A woman whose nasty skin infection was most likely picked up during a swim in the sea on Aucklands North Shore believes it is unacceptable that people cannot go swimming without fear of getting sick.

Devonport resident Vanessa Ingraham developed a staph and E coli infection on her legs about four weeks ago.

Her doctor believes she may have caught the infection from swimming at Narrowneck Beach shortly after shaving her legs.

Ingraham, who moved to New Zealand from the Bahamas seven years ago, said she didnt know about Aucklands stormwater issues until she got the infection.

READ MORE:* Illegal sewage pipes lead to faecal contamination at Auckland beach* The Detail: How safe are Auckland's beaches from pollution?* More than 50 Auckland beaches declared no-swim zones* Human waste the leading contaminant at Auckland beaches, DNA tests show

Vanessa Ingraham/Supplied

Devonport resident Vanessa Ingraham, who is from the Bahamas, says it is unacceptable that people cannot go swimming at Auckland beaches without fear of getting sick.

During heavy rain, water that is contaminated with animal faeces, oil, rubbish, metals and rubber from tyres is often flushed through the stormwater network and onto beaches, a Watercare spokeswoman said.

Aucklands wastewater network is also known to overflow during heavy rain, which causes sewage to spill out from manholes, gully traps, pump stations and engineered overflow points into properties, waterways and the sea.

The Auckland Councils Swimsafe website, which provides real-time forecasts of beach water quality, recommends people avoid swimming for 48 hours following heavy rainfall.

You have to check to see if its safe to swim? This is a foreign concept, Ingraham said.

Vanessa Ingraham/Supplied

Vanessa Ingrahams doctor believes she contracted a staph and E coli infection after swimming at Narrowneck Beach not long after she shaved her legs.

Ingraham, a wellness consultant, swims in the sea daily even in winter to reap the health benefits of swimming in cold water.

According to a 2020 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, regular cold-water swimming may reduce inflammation and symptoms of depression, increase metabolism and improve resilience to stress.

All the things in our life are quite stressful, but we can deal better with mental stress when subjecting ourselves to physical distress, Ingraham said.

She believed it was unacceptable that the water network issue was causing damage to the environment.

Vanessa Ingraham/Supplied

Vanessa Ingraham, who swims in the sea daily, was not aware of the recommendation to check for health risks on Safeswim prior to getting her skin infection.

We can never be healthy in an environment thats making us sick.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) public health medicine specialist Dr David Sinclair told Stuff that staph and E coli infections were common and could originate from a range of sources.

Because of this, its difficult to identify the source of a particular persons illness and, more generally, how many people may have become ill after swimming at Auckland beaches.

It is expected that 2 per cent of people who swim at a beach marked on Safeswim with a red flag, indicating high risk of illness from swimming, will get sick, with either skin, ear or respiratory infections or with diarrhoea and vomiting.

SAFESWIM/Supplied

More than 50 Auckland beaches were marked on Swimsafe as unsafe for swimming following heavy rain in January.

Sinclair added that ARPHS was not aware of any deaths linked to beach water quality.

Watercare was not aware of any wastewater overflows at Narrowneck Beach in the past year, the spokeswoman said.

Work is under way to reduce wet-weather overflows, with $349.5 million spent on the wastewater network in the past year.

Over the next 20 years, we will be spending close to $11 billion on our wastewater system to reduce wet-weather overflows, improve the quality of beaches and waterways, improve wastewater treatment processes and cater for Aucklands growth.

People are asked to check that their stormwater downpipes are not incorrectly connected to the drain used for their wastewater (kitchen, laundry and toilet).

Anyone who falls ill with symptoms of respiratory, gastroenteritis, ear, eye or skin infections within three days of swimming may have a waterborne illness and is advised to visit their doctor or phone Healthline on 0800 611 116.

The rest is here:
Woman's 'nasty' skin infection most likely caused by swimming in sea after shaving legs - Stuff.co.nz

Despite being 50 years of age, David looks much younger. Given that his focus is on tackling aging and he appears to exemplify this work its natural to ask whats his secret?

David doesnt give health recommendations or endorse brands, but he does share his personal supplementation:

Davids Daily Supplement Regimen:

After touching on Davids diet & exercise routines below, well look in detail at his use of NMN, resveratrol and metformin.

Davids Diet:

Davids Exercise routine:

Davids Lifestyle Choices:

David describes resveratrol and NMN as critical for the activation of sirtuin genes. Sirtuins play a key role in functions that help us to live longer particularly DNA repair.

He describes resveratrol as the accelerator pedal for the sirtuin genes (increasing their activation), and NMN as the fuel. Without the fuel, resveratrol wont be as effective.

