This is a “sponsored post.” ChromaDex compensated FOF with an advertising sponsorship to write it. Regardless, we only recommend products or services that we believe will be helpful for our readers. All insights and expressed opinions are our own. —Geri Brin
No matter how many anti-aging lotions and potions I rub into my skin, it’s unlikely that I’m going to wake up one day soon, glance in the mirror, and see my 30-old-face staring back at me. But the burgeoning nutritional supplement market, estimated at a whopping $20+ billion, consistently promises it can help me live healthier–and feel younger. Although I’d be willing to keep my crow’s feet and laugh lines, in exchange for feeling as tip-top as I did decades ago, so many supplement claims seem downright absurd!
It got my attention, however, when I heard that a Stanford-educated PhD, with his advanced degree in cancer biology, had discovered a vitamin that actually could reduce the effects of aging and rejuvenate energy production in the cell. Was this for real?
I wanted to learn more, so I arranged for an interview with Dr. Charles Brenner, the scientist behind this discovery, and asked him to explain his discovery in non-scientific terms. If a highly educated scientist hoped to teach me anything, he had to make it simple. Biology was my worst subject in high school!
This post is sponsored by ChromaDex, the makers of TRU NIAGEN®.
I’ve been thinking about my obsessions (important and insignificant) throughout my life: My grades at school to my goals at work; the length of my hair to the size of my jeans; the balance in my checkbook to the health of my kids.
Now that I’m 71, I have one obsession that I consider paramount, and that’s MY HEALTH. No, I haven’t become a hypochondriac. As a matter of fact, I don’t like to complain when I’m under the weather! I simply want to take care of my body the best I can, so I can live a fit and healthy life for as long as possible. Don’t worry. I’m not going to lecture you about what I’m sure you already know: Eat the right foods, in the right combination; sleep the right amount of time, and exercise the right way. I’ll simply say that if you don’t live your life this way now, get with it and make it your way of life.
Instead, I want to share significant news about one of the most essential molecules we have in every single cell of our bodies, called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. NAD+ (that’s the easy way to remember it) is indispensable to life and vital to functions that ensure proper cellular energy metabolism. It makes it possible for our cells to convert the fats, proteins and carbohydrates we eat into the energy we need to stay in top shape. NAD+ also activates our “longevity” genes, which regulate cellular aging and the chemical and biological processes that help us maintain healthy and fit lives.
Unfortunately, our level of NAD+ substantially declines as our bodies slow down with age, even if we do cardio and weight-bearing exercises all week, consume a diet of nutritious whole foods, get adequate sleep, and stay away from smoking and drinking. Fortunately for you and me, a brilliant scientist has discovered that nicotinamide riboside (NR), a unique member of the vitamin B3 family also known as NIAGEN, will be converted to NAD+ in our body.
And, now I can rejuvenate my health, starting from within, with a dietary supplement called TRU NIAGEN. I have been taking TRU NIAGEN every single morning for the past 18 months, and I feel wonderful—from overall feelings of well-being to improved sleep quality and consistent energy. I can think of only a single time I’ve napped, too. It supports my desire to age the best I can! It’s like the premium fuel for my car, helping me to “run” smoothly every single day.
This is a sponsored post. ChromaDex compensated FabOverFifty with an advertising sponsorship to write it. Regardless, we only recommend products or services that we believe will be helpful for our readers. All insights and expressed opinions are our own. —Geri Brin
Driverless cars and virtual reality headsets may be 21st-century technological marvels, but they’re no match for our remarkable human body of interconnected systems that work together to keep us alive—and healthy! Even more phenomenal, 24-hour “clocks” in every one of our cells and tissues impact the way all our organs work, from our heart to our liver, and one master clock in our brain leads the way. Although most of us happily said sayonara to science back in high school, it pays to get a basic understanding of what makes our internal clocks tick, and how to help keep them on time. Because if the clocks go haywire from the way we’re living our lives, we could be jeopardizing our well-being.
Of course, we’re not talking about microscopic Bulova clocks, but rather biological clocks that cause all organisms on earth, plants to animals (and that includes you and me), to respond to the daily cycle of sunrise, sunset, sunrise. In layman’s terms, our master brain clock receives daily light and dark information through our retinas, and transmits these signals to all the other clocks by secreting hormones and through other chemical processes. Our 24-hour “circadian rhythms” can influence our sleep-wake cycles, eating habits and digestion, body temperature and other vital bodily functions.
