Looking to live long and stay strong? <\/p>\n
While the longevity market is flooded with promises of eternal youth in capsule form, one expert maintains that there\u2019s a holy trinity of supplements that can help you age not just gracefully, but optimally.<\/p>\n
Commonly used to make wine, the muscadine grape is often referred to as a \u201csuper fruit\u201d due to its high levels of polyphenols Brent Hofacker \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
#1: Antioxidants<\/p>\n
\u201cAging actually starts in your cells; when your cells age, they can no longer function, and that\u2019s what leads to all these chronic conditions and aging on the inside and outside,\u201d nutritional biochemist Dr. Erin Barrett, PhD, Director of Product Innovation and Scientific Affairs at Shaklee<\/a>, told The Post.<\/p>\n \u201cDoing anything to support the health of our cells is going to be really powerful.\u201d <\/p>\n Antioxidants, in particular fuel, the fight against cellular aging.<\/p>\n \u201cNutritionally, you can get antioxidants from food: fruits, vegetables, anything colorful, anything rich in vitamin A, or vitamin C; those are all antioxidants,\u201d she said \u2014 but you can also add supplements.<\/p>\n Barrett is also a fan of muscadine<\/a> for packing an antioxidant punch. Commonly used to make wine, the muscadine grape is often referred to as a \u201csuper fruit\u201d due to its high levels of polyphenols \u2014 including anthocyanins, quercetin and ellagic acid \u2014 which can help decrease inflammation and oxidative stress.<\/p>\n And those properties might even make you prettier. <\/p>\n Previous research<\/a> found that women who drank two glasses of nonalcoholic muscadine wine daily had greater elasticity and water retention in their skin than those who consumed a placebo.<\/p>\n Barrett shared that supplemental protein can stave off sarcopenia and help folks maintain muscle mass. michaeljung \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n #2: Protein<\/p>\n Protein, a macronutrient essential for muscle building, has well-established benefits. Getting enough helps us fight infection, provides energy, supports wound healing and helps maintain or build our muscle mass.<\/p>\n This last benefit is crucial, since beginning around age 40, our bodies become less efficient at using protein to rebuild tissue.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see that as we get older, we lose muscle mass. And when we lose muscle mass, that leads to loss of independence, and that\u2019s when I think health really declines,\u201d said Barrett. <\/p>\n The progressive loss of muscle mass and strength associated with aging is known as\u00a0sarcopenia<\/a> and is estimated to\u00a0affect 10% to 16%<\/a>\u00a0of the world\u2019s elderly population.<\/p>\n Barrett said that supplemental protein \u2014 like Shaklee\u2019s Life Shake Plant Protein<\/a> or Sparkling Protein drink<\/a> \u2014 can stave off sarcopenia and help folks maintain muscle mass.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to even just maintain muscle \u2014 ideally, you\u2019re building it as well \u2014\u00a0but even just maintaining is going to be so valuable for maintaining that independence, which I think is really important,\u201d she stressed.<\/p>\n Experts recommend 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, evenly distributed across meals to maximize muscle protein synthesis. A\u00a02023 health study<\/a>\u00a0found that people who consumed 100 grams of protein had a greater anabolic response and improved\u00a0protein synthesis.<\/p>\n Creatine, an amino acid naturally found in muscles, has been shown to support\u00a0muscle performance and recovery when taken in a synthetic, supplemental form. Marharyta Manukha \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n \u00a0Creatine<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m actually super hot on creatine,\u201d admitted Barrett. \u201cI think it\u2019s going to be one of those products that is a must-have for longevity.\u201d<\/p>\n Creatine<\/a>, an amino acid naturally found in muscles, has been shown to support\u00a0muscle performance and recovery<\/a> when taken in a synthetic, supplemental form \u2014 but it\u2019s not just for gym bros.<\/p>\n Studies\u00a0show that creatine may also help with cognition and brain health, improving performance on cognitive tests in older adults.<\/p>\n As we age, Barrett said, \u201cthings that used to be super easy when we were younger, like standing up from a seated position, require more energy. We\u2019re not producing energy as well; our mitochondria aren\u2019t as healthy; and we don\u2019t store creatine as well.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of these things are against us, so anything that we can do to optimize our body\u2019s ability to make energy, recycle it, and use it is going to be really, really powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n She points to creatine as a power player for cellular optimization.<\/p>\n \u201cCreatine gives you that quick burst of energy that your cells need,\u201d said Battett. \u201cAny tissue that has really high energy needs, creatine is going to be really helpful for that, because it recycles energy.\u201d<\/p>\n In particular, the brain, immune cells and the heart have high energy needs that creatine can help meet.<\/p>\n \u201cYour brain uses 20% of your whole body\u2019s energy. When your immune cells are fighting an infection, they have very high energy demands. If you\u2019re stressed, your heart has really high energy demands,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you need energy quickly, you need a system that can deliver it fast, and that\u2019s what creatine does. Any tissue that has those high-energy needs is going to benefit from creatine.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Looking to live long and stay strong? 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