The reason that resveratrol wont work effectively without NMN, is that sirtuin activation requires youthful NAD levels, but by 50 years old, David says, we have about half the level of NAD we had in our 20s. NAD being a molecule that is essential to energy production in our cells.

Graph showing NAD+ decrease with age via PLOS paper

So in effect, you take resveratrol to increase activation of the sirtuin genes, and NMN to ensure the sirtuins have enough energy to work properly.

Below well dig deeper into the 3 longevity supplements David takes; NMN, Resveratrol & Metformin.

First well look at the sirtuin activator David takes; Resveratrol.

Resveratrol is a molecule thats found (in small amounts) in the skin of foods like grapes, blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, and peanuts.

If you remember the hype some years ago around red wine being healthy, part of that was due to it containing tiny amounts of resveratrol.

Unfortunately, all food sources contain tiny amounts, so we need a concentrated supplement in order to see benefits!

Resveratrol is though to act as a caloric restriction mimetic, which activates beneficial cellular pathways. Studies have pointed to benefits such as:

Whilst Davids resveratrol comes from excess product leftover from lab experiments, not all of us have this luxury! Therefore we are forced to look online.

If you pop resveratrol into an Amazon search, youll find a host of different options, many of (potentially) dubious quality.

The first thing to note is that we should be looking for trans-resveratrol, not cis-resveratrol.

From Davids studies, cis-Resveratrol did not activate the sirtuin enzyme, but trans-Resveratrol did.

Next, the purity of the trans-resveratrol is important, were looking for 98%+. David mentions this at 1:17:54 of his Ben Greenfield interview, noting that 50% purity can even give diarrhea, because theres other stuff that comes along with the molecule. He also confirms that Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese Knotweed) is a good source for the resveratrol.

To get closer to the quality that David is likely taking, we can look at research published by an old company of his; Sirtris (who were sold to GSK for $720 million). In this paper they were doing clinical tests on a formulation of resveratrol they call SRT501. Noting that:

Due to the poor aqueous solubility exhibited by resveratrol, digestive absorption is greatly influenced by drug dissolution rate. In an effort to increase absorption across the gastro-intestinal tract and thus systemically available parent compound, there has been considerable interest in the pharmaceutical manipulation of resveratrol. Decreasing the particle size of such chemicals can improve their rate of dissolution and thus their absorption. Therefore, the aim of this clinical study was to investigate whether consumption of SRT501, a micronized resveratrol formulation designed by Sirtris, a GSK Company is safe and generates measurable and pharmacologically active levels of parent agent in the circulation and in the liver.

Thats a wordy quote from the paper, but in essence, they were testing a micronized resveratrol formulation against a non-micronized version. Their study found that levels of resveratrol in the blood were 3.6x greater when using the micronized formulation, and other markers they were comparing also improved.

We see this with other molecules too; where reducing particle size increases bioavailability. For example with curcumin, whose absorption can be improved through micronization (for example Theracurmin). So this makes sense.

Micronized resveratrol options include:

Note: Whichever source of trans-resveratrol you take, according to David, you will increase its bio-availability if you take it with a fat source.

David takes it on an empty stomach in the morning, so mixes it with a bit of yogurt. However it should also be possible to take it with a meal containing fat.

David mentions in his interview with Rhonda Patrick a few nuances around the storage of resveratrol:

David takes his resveratrol in the morning, mixed into a spoon of homemade yogurt (using the Bravo starter culture), in order to increase its bio-availability.

His studies showed that without fat, resveratrol absorption was 5x lower. So consumption with yogurt (or another fat source) is important. David clarified on the recent podcast with Rhonda Patrick that the NMN doesnt need to be taken with a fat source he specifically mentions taking his NMN in capsules, downed with a glass of water in the morning.

Of course you dont need to make your own yogurt, a store bought version will work adequately. However, if youre interested to make your own version expand the box below to learn more.

David has described his yogurt making process as so:

David has specifically mentioned Bravo as the brand of yogurt culture he uses, for example at 1:12:28 of his interview on the Ben Greenfield podcast. Proponents of Bravo yogurt tout it as having a very high amount of gut friendly bacteria, when compared to other similar products. Bravo seems like a fairly expensive product to me, however, once nice trick with yogurts is that you can make a new batch using a small amount from the old batch. Removing the need to use fresh starter sachets again

In terms of further details on the yogurt making process, Ive summarized some of the key points below:

This YouTube video gives a nice (but slow-paced) example of the homemade yogurt making process.

We talked above about the sirtuin activator Resveratrol, now lets talk about NMN, which helps provides the fuel for the sirtuins to work.

NMN falls into a category of supplements, along with Nicotinamide Riboside (NR), referred to as NAD boosters which have become increasingly popular.