At daylight, when we’re lowest on energy after a night’s sleep, a hormone called ghrelin kicks in. Known as the “hunger hormone,” it stimulates our appetite, influences the amount of food we consume, and promotes fat storage. “When we wake up hungry, we’re motivated to get up and get food for increased energy,” explained Dr. Charles Brenner, a Stanford-educated PhD, who studies cells and aging. Another hormone, called leptin (known as the “satiety hormone”), signals to us that our tummy is full.
“Then, when most of us sleep, our brains clean up a bunch of toxic waste that accumulates over the course of a day, and the chemical life-maintaining processes taking place inside our bodies slow down,” Dr. Brenner added. We continue to burn fuel when we’re asleep, but since we’re not eating all night, our body converts glycogen stored in our liver and muscles into blood sugar for energy during the overnight period.
“It’s indisputable that we function best when we get enough sleep. Its restorative properties help make us high functioning when we’re awake,” Dr. Brenner said.
WHY WE ABSOLUTELY NEED A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
Consider some of the beneficial properties of sleep, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute:
Sleep helps heal and repair heart and blood vessels; ongoing sleep deficiency seems to be associated with increased heart rate and blood pressure, as well as with higher levels of certain chemicals linked with inflammation, which may put extra strain on your heart.
Sleep helps maintain a healthy balance of those hormones I mentioned before that make us feel hungry or full. When we don’t get enough sleep, our level of ghrelin goes up and our level of leptin goes down, making us feel hungrier than when we’re well-rested.
Sleep affects how our body reacts to insulin, the hormone that controls our blood glucose (sugar) level. Sleep deficiency results in above-average blood sugar levels, which may increase the risk for diabetes.
Sleep helps our immune system to stay healthy, so our body is well-defended against foreign or harmful substances. It’s harder to fight common infections when you don’t get adequate sleep.
AND, HOW TO HAVE A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
Now think about some of the actions that will help give you good “sleep hygiene,” namely seven or more hours of sleep per night that you need for health and wellbeing, according to a joint consensus statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.
Avoid eating late at night because your body is more likely to store those calories as fat and you’ll gain weightrather than burn the calories as energy.
Don’t drink caffeine late in the day or overindulge in alcohol. We tend to have a drink to make us sleepy, but when the alcohol wears off around 3 a.m., we’re wide awake.
Turn off your cell phone and computer. These devices emit blue light, which signals morning (sunrise is blue lightand sunset is red light). They also disrupt melatonin production, so we don’t sleep as well as we did before the technological revolution.
Go to sleep in a dark, quiet room that’s not too hot, which will help you relax your mind and body. A cool room is best.
Try to go to sleep around the same time each night.
If you can’t fall asleep, don’t lie in bed tossing and turning. Get up and read a book (but not on a device).
Take a daily dietary supplement of nicotinamide riboside (NR), a cutting-edge form of vitamin B3 that helps your cells replenish nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Incredibly important to all of your living cells, NAD helps regulate circadian rhythm and increases energy production at the cellular level.
WHY NAD IS TRULY A BIG DEAL
Scientists have discovered that NAD is so important because it allows our cells to convert the fats, proteins, and carbohydrates we eat into the energy we need to stay in top shape. NAD also helps to activate longevity genes, which control cellular aging, as well as all those chemical and biological processes that help us stay fit and healthy, said Dr. Brenner. It was Dr. Brenner, in fact, who actually discovered the connection between NR and NAD, and is the Chief Scientific Advisor behind TRU NIAGEN® from ChromaDex, the worldwide patent-holder and innovator behind the ingredient.
Studies in mice have shown that there are two NAD peaks per day, produced during its own circadian cycles: A daytime NAD peak is largely driven by the food we eat in the morning (minimally processed whole foods are best), and that’s followed by a nighttime peak. “We know that NAD daily cycles are required for essentially all aspects of metabolism, in your liver, heart, brain, immune system, peripheral nervous system, and in your blood,” explained Dr. Brenner.
Maintaining a regular sleep and work schedule, moderate exercise, staying out of the sun, and limiting alcohol intake all can help retain and increase the NAD levels we need for healthy, strong cells. But, and this is a BIG BUT, our levels of NAD naturally decline as we age. With the inevitable stresses of life, this decline may speed up anytime we eat too much, drink too much, work too much, stay in the sun for too long, or don’t sleep well. This means basically every time we’re normal human beings. So, it makes complete sense to take a supplement with NR, which will give your body a proven source of NAD.
