Top Five Aging Myths Debunked

Stephen Cherniske is an accomplished health educator. With a Bachelors degree from the State University of New York at Albany, a Masters of Science degree in Nutrition from Columbia Pacific University, and over 30 years of clinical, research and teaching experience, he is able to reach any audience with relevant, authoritative and timely information.

1. MYTH: Aging is inexorable. The body simply wears out just like our cars and houses.
   FACT: The human body is capable of astounding regeneration; roughly 300 billion new cells are created every day. This is analogous to your house growing a new roof before the old one starts to leak.
   
    
2. MYTH: Aging happens because of free radicals, genetic error, enzyme depletion, etc.
   FACT: Aging is fundamentally a metabolic process in which we can go from youthful anabolic metabolism (think high-energy, rebuild, restore, repair) to a progressively more catabolic metabolism (think low-energy, wear down tear-down). All previous theories of aging fall within this metabolic model.
   
    
3. MYTH: Nothing can be done about metabolism. It’s genetic.
   FACT: Metabolism is determined primarily by hormones. By restoring anabolic hormones (DHEA, 7-Keto) to youthful levels, you can restore youthful metabolism.
   
    
4. MYTH: Vitamins and Minerals will help you live longer.
   FACT: Scientific studies show that people who take handfuls of nutritional supplements, including mega-dose antioxidants, die at about the same age as people who take no nutritional supplements. Comment: Until and unless you alter your metabolism, none of the common nutritional steps (calcium for your bones, ginkgo for your memory, echinacea for your immune system) will do much good. Conversely, when you restore youthful anabolic (repair and rebuild) metabolism, such prudent measures will produce optimal results.
   
    
5. MYTH: When you’re over 40, you need to work out longer and harder in order to build and maintain muscle.
   FACT: Working out longer and harder will do nothing but increase your risk for injury. If you are over 40, you are already deep into a catabolic territory. The single most important step that you can take is to restore youthful anabolic metabolism. Then, even moderate exercise will increase muscle mass.

Top Five Anti-Aging Tips

1. You can’t reach your goal if you don’t know where you are.
   Since aging is a metabolic shift from anabolic to catabolic, it is critical that you understand where you are. The Anabolic/Catabolic Index (ACI) is a scientific test, validated in published biomedical literature that will give you a metabolic profile from a single urine sample. Subsequent tests monitor your progress.
   
    
2. Work smarter, not harder.
   Boomers today are spending $9 billion per year on nutritional supplements in a “shotgun” strategy to beat aging. It’s not working. Once you understand the metabolic model of aging, a simple action plan is laid out for you that has been proven in double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials.
   
    
3. Avoid things that accelerate aging. The top six catabolic factors are:
   A. Stress
   B. Cigarette smoking
   C. Poor sleep
   D. Sugar
   E. Saturated fats
   F. Caffeine
   
    
4. Top ten super foods/herbs to combat aging:
   1. Garlic & Onions
   2. Chili peppers
   3. Carrots, sweet potatoes and yams
   4. Yogurt
   5. Cold-water fish
   6. Flax seeds
   7. Medicinal mushrooms
   8. Aloe Vera
   9. Blueberries
   10. Whey Protein
   
    
5. Top ten super-supplements
   1. DHEA
   2. 7-Keto
   3. Lipoic acid
   4. Vitamin E
   5. Gingko biloba
   6. Coenzyme Q-10
   7. Selenium
   8. Alpha Ketoglutaric acid
   9. Chromium
   10. IP-6