NAD is required for every cell of our body to help facilitate energy production. As discussed above, by age 50 you have about half as much NAD as at age 20!

The intention is that by supplementing precursors we can boost the cellular level of NAD closer to youthful levels.

Theres little to no doubt in the research community that we need to restore NAD function; but the jury is still out on what the best method will be. Currently David has his eggs in the basket of NMN.

Davids NMN powder comes from excess product left over from lab experiments. This is good to know, but doesnt help us when it comes to sourcing some. Below we will look at various possible buying options.

Potential considerations when buying include:

Assuming all the above are ok, the last crucial question is:

What Ive done below is put some of the more highly reviewed options (within USA) into a table, calculated the approximate price per gram, and added links to any 3rd party analysis certificates the companies display.

The above table provides a start, but for a detailed analysis table see this post, which also includes options for UK buyers.

Price per gramThe average price per gram appears around $4-$6. For products noticeably cheaper, it would be worth exercising caution around their authenticity.

Capsulating the PowdersWith the bulk powder versions of NMN above, you could put them into capsules yourself at home, using a capsule filling machine.

This emulates the method David uses to take his NMN; in capsules swallowed with a glass of water.

Using size 00 capsules, it takes 3 capsules to capsulate 1g of NMN. Depending on how tightly you fill them you may be a marginally over or under 1g, but it wont be by much. With enough powder, most machines can fill 100 capsules per time which would be 33 days (~1 month) supply.

TestingThere are two main types of tests companies will do. The first is third party testing on the purity of their NMN. The second is contaminant testing, for things such as heavy metals. Its a positive indicator if they can provide both.

Nicotinamide Riboside is a precursor to NAD, similar to NMN. David states in his book that his lab finds:

That being said, he isnt against NR, hes just more optimistic on NMN being the better molecule for raising NAD in the long run. He notes in a blog post on NMN & NR that:

The brand leader in sales of Nicotinamide Riboside is Chromadexs Niagen (pictured above). Amongst Chromadexs scientific advisors is Charles Brenner, who first discovered NR, and showed it could extend the life of yeast cells.

Niagens recommended serving size is 300mg (1 capsule) which may be less efficient at raising NAD levels than 1g of NMN.

If we compare NR & NMN at a price per gram, theyre more similar than I expected. Niagen works out approximately $5.22/gram, and NMN is around $5-$6/gram depending on brand.

In Davids recent interview with Rhonda Patrick, he discussed details around storage, saying:

Since David explained this Ive come to learn that Nicotinamide Riboside, when it its chloride form; Nicotinamide Riboside Chloride (as sold by Niagen), is in a stabilized form. This means that it doesnt need to be kept cold to have an adequate shelf life. More on that below

Looking at the data online around stabilized NR, I found:

What I gather from that, is that NR in its chloride form is stabilized. But like most edible products, cooling it does slow down the degradation that occurs over time. However for most people, the product isnt intended to sit on the shelf for a long time, and thus it will be consumed before the degradation becomes a problem.

There has been some concern in the field that consuming NR or NMN could decrease the bodys methyl groups and lead to health problems. The dropdown section below looks in detail at that issue.

So methylation itself, which utilizes methyl groups (CH), is an essential process for a host of critical functions in the body, including regulation of gene expression and the removal of waste products.

Consuming Niacin derivatives (which includes NR and NMN) will require the body to use up methyl groups in order to later degrade and excrete them. There has been some discussion and concern that by increasing the amount of methylation the body needs to do (through supplementation of NR/NMN), we might deplete the body of methyl groups needed to carry out essential processes.

David discussed this in his podcast with Paul Saladino (see 44mins mark), acknowledging that Niacin derivates (including NR/NMN) require methylation for excretion, but asserting that at this stage the idea of methyl depletion is anecdotal, and not something that has been shown in any NR/NMN studies.

Initially (circa 2019) David mentioned taking a supplement called betaine, also known as trimethylglycine. Then he moved to taking a combination of methyl folate plus methyl B12. This was all in an abundance of caution, rather than due to any new research that backed up the risk of methyl depletion.

After taking the B12/Folate supplement for a few months, in February 2020 David got some blood tests done, and found his B12 levels were double the recommended maximum so he stopped taking it (source: Davids Facebook post). He hasnt mentioned replacing it with anything since.

As Dr Brenner points out below, monitoring homocysteine levels (via blood test) is a proxy for methylation issues.

Methyl groups are primarily derived from nutrients in the diet, including; methionine (amino acid), folate (vitamin B9), choline, betaine, riboflavin (vitamin B2), pyridoxine (vitamin B6) and cobalamin (vitamin B12). For foods rich in these, see table 1 in this research paper.

