Evidence is accumulating that a lack of particularly nutrient-dense foods contributes to age-related diseases. 1,2
For example, Bruce N. Ames (Biochemist, University Professor, Researcher) mentioned this in a review. 3
"Given that nutrient deficiencies are so prevalent in the United States (and elsewhere), appropriate supplementation and/or improved diet could reduce much of the consequent risk of chronic disease and premature aging."
It presents evidence (numerous studies cited in this article) that deficiency of many minerals and vitamins specifically increases the risk of future disease and shortens lifespan.
It highlights that vitamin and mineral deficiencies can be a determining factor in degenerative aging. The damage is insidious and clinically inconspicuous, as it accumulates gradually over the years and only becomes apparent later in life. The link between vitamin and mineral deficiencies is underestimated. Essential vitamins and minerals are generally considered essential for survival or the prevention of serious health problems. Their dramatic short-term impact upon withdrawal from the diet is evident, as most are essential for critical metabolic functions.
In addition to the examples of vitamin K and selenium, which are considered essential for longevity, there are three other examples that have similar effects: vitamin D, marine omega-3 fatty acids (DHA/EPA), and magnesium.
The body is unable to synthesize vitamins (except vitamins D and K), so they must be provided by food or supplements to supplement the intake provided by food, especially when the body is weakened by fatigue, stress, overwork, pregnancy, menopause, etc. 4
Not to mention that soil depletion has direct repercussions on human health and the nutrient content of crops. There is a close correlation between soil health and human health, as 95% of the food we eat comes from soil. Approximately two billion people have micronutrient deficiencies, particularly in magnesium, iodine, iron, and zinc. 5
Vitamin D
A significant percentage of the US population suffers from inadequate levels, (for example, vitamin D levels are inadequate in 70% of the US population) which contributes significantly to unhealthy aging.
There is considerable evidence that vitamin D deficiency causes a large number of diseases that affect healthy aging, such as all-cause mortality, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, brain function, etc. Given this high level of deficiency and the important implications of vitamin D interactions, it is particularly important to adjust metabolism with respect to vitamin D. 6
It's clear that vitamin D does much more than just maintain bone health. It's crucial for a healthy life, making it a vital vitamin for longevity.
Marine Omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA
Most Americans don't get enough of these compounds. 7
A meta-analysis reported that each 1% increase in plasma DHA/EPA was associated with a 20% decrease in the risk of all-cause mortality. 8
The role of DHA in aging, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression has recently been reviewed. 9
It was shown in a 5-y study that low blood levels of DHA/EPA were associated with a faster rate of telomere shortening, a marker of cellular aging. 10 And here, that supplemental fish oil (2.5 g/d) slowed telomere shortening and reduced oxidation biomarkers in older adults. 11 Daily supplemental DHA (2 g/d) increased the rate of amyloid plaque clearance in people with mild cognitive impairment. 12
Evidence of their role in reducing the risk of heart disease has been obtained. 13,14
Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency affects approximately 45% of the U.S. population and has been associated with increased all-cause mortality, poor DNA repair capacity, increased risk of lung and various other types of cancer, heart disease, telomere shortening, and risk of stroke. 15,16
What is a conditional vitamin?
A conditional vitamin is synthesized by the body, but not at a level sufficient to optimize metabolism. Two examples:
Choline
Choline was the first example of a conditional vitamin 17 : only 11% of women meet the recommended intake and average intakes for the population are half to two-thirds of this recommendation. 18
Taurine
Taurine is another example of a conditional vitamin because it is synthesized by animals (including humans), but not in sufficient quantities. It has been shown to be important in preventing many health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, brain function, diabetes, and mitochondrial disease, as summarized below. Due to taurine's widespread involvement in health problems that lead to long-term damage, it is proposed here that it is also a longevity vitamin. 19
Note that the focus on insidious damage does not imply that vitamin and mineral deficiency is the sole major cause of degenerative diseases of aging. For example, many types of cancer, dementia, and other degenerative diseases can be caused by pathogens 20 or genetics. However, vitamin and mineral intervention could also help prevent some of these by protecting the immune system 21 , which defends itself against pathogens in older adults.
