The Life Extension Foundation
Health and Wellness with Anti-Aging Supplements,
Hormones, and Disease Prevention

The mitochondria are the cells’ energy powerhouses, and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an essential component of healthy mitochondrial function.23 CoQ10 is required to convert the energy from fats and sugars into usable cellular energy. Yet, the body’s production of CoQ10 declines significantly with advancing age. With an ample amount of CoQ10, the mitochondria can work most efficiently throughout the entire body — including the most densely populated area, the heart.25 CoQ10 is also a potent antioxidant, helping protect proteins, LDL, and DNA of mitochondria from oxidation and supporting mitochondrial function.

More people are supplementing with CoQ10 than ever before. One reason is increased awareness that “statin” drugs used to lower LDL and cholesterol deplete CoQ10 levels in the blood, and possibly the tissues.

What most doctors don’t know, however, is that normal aging may result in more of a reduction in CoQ10 than taking statins. For example, while statin drugs have been shown to reduce plasma CoQ10 by 40%,28 the aging process reduces CoQ10 levels in the heart muscle wall by 72%. What is particularly frightening is the deficit caused by the dual effects of aging and statin drug use that can result in severe depletion of cellular vitality.

When CoQ10 is orally ingested, only a certain percentage is actually absorbed into the bloodstream. Findings in human subjects indicate that higher doses of CoQ10 provide significantly better effects than the doses supplement users typically take. Since CoQ10 is a comparatively expensive nutrient, an alternative to taking higher doses is to increase the amount of CoQ10 that is absorbed. Life Extension® offers the highly bioavailable ubiquinol form of CoQ10 in a patented delivery system with a superior absorption level.

CoQ10 is notoriously difficult to absorb. When it comes to choosing a CoQ10 supplement, the primary factor is how many swallowed milligrams actually make it into your bloodstream. A recent study showed that in seriously ill patients, conventional ubiquinone CoQ10 was hardly detectable in the blood whereas ubiquinol resulted in significant blood level increases and subsequent clinical improvements.

Scientific studies show that ubiquinol absorbs up to 8 times greater than ubiquinone, and higher levels of ubiquinol remain in the blood far longer than ubiquinone. In studies measuring exercise-induced fatigue, ubiquinol was 90% more effective than ubiquinone. In middle-aged mice, ubiquinol was shown to be 40% more effective in slowing measurements of aging compared to ubiquinone.

This latest formulation contains an organic compound called PrimaVie® shilajit that research shows doubles levels of CoQ10 in the mitochondria. [Read More]

Throughout life, cells known as osteoblasts construct bone matrix and fill it with calcium. At the same time, osteoclasts work just as busily to tear down and resorb bone. This fine balance is regulated by many factors, including systemic hormones and cytokines. Bone mass reaches its peak by the middle of the third decade of life and plateaus for about ten years, during which time bone turnover is constant, with bone formation approximately equaling bone resorption.

As our bodies age, this fine balance is lost. As the relative hormone levels shift in midlife — more drastically in women than in men — the osteoclasts gain the upper hand and bone mass begins to dwindle. Some bone is already being lost by the time women reach menopause, but the rate of loss can increase up to tenfold during the first six years after menopause.

Bone density loss is not just associated with calcium deficiency, but also with an insufficient intake of a host of other nutrients including magnesium and vitamin D3. In order for calcium to help maintain healthy bones, adequate amounts of vitamin D3, zinc, magnesium, manganese, and other nutrients should be available so that calcium and phosphorus can be incorporated into the bone matrix. Additionally, many forms of calcium are not particularly well absorbed.

While loss of bone mineral density is more commonly experienced by women, aging men can also have this issue. Both men and women may suffer significant deficits of magnesium if they do not supplement. Magnesium is not only needed to maintain strong bones, but it is critical to promoting a healthy vascular system. In fact, magnesium is critical for facilitating hundreds of enzymatic reactions that our bodies require to maintain optimal health.

To overcome the impediments that preclude aging adults from achieving optimal calcium status, Life Extension offers a proprietary comprehensive mineral formula called Bone Restore which has been designed to support healthy bone density and strength. Bone Restore provides 1200 elemental milligrams of calcium from three different forms, along with the critically important nutrients magnesium, boron, zinc, silicon, manganese and vitamin D needed for healthy bones.

In fact, the boron in this formula, called FruiteX B® OsteoBoron®, is a natural boron/carbohydrate complex, similar to what is found in fruits and vegetables and is more bioavailable than boron citrate. Scientific research has established the beneficial effects of boron on the strength of bones and joints.