A further source to add to this discussion is the research done by Chromadex. They hold a patent on nicotinamide riboside production, and make Niagen. In a tweet thread by their chief scientific adviser Charles Brenner, he explains that Chromadex took the potential risk of NR depleting methyl groups seriously. To test this they performed a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial administering 100, 300, or 1,000mg of NR over 56 days (study link). They used homocysteine levels as a proxy for methylation disturbance, and found no change to homocysteine in any of the dosage groups, including up to 1,000mg (see this image). If there was a shortage of methyl groups, they would have expected to homocysteine levels rise. Its worth noting the study used NR, not NMN.

In summary, current evidence for this issue is lacking, and as far as I can tell, David Sinclair is no longer taking any supplements to tackle potential methyl group depletion. However, if you wanted to be super careful, Dr Charles Brenner (an NAD researcher) mentions elevated homocysteine in the blood can be a sign of lower methyl status so one could get a blood test to check that.

Metformin is actually a relatively old drug, first discussed in medical literature in 1922, and studied in humans in the 1950s. It is derived from a plant called the French Lilac. Its primary use in medicine is for the treatment of diabetes, thanks to its ability to decrease blood glucose levels in patients.

Because Metformin has been used for years, and has an established track record of safety, this makes it more attractive as a longevity drug. Molecules that are discovered today will need years of testing before they can even come close to rival the amount of data and patient years accumulated by metformin.

Its thought the longevity benefits are at least in part derived from activation of the AMPK cellular pathway. This has a host of knock-on effects (visualized below), some of which are involved in beneficial processes like mediating inflammation and increasing autophagy (cellular cleanup).

Metformin is a prescription drug, and thus needs to be acquired through a doctors prescription, at least in most countries. It isnt (yet) considered a drug that can help improve healthspan or lifespan, and so you may need to find a forward thinking doctor if you want it prescribed for general health. Typically doctors only prescribe Metformin for blood sugar control issues (type 2 diabetes).

Typically Metformin is taken daily both by diabetics, and by people using it for healthspan extension. However, on the latest interview with Joe Rogan, they discussed a 2018 paper which showed metformin inhibits mitochondrial adaptations to aerobic exercise training. David explained that this makes sense, and its exactly metformins inhibition of mitochondrial function that leads to some of the health benefits. Specifically, they cause the cell to think its in a nutrient restricted state, and it turns on pathways typically reserved for times of scarcity. The function of these pathways is hypothesized to lead to better healthspan outcomes.

When not exercising, which is most days for David, he opts to take 0.5g of metformin in the morning and 0.5g in the evening (for source, see 1:16:45 of his Ivy Lecture, which supersedes what he said in his book). Then on exercise days, he opts not to take it at all. For similar reasons he also skips resveratrol on exercise days (source: see last paragraph of section 1 Get Moving on Davids blog post).

This is viable for David who exercises vigorously in the order of 1-2x per week, but for someone training often, this might be impractical. At which point it would come down to a decision whether the benefits of metformin/resveratrol outweigh the (potential) small impact on recovery.

In a Reddit AMA (link) David was asked whether he would take Berberine if he didnt have access to Metformin. He responds by saying he would likely take Berberine.

Berberine is interesting to many people because it has similar properties to metformin, but it doesnt require a doctors prescription. In common with metformin, it has the ability to:

Berberine dosage in treating diabetes is not entirely dissimilar to Metformin. For example in this study, the patients took 500mg of Berberine 3x per day. Then in this study they took 850mg of Metformin 3x per day. We know with David he takes 500mg of Metformin 2x per day.

Both compounds can induce gastrointestinal distress, so its common to start off on lower dosages, and gradually increase to the desired amount. This gives the gut a chance to adapt, and allows the user to back off the dosage if gastrointestinal distress is reached.

Go here to read the rest:
David Sinclair Supplements List Deep Dive - Updated 2021

Older consumers are a benefit to the economy rather than a drain on resources, according to new research.

The over 50s will spend 63p in every 1 in the UK by 2040 rising from 54p in the 1 in 2018.

And the money is spent across the board rather than on specific goods and services,

However, think-tank the International Longevity Centre (ILC) believes the country could benefit even more if the government looked at lifting barriers to spending by older people.

The ILC reportMaximising the longevity dividendreveals spending by the over 50s has dominated the UK economy since 2013 and will rise over the coming decades, from 54% (319 billion) of total consumer spending in 2018 to 63% by 2040 (550 billion).

According to the report, lifting barriers to spending by the over 75s could add 2% (47 billion) to GDP a year by 2040 and supporting the over 50s to remain in the workforce could add an another 1.3% to GDP a year by 2040.

