Early Intervention Delays Aging

Humans behave in a rather bizarre manner when it comes to their health.

In youth, they often engage in reckless behaviors.

In later life, if they survive a heart attack, stroke, or malignancy, they may turn around their lifestyle and become health fanatics.

Years ago, Life Extension® reported on research showing that elevated vascular risk factors in youth predispose people to higher rates of heart attack and stroke as they age.¹

These findings have been confirmed by a Duke University study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This study showed that poor lifestyle choices in youth markedly accelerate pathological aging processes. None of this should surprise knowledgeable health-conscious individuals.

The take-home lesson is that younger individuals can take easy steps today to delay or avoid the most prevalent age-related ailments.

Measuring Human Aging

 

In the Duke University study,² 18 different health biomarkers were measured and tracked in a group of 954 younger people. Several additional tests were performed to assess each study subject’s rate of biological aging.

This study’s results reveal that lifestyle choices can affect the rate of aging and that the course of aging can be altered starting at a young age. In other words, humans exert a tremendous amount of control even early in life over the rate at which they physically degenerate.

In measuring biomarkers such as hemoglobin A1C, cholesterol, and blood pressure, the researchers found detectable “deteriorations across multiple organ systems” before the age of 38.

To further measure the rate of aging, organ systems such as pulmonary, periodontal, cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, and immune function were evaluated.

The study found that those whose blood biomarkers detected accelerated aging were “less physically able, showed cognitive decline and brain aging, self-reported worse health, and looked older.”

This data demonstrated a reliable and consistent correlation between the subject’s blood biomarkers and the degree of change in their biological age. Everything from decreases in bodily performance to more apparent physical features of aging was detected in those who experienced unfavorable changes in blood composition.

Unique Opportunity to Delay Aging

Young people overlook the accelerating impact poor lifestyle choices exert on their aging process. This new data from Duke University should motivate individuals of all ages to take care of their health before degenerative illness manifests. The researchers who conducted this study state:

“Anti-aging therapies show promise in model organism research. Translation to humans is needed to address the challenges of an aging global population.”

High LDL Levels in Early Life Predict Coronary Calcification

A study published six years ago and reported on in Life Extension^® magazine alerted the public to the risks posed by elevated low density lipoprotein (LDL) in younger individuals.

Most heart attacks are caused by blockage of one or more coronary arteries that feed the heart muscle. This progressive coronary occlusion occurs in response to an accumulation of proven risk factors. If detected early in life, these pathologic factors are often reversible before a heart attack or stroke inflicts permanent damages.

A meticulous study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine looked at a large group whose blood was initially tested between ages 18-30. Seven additional blood tests were done on each person over a 20-year period.¹

The results showed that those with the highest LDL (over 160 mg/dL) were 5.6 times more likely to have calcium buildup in their coronary arteries by age 45.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) transports cholesterol from the liver throughout the vascular system. In the presence of excess LDL, too much cholesterol saturates the blood and contributes to arterial occlusion.

This study in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that over a 20-year period, those with even moderately elevated LDL ( 100-129 mg/dL) were 2.4 times more likely to have coronary calcification.

In response to poor dietary practices and sedentary lifestyles, many younger individual have LDL levels above 100 mg/dL.

This and other studies validate the need for everyone to have their blood tested for cardiac risk factors, including glucose levels, starting no later than age 18.

An individual under age 30 may not need the comprehensive Male or Female Panels that are so popular with more mature people.

A CBC-Chemistry blood panel provides an abundance of markers of organ function along with vascular and hematological health for the low cost of just $26 when ordered through Life Extension^® during our Blood Test Super Sale.

If your children or grandchildren have not had a recent blood test, consider asking them to call 1-800-208-3444 to order a CBC-Chemistry blood panel for only $26.

Emphasize to younger individuals that they can initiate steps now that may prevent them from ever having to contend with disorders such as stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure.

Summary

As people age over 40, they not only begin to show outward senile appearances, but internally suffer a marked acceleration of pathological damage.

We now have solid evidence from Duke University that comprehensive blood testing can reveal if a person should alter their lifestyle, nutrient, and/or medication use. Using blood tests as a guide, one can initiate steps at any age to delay premature aging and correct factors that are accelerating one’s physical decline.

The Male and Female Blood Test Panels evaluate dozens of critical systems in your body to help assess whether your biological aging process is being decelerated or accelerated.

Commercial labs measure only a fraction of the many individual blood tests included in the Male or Female Panels. The retail price for either panel is $400, which is considerably lower than what you would pay elsewhere.

During the annual Blood Test Super Sale (March 28-June 6), the price of the Male or Female Panels is discounted to just $199.

The addition of valuable Rewards Dollars reduces the cost even further.

To order the comprehensive Male or Female Blood Test Panel at these ultra-low prices, call 1-800-208-3444 (24 hours) or log on to LifeExtension.com/lpages/labtest2019/?utm_source=magazine&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=labtest-2019

If you have any questions on the scientific content of this article, please call a Life Extension^® Health Advisor at 1-866-864-3027.

References

1. Pletcher MJ, Bibbins-Domingo K, Liu K, et al. Nonoptimal lipids commonly present in young adults and coronary calcium later in life: the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153(3):137-46.
2. Belsky DW, Caspi A, Houts R, et al. Quantification of biological aging in young adults. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015;112(30):E4104-10.