Research has now uncovered the greatest antiaging strategies in the history of medicine, and they don’t include supplements. Also, if you regularly use sunscreen on your face, lips, and the rest of your body, you can prevent premature aging of the skin better than any pill.
Finally, my experience—and the great irony of antiaging pills—is that even if these supplements and drugs help you feel better now, they have the potential to stop making you feel anything in the near future (in other words, they can contribute to disease or early death). Here are two supplements that people commonly use to feel, look, and act younger that are completely worthless.
WHAT’S WORTHLESS
Growth hormone. Any supplement claiming to increase growth hormone (GH) is a waste of money. A lot of folks are getting GH from outside the United States (it’s only legally available by prescription in the United States) and injecting themselves with it. These people claim that exercise recovery is faster and day-to-day soreness is reduced and that they just feel better. Do I believe them? Yes! However, the potential downside is huge. And the idea of injecting yourself with anything just seems a bit strange and twisted unless it’s a matter of life and death (like with diabetes).
Let’s review the research: GH appears to slightly reduce fat mass and slightly improve lean body mass, but it doesn’t change bone density or cholesterol levels. In one antiaging study, individuals taking GH (the prescription drug, not the supplement) were more likely to experience joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, breast enlargement, and edema (swelling) and have an increased risk of diabetes and high glucose levels. But it’s hard to ignore those ads with the 75-year-old who looks like a 25-year-old.
Here’s more frightening information: Cancer researchers are studying drugs that can reduce levels of a compound in the body known as insulin-like growth factor 1 (or IGF-1), which increases the risk for multiple cancers. And research continues to show that cancer may be prevented if IGF-1 levels are reduced. Growth hormone increases IGF-1 significantly, and we’ve known this for decades!
The only dietary supplement that has been proven (in a 2-year study with women) to slightly raise growth hormone safely is protein powder. Using 25 grams of whey protein isolate or another protein powder daily may be the smartest thing you can do to build muscle mass and help maintain or slightly raise growth hormone levels.
Resveratrol. This antiaging dietary supplement from the skin of grapes is getting too much hype. I’ve written about it, lectured about it, and warned about the hype! The large clinical trial testing SRT501 (a formulation of resveratrol) for various conditions was stopped because of lack of activity (it wasn’t doing anything) and speculation that it may increase the risk of kidney problems and kidney failure.
Perhaps some clinical study in the future will show some obvious benefit with this supplement, but in the meantime, it’s expensive and can cause side effects at higher doses. In fact, resveratrol supplements of 1,000 milligrams or more have the potential to interfere with some prescription drugs by reducing their ability to be metabolized, leading to higher drug exposure than necessary. In addition, the supplement has failed to show benefits in many heart health studies, and according to some preliminary studies (being done at the time I was writing this book), it may even reduce the benefits of exercise.
If you really want resveratrol, have a glass of red wine or some peanuts. The former is arguably the healthiest and safest source of resveratrol in the world (in moderation, of course). Until someone provides some well-done, exciting research, put your resveratrol supplements where they belong: down the drain!
The Supplement Handbook - Mark Moyad