David Sinclair, Director of the ILC, said: As the population ages there are enormous economic opportunities, but these are currently being neglected.

There are enormous gains to be made by individual businesses and for the economy if we can unlock the spending and earning power of older adults.

But too many people face barriers to working and spending in later life issues like inaccessible high streets, poorly designed products, and age discriminatory attitudes require a serious response.

Weve become accustomed to hearing our ageing population talked about as a bad thing but the reality is it could be an opportunity.

However, we wont realise this longevity dividend through blind optimism about ageing. Instead, we need concerted action to tackle the barriers to spending and working in later life.

We need action to make sure our extra years are healthy years, we need accessible high streets and workplaces that are free from age discrimination and we need continued action to ensure that people have access to decent pensions in later life.

Realising the longevity dividend will require decisive action of the kind weve yet to see from either business or government. For all the talk of baby boomers dominating politics, weve yet to see a serious response to the opportunities and this needs to change.

Further related information and articles can be found following the links below

Continue reading here:
Over 50s Spending Spree Boosts Economy By Billions - Money International

The United Nations Association of Greater Milwaukee invites you to "Hunger in Milwaukee and the World: What We Can Do About It"

A Virtual Zoom Program Featuring a Panel Discussion with Lady Lee Thompson, David Sinclair, & Maureen Fitzgerald Saturday February 13th, 2021 from 10 AM 11:30 AM

Free & Open to the Public

Advance registration is required. To register, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vc-ippjsqGN0DiBvtHRhzj17v4myT7r0f.After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting. For more information: Contact Jerry Rousseau at jerroldbrousseau@gmail.com (email) or 414.228.9282 (phone).

Hunger stalks Milwaukee and the World and is getting worse with the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the UN World Food Programme, 135 million people suffer from acute hunger largely due to man-made conflicts, climate change, and economic downturns. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to double that number putting an additional 130 million people at risk of suffering acute hunger. The following panel of local and international experts and activists will share what is important to know about hunger in Milwaukee and the World and what local and global organizations are doing to diminish food insecurity. You will hear specifics about how Milwaukee and distant places like Yemen are facing a desperate food insecurity crisis. We look forward to your questions and comments following the panel discussion.

Lady Lee Thompson is a 2020-2021 UNA-USA Global Goals Ambassador promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Inclusive Economic Growth, Full and Productive Employment, and Decent Work for All. She is a global advocate for womens self-sufficiency, African diaspora inclusion, youth & womens empowerment, agricultural skill transfer, investment matchmaking for minority business enterprises, gender equality, and responding to the impact of COVID-19 on food security.

David Sinclair is a local community advocate for low-income families on Milwaukees North Side. He is the Project Program Coordinator for the Cream City Credible Messenger Program at WestCare Foundation and manages the food pantries located at WestCare Foundation and Jeremiah Missionary Baptist Church.

Maureen Fitzgerald is the owner of Maureen Fitzgerald Consulting, a public policy and advocacy resource for nonprofits and governmental agencies. She worked as the Director of Advocacy at Hunger Task Force for the last 11 years. Prior to that she practiced criminal defense law in Milwaukee. She is a graduate of Marquette & Marquette University Law School.

Here is the original post:
Hunger in Milwaukee and the World: What We Can Do About It - Wisconsin Public Radio News

There is no reason to accept ageing as inevitable, Harvard professor Dr David Sinclair said on Friday, adding that if a pill or a vaccine is not developed in the next 30 years to fight ageing, something must have gone terribly wrong.

Dr Sinclair, co-director of the Paul F Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, and his team recently turned back the clock on aged eye cells in the retina to reverse vision loss in elderly mice.

Ageing is going to happen We are not going to live forever But can we try to live another 5 or 10 or 20 years longer, healthily? Absolutely... There is no law that says that we couldnt live longer, he said at the 18th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

Dr Sinclair, best known for his work on understanding why humans age and how to slow its effects, said it was important to declare ageing as a disease so that governments change laws to treat it with medicines and more funds are accessible for scientific work.

If it [a pill or a vaccine to reverse ageing] doesnt happen in the next 30 years, something must have gone terribly wrong, he said, adding that it was possible a medicine against ageing was already among us. We just need to have more evidence that they actually work the way we are hoping, the Harvard professor, who has featured in TIME magazines list of the 100 most influential people in the world, said.

His research has been primarily focused on sirtuins, a group of proteins that appear to be key in regulating the ageing process. In 1999, he was recruited to the Harvard Medical School, where he has been teaching ageing biology and translational medicine for ageing.

Dr Sinclair also shared tips on how to slow the process of ageing: dont eat three regular meals; exercise; lift some weights; use biomarker feedback; sleep well and reduce stress; and eat plants that have been stressed.