One reason why aging people suffer bone loss even though they are taking calcium supplements is that they may not be absorbing enough elemental calcium. Bone Restore provides calcium in capsule form to ensure that it breaks down fully in the digestive tract. Unlike calcium tablets, these capsules burst open within five minutes of swallowing, making the minerals and vitamin D3 immediately available for absorption. [Read More]

The Optimized Irvingia with Phase 3™ Calorie Control Complex formulation provides a combination of natural compounds that combat age-related fat accumulation via the following eight distinct mechanisms:

1. Delaying digestion and absorption of sucrose.
2. Enhancing resting energy expenditure at the cellular level.
3. Slowing the absorption of dietary fat from the intestines.
4. Moderating alpha-amylase enzyme activity to reduce the absorption of carbohydrates into the bloodstream.
5. Reducing alpha-glucosidase enzyme activity to further slow the absorption of starches and sugars into the bloodstream.
6. Supporting leptin sensitivity to stimulate lipolysis.
7. Supporting youthful levels of adiponectin to help maintain healthy insulin sensitivity.
8. Moderating glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme activity to reduce the amount of ingested starches that are converted to triglycerides and stored as fat.

Phase 3™ Sucrase Modulator
A recent study in the journal Science concluded that in primates a calorie-restricted diet can delay disease onset and age-related mortality. While Life Extension readers understand the benefits of calorie restriction, that doesn’t make it any easier to cut back on one of the major calorie culprits in the American diet: refined sugar.

Sucrase is an enzyme that breaks down sucrose in the digestive tract for absorption into the bloodstream. Phase 3™ is a patented compound that functions as a beneficial sucrase modulator. It contains L-Arabinose, a natural substance found in plants that reduces the number of absorbed calories from sugar. Phase 3™ can help support healthy insulin metabolism and sugar levels in the bloodstream. Phase3™ is just one ingredient in Optimized Irvingia.

Green Tea Phytosome Cellular Energy Enhancer
The ability of green tea extracts to inhibit the breakdown and absorption of dietary fat has been the subject of research studies across the globe. Mounting scientific research has documented the metabolic effects of green tea polyphenols. A proprietary phytosome complex has shown an ability to increase the absorption of green tea polyphenols into the bloodstream better than conventional tea extracts — resulting in peak plasma levels of the critical green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate.

Participants in a human clinical trial showed an average weight loss of 30 pounds and a 10% reduction in waist circumference in 90 days when 300 mg/day of this new green tea phytosome was taken in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet. The placebo group that followed the same reduced-calorie diet lost only 9.9 pounds and only 5% of their waist size. Optimized Irvingia contains the exact same green tea phytosome as was used in this study.

The Alpha-Amylase Enzyme
Aging reduces our ability to utilize the carbohydrates (and fats) that constitute what most would consider part of a healthy diet. The result is that as we grow older, our bloodstreams become chronically bloated with glucose and triglycerides in direct contrast to the youthful metabolic profile we have in our younger years. Emerging scientific research suggests that the alpha-amylase enzyme plays an undesirable role in the digestion of dietary carbohydrates and subsequent absorption of calories from starch and sugar. A natural bean extract (Phaseolus vulgaris) moderates alpha-amylase activity. In a human trial in which all overweight participants were placed on a 2,000–2,200-calorie, carbohydrate-rich diet, those taking Phaseolus vulgaris lost 6.5 pounds and 1.2 inches in waist size in only 30 days compared with 0.8 pounds and 0.2 inches in the placebo group. Optimized Irvingia contains the identical Phaseolus vulgaris used in this study.

The Alpha-Glucosidase Enzyme
Another intestinal enzyme that enables carbohydrate absorption is alpha-glucosidase. A patented seaweed extract (InSea²™) has demonstrated the ability to help maintain healthy levels of both alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase. When given to laboratory animals, this seaweed extract reduced after-meal (postprandial) glucose elevations by up to 90% compared with non-supplemented animals.

Remember, young healthy individuals rapidly convert ingested fats and sugars into energy. Age-related changes decrease our metabolic capacity to efficiently utilize dietary fats and sugars. It is thus paramount for aging people to reduce their absorption of excess calories. By taking nutrients before each meal that reduce the activity of carbohydrate and fat digesting enzymes, the calorie burden is significantly reduced. Optimized Irvingia provides the same InSea²™ extract as used in laboratory studies.

Leptin Sensitivity
Fat cells (adipocytes) secrete a hormone called leptin that tells our brain we have eaten enough. Leptin can also facilitate the breakdown of stored triglycerides in our adipocytes via the process of lipolysis. Heavy individuals have startlingly high blood levels of leptin, indicating that their cells have become resistant to the leptin that is supposed to prevent them from putting on so many fat pounds.