By boosting NAD you support your circadian functions, which may help you to sleep better, have better digestion, better mental capacity and support whole body wellness.
I’ve been taking Tru Niagen every single morning for the past 18 months, and I feel wonderful—from overall feelings of well-being and improved sleep quality to consistent energy. I can think of only a single time I’ve napped, too. A single dose of Tru Niagen produces clinically significant increases in NAD levels, supporting our desires to age the best we can!
To learn how you can regulate your circadian rhythm today
If you’d first met Leo shortly before he died, you’d never guess he was 102. He still walked with a spring in his step, carried heavy bags of groceries, and was constantly on the move. What’s more, Leo never ever napped during the day. And, his cheeks were as pinchably round and rosy as ever!
Not so with Rosalie, 30 years younger. Her favorite activity is sitting in front of the TV, for hours on end, where she’ll often fall asleep, sometimes for long stretches. When Rosalie agrees to take a walk around the neighborhood with her husband, her pace is excruciatingly slow and cautious, and she starts to tire after a couple of blocks. She’s thinner, too, even though she isn’t dieting, and she’s definitely paler.
Why does one person, a centenarian at that, act so much younger than someone who’s actually young enough to be his daughter? Although Rosalie hasn’t been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, she has a medical condition called “frailty syndrome.” It’s real, it’s disheartening, and it’s debilitating, and each and every one of us needs to do everything we can to prevent or delay it.
If you have at least three of these five symptoms, you’re considered frail: 1) Decreased muscle strength 2) A feeling of fatigue 3) Slow walking speed 4) Low levels of activity, and 5) Unintentional loss of at least 10 pounds within the past year. Our grandparents may have believed frailty was an inevitability of aging, but it’s absolutely not! Frailty syndrome now is classified as a medical condition, and, as our population ages, scientists are working hard to find ways to reverse it!
“Frailty syndrome is linked to more deaths, more hospitalizations that end up with patients in nursing homes, more falls, more combinations of chronic diseases, and more complications and side effects from prescribed medications,” said Dr. Peter M. Abadir, a noted gerontologist and clinician with the esteemed Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, MD.
GIVING FRAILTY THE GOOD FIGHT
Dr. Linda Fried, an internist, first defined frailty syndrome in 2001 and warned that it puts us at risk of “very bad outcomes.” But what makes some of us frail when we’re only in our 50s, while others never become frail, like Leo? Our genetics and environment certainly play important roles, and even if we don’t have control over either, we can control two other factors that we’ve been hearing about for years—how we exercise and what we eat—according to Dr. Abadir. “Different studies, here and in Europe, have proven again and again that 30 minutes of moderate exercise, six days a week, is linked to a 40 percent mortality risk reduction. You can gain five years in a lifetime with moderate exercise,” Dr. Abadir stressed.
This doesn’t mean you have to jog around the block countless times, until you’re about to pass out. Moderate exercise can mean walking the dog, or yourself, at a lively pace, or making a concerted effort to walk up and down the stairs in your house throughout the day. Weight-bearing and balancing exercises are also critical for maintaining your core strength, so you minimize your risk for falls. “Common sense stays the common sense when it comes to the science of aging,” Dr. Abadir added.
Scientists have discovered that fasting stresses our body at the cellular level far more than we usually do, at least when it comes to nutrition. By overeating, we don’t give our cells a chance to naturally and properly regenerate and rejuvenate, so we’re stuck with loads of damaged, poorly performing cells that can cause all kinds of havoc on our bodies, and contribute to age-related problems.
WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR CELLS AS WE AGE?
“Our bodies are in continuous decline and repair processes, which can be linked to most of the diseases of aging,” said Dr. Abadir, whose research is focused on mitochondria. “These are small organelles inside every cell of our bodies that convert oxygen into the energy (fuel) needed for cellular repair,” he explained. Mitochondria power the muscles and tissues of the body and are responsible for creating 90 percent of the energy needed to sustain life and support organ function. When mitochondria stop working properly, organs start to fail and cause us to get sick with diseases like heart failure and diabetes, and even die.
Although we lose mitochondria as we age, researchers have discovered that when older adults (their average age was 67 in one study) regularly exercise, the amount of their mitochondria increases significantly. This, in turn, increases energy and endurance!
Our cells also hold an important molecule called NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), which works within our mitochondria to perform critical functions, such as enabling our cells to convert the fats, proteins, and carbohydrates we eat into the energy we need to stay in top shape. NAD also kicks our “longevity genes” into gear, which regulate cellular aging and the chemical and biological processes that help us maintain healthy and fit lives.