You may not want to skip breakfast, you may want to skip lunch or dinner... its different for every individual. If you are young, this is probably not for you, he said, adding that middle-aged people whose metabolism has slowed down should consider skipping meals strategically.

On the question of whether a vegetarian diet was better or a non-vegetarian regimen, he said: You do want your diet to look like what a rabbit might eat more than a lion.

According to a paper published in Nature, Dr Sinclair and his team used an adeno-associated virus as a vehicle to deliver into the retinas of mice three youth-restoring genes that are normally switched on during embryonic development. The three genes, together with a fourth one that was not used in this work, are collectively known as Yamanaka factors. This promoted nerve regeneration following optic-nerve injury in mice with damaged optic nerves, reversed vision loss in animals with a condition mimicking human glaucoma, and reversed vision loss in ageing animals without glaucoma.

Dr Sinclair said on Friday: We are trying to understand can we compress the last few years of life that are sick into a very short period... [The goal] is really not to keep us in nursing homes and being sick for longer. We are not extending old age, we are doing the opposite. Our goal is to extend youthfulness so that we can perhaps live to 90 or 100 and towards the very end, still be productive members of society playing whatever sport you want with your grandkids or great grandkids.

He added: Often, we think that we have reached our maximum life span as a society... that is not true... Over the 20th Century and continuing to today, there is a very linear and predictable increase in human longevity. Every time [people] have said that we have reached the maximum, we blow through that glass ceiling and we keep adding years to life. But they are not all healthy years.

The expert also gave more insights on mortality as a route to tackling ageing. We tend not to die as much as we used to from cardiac reasons, but the brain still ages at the normal rate and we dont do much about it Our approach is to treat the entire body with medicines and lifestyles that will keep every part of the body healthier and more youthful, the expert added. In my scientific opinion, around the age of 30, ageing starts to kick in.

On being asked about the nature of supplements people should take in the quest to slow ageing, the he said: Go with a company that has a good reputation Go for the very pure molecules. He added that resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine, appeared to show benefits in terms of anti-ageing properties. He, however, said that right meals and exercise seem to be the best bet against ageing at this point.

The proof-of-concept study published in Nature demonstrates the epigenetic reprogramming of complex tissues, such as the nerve cells of the eye, to a younger age when they can repair and replace tissue damaged from age-related conditions and diseases. Elaborating on the study in mice, Dr Sinclair said that most of our longevity is determined by our epigenome and not by our DNA.

While the DNA holds instructions for building proteins, epigenome comprises all of chemicals that are added to ones DNA to regulate the activity.

See original here:
Pill to reverse ageing in 30 years? Why not, says Harvard professor Dr David Sinclair - Hindustan Times

Dr David Sinclair talks about his experiment and if in the future, a pill can be developed to reverse ageing.

One of the leading experts on ageing, Dr David Sinclair, said on Friday that there is a possibility that people can get a pill in the near future that can reverse ageing. Speaking on the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS), Dr Sinclair talked about the experiment carried out on older mice to improve their vision. He added that the way technology is moving, the world might get a pill to rejuvenate themselves.

I dont have a crystal ball but we are working on taking the epigenetic reprogramming technology (the experiment done on older mice) and treat the first patient with glaucoma in the next two years to see if we can restore vision, said Dr Sinclair when asked about the possibility of a pill appearing in the next two or three decades.

There are at least 20 companies which are working on medicine that can slow, and perhaps, reverse ageing. So if it doesnt happen in the next 30 years, something must have gone terribly wrong, he added.

When asked about reusing the epigenetic programming technology, Dr Sinclair said there is a possibility that it can be done a number of times. I think we can do it multiple times, theres no reason why it couldnt be one repeatedly. Imagine, we could find a pill that could do what we did with the eyes of the mice but with the whole body. We have engineered it already to be turned on with a pill.

We used a molecule in those mice, we gave it to them as a drink and it turned on the genes. One day, maybe you can go to your doctor, have an injection or get a pil for three weeks and get rejuvenated - better memory, better eyesight, better healing, maybe even look better. Ten years later, you come back and have another course of that drug, said the biologist.

Dr Sinclair appeared on the cover of the Time Magazines 100 most influential people in the world. He is a professor in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Paul F Glenn Centre for the Biological Mechanisms of Ageing.

This is the first time that the HTLS is being held virtually owing to the Covid-19 pandemic situation. And in tune with the situation, Defining a New Era has been chosen this years theme. From politics to sports, from medicine to education and food - the summit has seen a wide array of views coming from the experts of the respective fields on post-pandemic world.

