If you could stay forever young, you would probably use that opportunity. Scientists say that aging is actually a disease and should be dealt with as such. Researchers from the University of Waterloo found that there is a best time of day to take anti-aging supplements and it actually depends on your age.
Aging is a disease and it can be fought using supplements. Image credit: marina guimarães via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Scientists have been arguing about classification of aging as a disease for decades. Recently the World Health Organization made necessary steps to make this goal a reality. The argument about considering biological aging a disease is clear – this process is extremely damaging, associated with all kinds of health issues and ultimately leads to suffering. If it was classified as a disease, investments into the research of aging would be encouraged and funding for clinical trials would be more substantial. Although scientists already have some promising results to show.
For example, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and Resveratrol seem to be extremely promising compounds. Recent research shows that these substances are beneficial for metabolism and increase lifespan of various organisms. Now scientists found that the effectiveness of these supplements depends on the time of day they were taken. This is because metabolism and circadian rhythms are very important in their anti-aging activity. Researchers found that younger people should take NMN six hours after waking up and Resveratrol at night. Meanwhile older people should take NMN earlier and Resveratrol – middle of the day.
Scientists would like to finish the wrong paradigm that aging is not treatable. It is treatable, just like any other disease. The problem is that officially it is not a disease and just a “natural process”. It leads to human suffering and ultimately death, because, as everyone knows, age is associated with all kinds of diseases. If we could prescribe people drugs that slow down aging, we would, because it would help people avoid these debilitating conditions.
Mehrshad Sadria, one of the authors of this study, said: “It's really important to try and change this wrong paradigm that aging is not treatable. We shouldn’t think like 30 years ago when we thought that once a person gets into their 70s or 80s, they must be lethargic and ailing.”
We are already trying to stop aging. We are encouraging people to maintain a healthy diet and exercise, because these lifestyle choices help combating some of the processes associated with aging. So why not consider it a disease and prescribe medicines to manage it?
Source: University of Waterloo