Unfortunately, our level of NAD also substantially declines as our bodies slow down with age. Doing cardio and weight-bearing exercises six times a week, consuming a diet of nutritious whole foods, getting adequate sleep, and staying away from smoking and drinking all are essential. The inevitable physiological stresses of life, however, can lead to poorly functioning mitochondria and the decline of our NAD levels.
This is a “sponsored post.” ChromaDex compensated FOF with an advertising sponsorship to write it. Regardless, we only recommend products or services that we believe will be helpful for our readers. All insights and expressed opinions are our own. —Geri Brin
No matter how many anti-aging lotions and potions I rub into my skin, it’s unlikely that I’m going to wake up one day soon, glance in the mirror, and see my 30-old-face staring back at me. But the burgeoning nutritional supplement market, estimated at a whopping $20+ billion, consistently promises it can help me live healthier–and feel younger. Although I’d be willing to keep my crow’s feet and laugh lines, in exchange for feeling as tip-top as I did decades ago, so many supplement claims seem downright absurd!
It got my attention, however, when I heard that a Stanford-educated PhD, with his advanced degree in cancer biology, had discovered a vitamin that actually could reduce the effects of aging and rejuvenate energy production in the cell. Was this for real?
I wanted to learn more, so I arranged for an interview with Dr. Charles Brenner, the scientist behind this discovery, and asked him to explain his discovery in non-scientific terms. If a highly educated scientist hoped to teach me anything, he had to make it simple. Biology was my worst subject in high school!
“I couldn’t fake it anymore. It was getting harder and harder to follow my friend’s conversations in noisy restaurants, and I’d constantly ask my husband to repeat dialogue when we watched our favorite shows,” Sharon said.
If you’re part of the Boomer generation, like Sharon, that grooved to loud music in the 60s and 70s, chances are that your hearing isn’t what it used to be. Fortunately, you can hear clearly again, without having to spend a king’s ransom, now that one company has figured out how to bring women a sophisticated, petite and stylish hearing aid for price of prescription eyeglasses.
But beware of countless brands who are marketing nothing more than sound amplifiers, which are designed for those with normal hearing who want to boost sounds at certain times, say in a noisy restaurant. Amplifiers simply make all sounds louder, while a hearing aid can differentiate between sounds and amplify them based on the characteristics of the sound. Hearing aids also are custom programmed to make speech easier to hear and decipher, and they’re fitted to your ear so they feel comfortable. Amplifiers don’t offer any of these benefits.
In a nutshell, amplifiers are not substitutes for hearing aids.
The EVA-lution!
EVA by ihear are appealingly small and absolutely first-rate hearing aids made exclusively for women, who lose more hearing in the lower and mid frequencies than men. They’re a fraction of the cost of other premium devices–only $399 each–because the average person with typical hearing loss patterns can buy them directly online from iHear. EVA comes with an assortment of standard and vented tips in various sizes, so you can could choose those that fit most comfortably in your ears. And, they’re adjustable, so you can turn them down or up. (more…)
This post is sponsored as part of a partnership between FabOverFifty and ChromaDex. The science is based off years of research and clinical studies— the opinions,
however, are all my own.
I’ve always had oodles of energy, and could start the day by cleaning every square inch of my apartment, move on to shop for the ingredients for a dinner party for 8, cook the dinner, be a bubbly hostess, and thoroughly clean up before I’d collapse into bed. Or, I could work for 12 hours in my office, then spend another three hours doing freelance writing assignments. I even was known to wake in the wee hours of the morning to work.
As I’ve aged, however, I’d noticed a definite decline in my level of energy. Sometimes I’d be so tired by midday, that I’d have to nap. If it was the 1950s or 1960s, I might have taken a syrupy substance which was heavily promoted as an elixir for perking up our “tired blood” as we aged.
But this is 2017, and now we know that decreased energy is a natural byproduct of aging itself, with many of our lifestyle choices adding insult to injury. Over time, exposure to the sun, overeating and consuming unhealthy foods and beverages, even flying between time zones, are among the “stressors” that can play havoc with our “cellular metabolism.” If you were as horrible a biology student as I, you’ll want to know that “cellular metabolism” encompasses all the biochemical reactions inside living organisms that keep us alive—and healthy!(more…)
This post is sponsored by ChromaDex. Regardless, we only recommend products or services that we believe will be helpful for our readers. All insights and expressed opinions are our own. —Geri Brin
After spending decades with someone you cherish, whether you’re married or not, you care about his or her health as much as your own!