Continued here:
HTLS 2020: A pill that can reverse ageing? Yes, it will be possible, says Dr Sinclair - Hindustan Times

Aging has implications for a wide range of diseases. Researchers have been looking for ways to halt the aging process for millennia, but such methods remain elusive. Scientists at Harvard Medical School have now offered a glimmer of hope that the aging clock in the eye could be reversedat least in animals.

By reprogramming the expression of three genes, the Harvard team successfully triggered mature nerve cells in mice eyes to adopt a youthful state. The method reversed glaucoma in the mice and reversed age-related vision loss in elderly mice, according to results published in Nature.

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If further studies prove out the concept, they could pave the way for therapies that employ the same approach to repair damagein other organs and possibly treat age-related diseases in humans, the team said.

The researchers focused on the Yamanaka factors, which are four transcription factorsOct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc. In a Nobel Prize-winning discovery, Shinya Yamanaka found that the factors can change the epigenomehow genes are turned on or offand can thereby transform mature cellsback to a stem cell-like state. It has been hypothesized that changes to the epigenome drive cell aging, especially a process called DNA methylation, by which methyl groups are tagged onto DNA.

Past researches have tried to use the four Yamanaka factorsto turn back the age clock in living animals, but doing so caused cells to adopt unwanted new identities and induced tumor growth.

RELATED:Restoring eyesight with genetically engineered stem cells

To test whether the approach works in living animals, the scientists used adeno-associated virus to deliver the three genes into the retina of mice with optic nerve injuries. The treatment led to a two-fold increase in the number of retinal ganglion cells, which are neurons responsible for receiving and transmitting visual information. Further analysis showed that the injury accelerated DNA methylation age, while the gene cocktail counteracted that effect.

Next the scientists tested whether the gene therapy could also work in disease settings. In a mouse model of induced glaucomawhich is a leading cause of age-related blindness in peoplethe treatment increased nerve cell electrical activity and the animals visual acuity.

But can the therapy also restore vision loss caused by natural aging? In elderly, 12-month-old mice, the gene therapy also restored ganglion cells electrical activity as well as visual acuity, the team reported.

By comparing cells from the treated micewith retinal ganglion cells from young, 5-month-old mice, the researchers found that mRNA levels of 464 genes were altered during aging, and the gene therapy reversed 90% of those changes. The scientists also noticed reversed patterns of DNA methylation, which suggests that DNA methylation is not just the marker but rather the driver behind aging.

What this tells us is the clock doesn't just represent timeit is time. If you wind the hands of the clock back, time also goes backward, the studys senior author, David Sinclair, explained in a statement.

The study marks the first time that glaucoma-induced vision loss was reversednot just slowedin living animals, according to the team.

RELATED:Reprogrammed skin cells restore sight in mouse models of retinal disease

Other researchers are also studying regenerative approaches to treating eye diseases. A research group at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona just showed that by modifying mesenchymal stem cells to express chemokine receptors Ccr5 and Cxcr6, retinal tissue could be saved from degeneration.

The idea of reversing age-related decline in humans by epigenetic reprogramming with a gene therapy is exciting, Sinclair said. The Harvard researchers intend to do more animal work that could allow them to start clinical trials in people with glaucoma in about two years.

Our study demonstrates that it's possible to safely reverse the age of complex tissues such as the retina and restore its youthful biological function, Sinclair said. If affirmed through further studies, these findings could be transformative for the care of age-related vision diseases like glaucoma and to the fields of biology and medical therapeutics for disease at large.

Read more:
Reversing vision loss by turning back the aging clock - FierceBiotech

Stuff

David Grant Sinclair is on trial in the High Court at Greymouth for the murder of his 10-month-old son.

A Hokitika baby died with 30 bruises all over his body, fractures to his skull and bleeding on the brain and behind both eyes.

The Crown says the fatal injuries were inflicted by his father but his father alleges they were sustained from a fall down the stairs.

David Grant Sinclair is charged with murdering his 10-month-old son, CJ Bodhi White, at Hokitika on July 9, 2019.

A jury trial began on Monday in the High Court at Greymouth before Justice Rebecca Edwards. It is set down for two weeks and 27 witnesses plus Sinclair himself are due to give evidence.

READ MORE:* Suppression lifts on Hokitika man charged with murdering 10-month-old son* West Coast baby allegedly killed by father was 'an angel to us', mother says* Homicide investigation launched in Northland after death of baby

Supplied

CJ Bodhi White died aged 10 months in Hokitika on July 9, 2019. His father, David Grant Sinclair, denies murdering the infant.

Crown prosecutor William Taffs said CJ had been in Sinclairs fulltime care for only six weeks before his death.

