Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
Biohackers are the rage as they use medicine originally intended for another purpose to extend their life spans. Famous medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, that are used to control diabetes, have also been found to improve heart health, inflammation in the body and renal health, in addition to losing weight. The biohackers are also using these medications to extend their life spans.
Some of the more famous biohackers have developed companies based on adding one particular supplement to your diet or adding an activity to your lifestyle to increase your lifespan. Acquiring these supplements, medications and processes can be more than expensive.
So, is extending one’s life span through biohacking only for the rich? Well, not necessarily.
In a recent study, researchers looked at whether adding multivitamins to the diet would make any difference to a person’s longevity.
They used epigenetic clocks, which are biochemical tests that can be used to measure age. The tests are based upon modifications that happen with gene expression. There are several of these clocks in use in the biohacker’s world.
Previous studies looking at multivitamin usage showed a decrease in cataracts and in invasive cancer in those who consumed them. The studies have also shown a slowing in age related memory loss and cognitive decline in those taking multivitamins daily. With this information in hand, the next question is whether taking multivitamins slows the aging process.
Well, in the study using biological clocks, five different ones were used, and the researchers found that in this two-year study on people whose average age is 70, there was indeed a slowing of the aging process by 10-20 percent.
Let it be said that eating a natural, high-quality diet that is rich in multivitamins and nutrients is always the best. This again points out how important your diet is to health. However, few people eat the wide range of fruits and vegetables needed to achieve one’s health goals. As a safety net, it is important to incorporate into your daily routine a good quality multivitamin. It certainly will be beneficial to most patients and may result in some patients living longer. Have a discussion with a healthcare provider about ways to incorporate such vitamins and supplements into your daily routine.
Dr. Veita Bland is a board-certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on N.C. A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wed. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com.