My sister and her husband feel that way, and each of them always tries to watch out for the other’s well-being. They walk mostly every day. They eat nutritious meals. They take all the right tests to stay on top of their heart, colon, bladder, and eye health.
When I told my sister Shelley recently about a supplement that could help reduce the effects of natural aging and help her and her husband, Rusty, because it helps melive healthier and feel younger, she was skeptical. Sure, when you hear something as fantastic as this, you’re bound to ask yourself, “Is this real?” After all, so many supplement claims seem downright absurd, even if Dr. Oz is making them! I also was dubious at first about this new “age-defying” supplement.
This is a “sponsored post.” ChromaDex compensated FOF with an advertising sponsorship to write it. Regardless, we only recommend products or services that we believe will be helpful for our readers. All insights and expressed opinions are our own. —Geri Brin
No matter how many anti-aging lotions and potions I rub into my skin, it’s unlikely that I’m going to wake up one day soon, glance in the mirror, and see my 30-old-face staring back at me. But the burgeoning nutritional supplement market, estimated at a whopping $20+ billion, consistently promises it can help me live healthier–and feel younger. Although I’d be willing to keep my crow’s feet and laugh lines, in exchange for feeling as tip-top as I did decades ago, so many supplement claims seem downright absurd!
It got my attention, however, when I heard that a Stanford-educated PhD, with his advanced degree in cancer biology, had discovered a vitamin that actually could reduce the effects of aging and rejuvenate energy production in the cell. Was this for real?
I wanted to learn more, so I arranged for an interview with Dr. Charles Brenner, the scientist behind this discovery, and asked him to explain his discovery in non-scientific terms. If a highly educated scientist hoped to teach me anything, he had to make it simple. Biology was my worst subject in high school!
If you’re reading this, chances are you have high blood pressure. As a matter of fact, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) predicts 90 percent of boomers will develop the chronic health condition, which is reaching epidemic levels around the world.
A whopping 140 million US adults now have elevated blood pressure, reports the American Heart Association. Left uncontrolled, it can lead to stroke, heart attack, hardening of the arteries, kidney disease, and even memory impairment.
Cardiovascular disease causes 1 in 3 women’s deaths each year, and is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, according to the American Heart Association.
If you’re one of the millions living with the potential dangers of high blood pressure, you’ll absolutely want to know about jiaogulan, which the Chinese have been calling “the herb of immortality” for centuries. It’s completely natural and can dramatically lower your blood pressure!
And, now I can rejuvenate my health, starting from within, with a dietary supplement called TRU NIAGEN. I have been taking 
phenomenal, 24-hour “clocks” in every one of our cells and tissues impact the way all our organs work, from our heart to our liver, and one master clock in our brain leads the way. Although most of us happily said sayonara to science back in high school, it pays to get a basic understanding of what makes our internal clocks tick, and how to help keep them on time. Because if the clocks go haywire from the way we’re living our lives, we could be jeopardizing our well-being.
“Then, when most of us sleep, our brains clean up a bunch of toxic waste that accumulates over the course of a day, and the chemical life-maintaining processes taking place inside our bodies slow down,” Dr. Brenner added. We continue to burn fuel when we’re asleep, but since we’re not eating all night, our body converts glycogen stored in our liver and muscles into blood sugar for energy during the overnight period. 
When we don’t get enough sleep, our level of ghrelin goes up and our level of leptin goes down, making us feel hungrier than when we’re well-rested.
the alcohol wears off around 3 a.m., we’re wide awake. 
If you’d first met Leo shortly before he died, you’d never guess he was 102. He still walked with a spring in his step, carried heavy bags of groceries, and was constantly on the move. What’s more, Leo never ever napped during the day. And, his cheeks were as pinchably round and rosy as ever! 
Dr. Linda Fried, an internist, first defined frailty syndrome in 2001 and warned that it puts us at risk of “very bad outcomes.” But what makes some of us frail when we’re only in our 50s, while others never become frail, like Leo? Our genetics and environment certainly play important roles, and even if we don’t have control over either, we
Although we lose mitochondria as we age, researchers have discovered that when older adults (their average age was 67 in one study) regularly exercise, the amount of their mitochondria increases significantly. This, in turn, increases energy and endurance! 
“I couldn’t fake it anymore. It was getting harder and harder to follow my friend’s conversations in noisy restaurants, and I’d constantly ask my husband to repeat dialogue when we watched our favorite shows,” Sharon said.
