative stress mediated DNA damage and enhances longevity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biogerontology. 2021 Feb;22(1):81-100. doi: 10.1007/s10522-020-09904-9. Epub 2020 Oct 27. PMID: 33108581.