Some of the insidious damage caused by nutrient deficiency may be reversible once vitamin and mineral intake is increased. However, some insidious damage would not be reversible if it were caused by a mutational event.
An important concept related to the use of vitamins for health is the fact that more than 50 human genetic diseases can be improved by administering high doses of supplements. 22,23
Still, according to Professor Ames, in addition to staying in good physical shape, one can think that to help prolong healthy aging, it lies in the optimization of the intake of vitamins and minerals. 24
References
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2. Micha R, Peñalvo JL, Cudhea F, Imamura F, Rehm CD, Mozaffarian D. Association Between Dietary Factors and Mortality From Heart Disease, Stroke, and Type 2 Diabetes in the United States. JAMA. 2017 Mar 7;317(9):912-924. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.0947. PMID: 28267855; PMCID: PMC5852674. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852674/pdf/nihms946949.pdf
3. Ames BN. Prolonging healthy aging: Longevity vitamins and proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci US A. 2018 Oct 23;115(43):10836-10844. doi:10.1073/pnas.1809045115. Epub 2018 Oct 15. PMID: 30322941; PMCID: PMC6205492. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6205492/pdf/pnas.201809045.pdf
4. Health passport https://my.aptimea.com/blog/appauvrissement-sols-impact-lalimentation
5. my BNs. The metabolic tune-up: metabolic harmony and disease prevention. J Nutr. 2003 May;133(5 Suppl 1):1544S-8S. doi: 10.1093/jn/133.5.1544S. PMID: 12730462. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12730462/
6. Papanikolaou Y, Brooks J, Reider C, Fulgoni VL 3rd. US adults are not meeting recommended levels for fish and omega-3 fatty acid intake: results of an analysis using observational data from NHANES 2003-2008. Nutr J. 2014 Apr 2; 1:31 p.m. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-13-31. Erratum in: Nutr J. 2014; 13:64. PMID: 24694001; PMCID: PMC3992162. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3992162/pdf/1475-2891-13-31.pdf
7. Chen GC, Yang J, Eggersdorfer M, Zhang W, Qin LQ. N-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of all-cause mortality among general populations: a meta-analysis. SciRep. 2016 Jun 16; 6:28165. doi:10.1038/srep28165. PMID: 27306836; PMCID: PMC4910132. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4910132/pdf/srep28165.pdf
8. Lacombe RJS, Chouinard-Watkins R, Bazinet RP. Brain docosahexaenoic acid uptake and metabolism. Mol Aspects Med. 2018 Dec; 64:109-134. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2017.12.004. Epub 2018 Feb 9. PMID: 29305120. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0098299717301358?via%3Dihub
10. Farzaneh-Far R, Lin J, Epel ES, Harris WS, Blackburn EH, Whooley MA. Association of marine omega-3 fatty acid levels with telomeric aging in patients with coronary heart disease. JAMA. 2010 Jan 20;303(3):250-7. doi: 10.1001/jama.2009.2008. PMID: 20085953; PMCID: PMC2819264. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2819264/pdf/nihms172565.pdf
11. Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Epel ES, Belury MA, Andridge R, Lin J, Glaser R, Malarkey WB, Hwang BS, Blackburn E. Omega-3 fatty acids, oxidative stress, and leukocyte telomere length: A randomized controlled trial. Brain Behav Immune. 2013 Feb; 28:16-24. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2012.09.004. Epub 2012 Sep 23. PMID: 23010452; PMCID: PMC3545053. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3545053/pdf/nihms409855.pdf
12. Fiala M, Halder RC, Sagong B, Ross O, Sayre J, Porter V, Bredesen DE. ω-3 Supplementation increases amyloid-β phagocytosis and resolvin D1 in patients with minor cognitive impairment. FASEB J. 2015 Jul;29(7):2681-9. doi: 10.1096/fj.14-264218. Epub 2015 Mar 24. PMID: 25805829. https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1096/fj.14-264218
