Welcome to the Healthspan Insider research roundup, where Mark reviews the latest science on longevity and optimisation. Here are the top studies of interest for this edition.
Watch the video below for Mark’s overview, including actionable takeaways for optimisers.
This edition’s optimisation and longevity studies
Below is Mark’s written commentary on this edition’s most important studies, translating the evidence into practical steps for better long-term health.
Magnesium may set the pace of cellular ageing
We all know magnesium is critical for cellular function, but recent research shows it is also an important regulator of mitochondrial function in energy metabolism, especially as we age and face the physiological stressors of ageing. The paper discusses a “magnesium clock”, whereby optimal magnesium regulation declines as we age, making the overall system less resilient.
Whilst it’s complex at the cellular level, the underlying factor is that magnesium inhibits calcium, reduces oxidative stress, improves glucose control, and regulates kidney function. This improves metabolic flexibility in energy metabolism, insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation, and renal function, making the overall system more resilient to the processes of ageing.
Key takeaways
- Eat magnesium-rich whole foods: Eat a diet that is abundant in fresh whole foods – fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and even lean quality meats are rich sources of magnesium, whereas processed and highly refined foods deplete these vital minerals
- Choose the right form: Consider taking an appropriate form of magnesium as a supplement. Speak with your practitioner first, as each form of magnesium has a slightly different target action and some will suit your needs better than others
- Look beyond magnesium: Speak to your practitioner about how to reduce senescent cells and improve mitochondrial biogenesis, so your cells can clear out old, dysfunctional mitochondria and produce new ones that work better
Your gut microbiome changes with the seasons
There has been a lot of research into the human gut microbiome over the last few decades, and from that research we have seen some important findings about how our gut microbiome is linked to our overall health, mental wellbeing, inflammatory load and much more.
This study of the Hadza people in Tanzania, hunter-gatherers who rely solely on food from their natural environment, found that their gut microbiome changed dramatically from one season to the next. Some species became undetectable in one season and then reappeared in another, showing an annual cycling reconfiguration of the microbiome. This tells us our microbiome is responsive to our environment – when our environment changes, our microbiome changes too.
Key takeaways
- Build on fresh whole foods: Eat a diet that is predominantly made up of fresh whole foods rich in polyphenols and fibre, and include fermented foods to introduce new species into your gut
- Vary what’s on your plate: Eat a wide variety of foods. If you eat the same foods day in, day out, you’re not putting anything new in for your microbiome to adapt to
- Eat with the seasons: Consider getting seasonal foods from a local farmers market, ideally organic, or growing your own vegetables seasonally – even a pot is enough to take food from garden to plate
Exercise remains one of the most powerful heart medicines
We have often discussed the benefits of exercise in the Healthspan Insider, and we still find more and more evidence being published on the topic. This review in the Atherosclerosis journal discusses how exercise improves cardiovascular health.
Exercise helps to reduce inflammation by modulating key signalling pathways such as TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP, essentially turning down the signalling for inflammation. This tells immune cells to stand down from an inflammatory role, and the overall blood lipid profile becomes more favourable, reducing the risk of atherosclerotic plaque formation. Exercise also regulates the autonomic nervous system, so heart rate and blood pressure settle, and blood vessels relax, which is further supported by better nitric oxide production. Together, this takes the pressure off the cardiovascular system.
Interestingly, exercise also positively altered the microbiome, improving short-chain fatty acid production and reducing leaky gut, thereby limiting lipopolysaccharides entering the system, which can increase cardiovascular inflammation. There were many other complementary findings, but the overarching message is that exercise is effective for treating cardiovascular disease and should form part of the lifestyle prescription for every patient.
Key takeaways
- Get the right support to start: Speak to your practitioner about effective ways to implement exercise. You could begin working with a personal trainer, or an exercise physiologist if you have medical conditions such as heart issues, and your practitioner can guide you on the most appropriate starting point
- Make consistency the goal: The most important part is consistency. Implement a multi-modality exercise routine including cardio, strength and resistance training, high-intensity training, and flexibility exercises. Aim to build up to a minimum of 150 minutes a week spread over most days, such as 30 minutes on 5 days
- Start today: Research shows that it is never too late to start, and that any exercise is better than none. Even a few thousand steps a day or some light resistance training brings benefits, so start today
Creatine benefits muscle and memory, even without exercise
It is generally considered normal that as we age our body composition will change, with lower muscle mass and higher fat mass, our cognitive function will decline, and our overall health and wellbeing will also decline. However, much of what people consider a normal part of ageing is actually abnormal ageing, contributing to chronic disease and loss of healthspan in older people.
In this study, supplementation with creatine monohydrate over a 12-week period improved body composition with better lean muscle mass, an improved blood lipid profile, increased muscle strength, and improved memory and cognitive function. These positive findings were reported in one group of participants who did not exercise, and another group who did. Whilst the exercise group had better outcomes, the non-exercise group also benefited.
Key takeaways
- Consider adding creatine: Creatine is a well-researched supplement with a very good safety profile, meaning it can be easily added to most people’s supplement regime. Speak with your practitioner
- Pair it with exercise: Using creatine post-exercise improves the benefits
- Track your progress: Always track your progress to know if something is working for you. Check your body composition at baseline, then check again at monthly intervals
Four natural compounds that target how we age
Natural bioactive compounds are chemicals found in food and nature that benefit our health – but ultra-processing and refining strips them out. This review in the Nutrients journal found several naturally derived phytonutrients favourably modulated physiological processes associated with ageing.
The review looked at four compounds:
- Spermidine (wheat germ and fermented foods such as yoghurt and kefir): increased autophagy to help reduce senescent cells
- Fisetin (strawberries and apples): selectively senolytic, inhibiting specific pathways to reduce senescent cell populations
- Berberine (extracted from different species of plants): modulates metabolism via AMPK, and can positively influence the gut microbiota by reducing dysbiotic bacteria and pathogens and allowing probiotic bacteria to increase
- Urolithin A (a postbiotic produced when we digest pomegranate and some nuts): induces mitophagy to break down and clear away old, dysfunctional mitochondria (the powerhouses of the cell) and make way for new mitochondria
Key takeaways
- Add them to your grocery list: At very low cost and with ease, most people can begin to incorporate these foods into their diet on a daily basis. Add foods rich in these compounds to your weekly grocery list and start eating them regularly
- Get guidance on supplements: Supplements containing each of these are available, but it is best to speak with your practitioner about appropriate doses, forms and compounds – berberine in particular should be used under supervision
- Check whether you make urolithin A: Producing urolithin A relies on certain gut bacteria that some people don’t naturally carry, so ask your practitioner whether you can get it reliably from diet or whether you should supplement
Health optimisation and longevity studies
Additional studies that stood out in this edition’s research landscape:
- Two Years of Menaquinone-7 Supplementation and Coronary Artery Calcification
- Brown fat protects against hepatic oxidative stress by remodeling the circulating metabolome
- Urolithin A activates mitophagy via the AMPK–mTOR axis and modulates the gut–ceramide axis to ameliorate cardiac remodeling in HFpEF
- Early, midday, and late time-restricted eating impact on anthropometry and cardiometabolic health: a network meta-analysis of RCTs
- Stress-induced trained immunity – A key mechanism linking psychosocial stress, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease
- Associations between diet quality, epigenetic aging and epigenome in two population-based cohorts
Thanks for reading this edition of the Healthspan Insider. We hope this edition’s insights support you on your optimisation journey.
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