An extract from a West African food called Irvingia gabonensis has been shown to help support leptin sensitivity in overweight people. In a recently published study, Irvingia demonstrated beneficial effects upon leptin blood levels, followed by weight loss and inches off the waistline. In addition to supporting healthy leptin sensitivity, Irvingia has demonstrated the following beneficial effects on key aspects of metabolism:

• Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is an enzyme involved in the complex biochemical process that converts ingested starch and sugar calories to stored body fat. Irvingia has been shown in studies involving fat cells to reduce the activity of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, which may help reduce the impact of starch and sugar calories on body fat.
• Scientific research on fat cells suggests that Irvingia has alpha-amylase-inhibiting properties (like InSea²™ and Phaseolus vulgaris) which can help support a slowing of the rate of carbohydrate absorption from the intestines and a reduction of the caloric impact of starchy and sugary foods.
• Adiponectin is a hormone involved in helping to maintain insulin sensitivity on the membranes of energy-producing cells. Big fat cells produce less adiponectin, and overweight people need to be especially concerned about maintaining healthy levels of adiponectin to support insulin sensitivity and metabolic fitness. Scientific data suggests that Irvingia helps support healthy adiponectin levels.

Optimized Irvingia with Phase 3™ Calorie Control Complex is indeed an innovative multi-modal approach to weight loss with an additional benefit. By helping to slow the absorption of starches and sugars, it reduces their caloric impact. And according to a recent mammalian study, those following a calorie-restricted diet were shown to significantly reduce the risk of mortality from age-related causes. This suggests that regular supplementation with this or any Irvingia formulation may help provide anti-aging benefits similar to those found in this recent study. [Read More]

The body needs fatty acids to survive and is able to make all but two of them: linoleic acid (LA), in the omega-6 family, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in the omega-3 family. These two fatty acids must be supplied by the diet and are therefore considered essential fatty acids (EFAs).

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in cold-water fish (and fish oil), perilla and flaxseed oils, are essential elements of a healthy diet. Fish oils contain the essential fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are usually lacking in the typical Western diet, which is filled with foods containing high amounts of omega-6 fats. EPA and DHA can be synthesized in the body from ALA, but EPA and DHA synthesis may be insufficient under certain conditions and for most people that consume Western diets.

While the polyunsaturated fats known as omega-6 fatty acids are essential to life, most Americans and citizens of other Western nations consume far too many omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and not enough omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. In fact, some Western diets consist of 20 parts of omega-6 to only one part of omega-3. For optimum health, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids should be between 1:1 and 4:1.25 The severe imbalance that occurs with most people contributes to the development of long-term health problems.

Studies associate the Mediterranean diet — rich in omega-3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids such as that found in olive oil, and antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables, and herbs — with lowered cardiovascular risk and increased life span. Other studies support omega-3’s importance in cardiovascular health.

Life Extension’s Super Omega-3 is a premium, scientifically-validated fish oil concentrate, derived from sustainable sources, that contains a proprietary, full-spectrum blend of synergistic nutrients to provide scientifically-validated cardioprotective health benefits.

An abundance of scientific research substantiates the wide-ranging health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil and monounsaturated fatty acid and polyphenols in olive fruit. No other commercially available fish oil supplement contains this level of essential fatty acids, sesame lignans and olive fruit polyphenols.

Super Omega-3 from Life Extension uses a patented EPA/DHA extraction process that results in a pure, stable and easy-to-tolerate fish oil extract. While most fish oil is distilled to decrease contaminants such as mercury and PCBs, the Pure+™ fish oil used in Super Omega-3 is produced with a patented method that purifies the oil with a highly advanced distillation process to reduce pollutants to virtually undetectable levels. The result is an improved fish oil that exceeds the standards set by international rating agencies.

The unstable nature of fatty acids like fish oil limits their biological efficacy in the body. Scientific studies show that when sesame lignans are supplemented with fish oil, the beneficial effects are augmented.

Sesame lignans help guard against lipid peroxidation, thereby extending the stability of DHA in the body. These lignans also direct fatty acids toward pathways which can help with inflammatory reactions. Super Omega-3 provides standardized sesame lignans to enhance the overall benefits of the improved EPA/DHA fish oil blend.

To emulate a Mediterranean diet, Super Omega-3 provides a standardized olive fruit extract to deliver the polyphenol hydroxytyrosol, a powerful antioxidant that protects normal LDL from oxidation and counters dangerous free radicals. Research shows that a combination of olive oil and fish oil supplements helps with inflammation better than a placebo or fish oil alone. Therefore, Super Omega-3 provides the equivalent polyphenol content of 6 ounces of extra virgin olive oil.

Super Omega-3 provides a concentrated olive fruit extract standardized for hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and oleuropein polyphenols. Research shows the value of oleuropein in favorably altering gene expression, delaying senescence in specialized skin cells, and helping maintain normal platelet activation. [Read More]