13. Alexander DD, Miller PE, Van Elswyk ME, Kuratko CN, Bylsma LC. A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials and Prospective Cohort Studies of Eicosapentaenoic and Docosahexaenoic Long-Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Coronary Heart Disease Risk. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017 Jan;92(1):15-29. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.10.018. PMID: 28062061. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(16)30681-4/fulltext
14. O'Keefe JH, Jacob D, Lavie CJ. Omega-3 Fatty Acid Therapy: The Tide Turns for a Fish Story. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017 Jan;92(1):1-3. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.11.008. PMID: 28062059. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(16)30764-9/fulltext
15. DiNicolantonio JJ, O'Keefe JH, Wilson W. Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis. Open Heart. 2018 Jan 13;5(1): e000668. doi:10.1136/openhrt-2017-000668. Erratum in: Open Heart. 2018 Apr 5;5(1): e000668corr1. doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2017-000668corr1. PMID: 29387426; PMCID: PMC5786912. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5786912/pdf/openhrt-2017-000668.pdf
16. Rosanoff A, Dai Q, Shapses SA. Essential Nutrient Interactions: Does Low or Suboptimal Magnesium Status Interact with Vitamin D and/or Calcium Status? Adv Nutr. 2016 Jan 15;7(1):25-43. doi:10.3945/an.115.008631. PMID: 26773013; PMCID: PMC4717874. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4717874/pdf/an008631.pdf
17. Zeisel S. Choline, Other Methyl-Donors and Epigenetics. Nutrients. 2017 Apr 29;9(5):445. doi:10.3390/nu9050445. PMID: 28468239; PMCID: PMC5452175. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5452175/pdf/nutrients-09-00445.pdf
18. Wallace TC, Fulgoni VL 3rd. Assessment of Total Choline Intakes in the United States. J Am Coll Nutr. 2016;35(2):108-12. doi:10.1080/07315724.2015.1080127. Epub 2016 Feb 17. PMID: 26886842. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07315724.2015.1080127
19. Bouckenooghe T, Remacle C, Reusens B. Is taurine a functional nutrient? Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2006 Nov;9(6):728-33. doi:10.1097/01.mco.0000247469.26414.55. PMID: 17053427. https://journals.lww.com/co-clinicalnutrition/abstract/2006/11000/is_taurine_a_functional_nutrient_.13.aspx
20. Bourke CD, Berkley JA, Prendergast AJ. Immune Dysfunction as a Cause and Consequence of Malnutrition. Trends Immunol. 2016 Jun;37(6):386-398. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2016.04.003. Epub 2016 May 26. PMID: 27237815; PMCID: PMC4889773. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4889773/pdf/main.pdf
21. Ewald P (2002) Plague Time: The New Gem Theory of Disease (Anchor Books, New York) ISBN:978-0385721844
22. Ames BN, Elson-Schwab I, Silver EA. High-dose vitamin therapy stimulates variant enzymes with decreased coenzyme binding affinity (increased K(m)): relevance to genetic disease and polymorphisms. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Apr;75(4):616-58. doi:10.1093/ajcn/75.4.616. PMID: 11916749. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11916749/
23. BN Ames, JH Suh, J Liu, Enzymes lose binding affinity (increase Km) for coenzymes and substrates with age: A strategy for remediation. Nutrigenomics: Discovering the Path to Personalized Nutrition, eds J Kaput, R Rodriguez (John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ), pp. 277–293 (2006). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/0471781797#page=305
24. Ames BN, Atamna H, Killilea DW. Mineral and vitamin deficiencies can accelerate the mitochondrial decay of aging. Mol Aspects Med. 2005 Aug-Oct;26(4-5):363-78. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2005.07.007. PMID: 16102804. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0098299705000415?via%3Dihub
Maison Jacynthe disclaims all liability. All information contained on this page is not intended to replace justified allopathic treatment or to disregard the expertise of the medical profession. It is up to each individual to take charge of their own health, to inform themselves, and to make the necessary changes to improve their condition. Therapeutic supervision by a qualified health professional is obviously recommended.
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