He said Sinclair told his family, first responders and police he fell asleep with CJ in his bed and was woken between 3am and 4am by a thud from CJ falling out of bed.

Taffs told the jury CJ had not been sleeping well because he was teething and would have been in significant pain from injuries inflicted earlier by his father, including a fractured bone in his foot and bruising to his groin and scrotum.

He said Sinclair put his phone into incognito mode at 3.27am and searched: Does a babys head flop backwards from concussion.

He then accessed several apps including a gambling site and checked the weather forecast.

At 4.17am, he again searched: Why has my 1-year-olds neck gone all floppy after falling out of bed?

He then sent a message to his mother asking her to call him.

When she rang, he told her CJ had fallen out of bed. She arrived at the house less than 10 minutes later, began CPR and rang emergency services.

CJ was unresponsive and was flown to Christchurch Hospital but doctors ruled out surgery because his injuries were unsurvivable. His life support was turned off at 11.40am. He was declared dead 25 minutes later.

CJ had 30 bruises across his body, significant brain injuries, skull fractures, soft swelling to his skull, bleeding to both retinas and swelling, cuts, bleeding and clots on his brain.

Several medical professionals would give evidence that the injuries were not consistent with a fall out of bed on to a carpeted floor. They were consistent with his father hitting his head against a hard object or hitting his head with a hard object, Taffs said.

He had too many bruises in all the wrong places to be accidental. Bruises consistent with finger marks ... inflicted in what the Crown says was a moment of anger or frustration.

Taffs said Sinclair had told medical professionals the historic bruises were caused when he caught CJs leg in the car seat buckle and from CJ hitting himself with a rattle.

Defence lawyer Andrew McKenzie said the jury would be presented with two vastly different scenarios.

He said Sinclair would give evidence that CJ had fallen down the stairs. The defence would also present evidence from experts.

David Sinclair is guilty of taking too much time to call 111. He is guilty of lying to police and lying to people about his baby falling out of bed. He is guilty of not taking steps to remove the risk of his baby falling down the stairs.

He is not guilty of the crime of murder, McKenzie said.

Joanne Carroll/STUFF

The jury trial is set down for two weeks and 27 prosecution witnesses will be called to give evidence.

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Hokitika father charged with murder initially claimed son fell out of bed - Stuff.co.nz

In The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a boy was born old and got younger. That film is science fiction but Australian scientist Professor David Sinclair, currently at Harvard University Medical School and his colleagues have managed to get yeast and more recently mice to grow younger.

Aging has multiple causes, until recently none have been considered treatable. It is the diseases of old age: dementia, heart disease and osteoporosis that have been treated.

No matter how much you exercise, fitness trackers can be a great way to help you stay -- or get -- in shape without the bulk and extra cost of a full-blown smartwatch. Not only do they hold you accountable for your physical activity, many of the best fitness tracker models now include added health features such as sleep tracking, heart-rate monitoring and more. They'll then share that fitness tracking data with an app to give you a broader look at your overall fitness.

In a YouTube interview with entrepreneur Tom Bilyeu, Professor Sinclair asks are we treating the symptoms rather than the condition ageing that causes them?

Research has led to lifespans increasing, but older people often spend years in poor health.

Humans have around 20,000 genes. These provide the cell with instructions to make proteins. Not all of them are needed in every cell. Those that arent needed are turned off by process called epigenetics. This ensures genes are not active in inappropriate cell types. For example the COL1A1 gene codes to produce collagen, but only needs to be active in skin, cartilage and similar types of cell.

Sinclairs team believes that the loss of epigenetic information is the root cause of ageing. They have identified drugs that can reset a cells epigenetic status and reverse its age. These drugs can be delivered by a harmless virus to specific tissues or the entire body, thereby causing cells to act younger and wounds to heal faster.

Genes called sirtuins make enzymes that control how cells function and they can be used to turn off genes that hasten ageing.

Sever calorie restriction increases the lifespan of mice and yeast, but thats not really practical for humans.

However, Professor Sinclair says a short period of being hungry or stressed in other ways causes sirtuins to turn on the mechanism that repairs cell damage and resets the biological clock.

Other compounds can activate sirtuins. Resveratol, found in small amounts in red wine, activates sirtuins in mice when fed large doses. Metformin, used to control blood sugar levels in diabetics, acts in the same way. Diabetics who take metformin tend to outlive those who dont.

Next Sinclairs lab looked at the way mitochondria (the cell organelles that generate energy) operate. The levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) in mitochondria dictate how long cell survive, but NAD+ declines with age.

Professor Sinclair and his co-researchers found that restoring NAD+ levels in mammals has a dramatically positive effect on the liver, heart, reproductive organs, kidney, muscles, and brain and nervous systems. Old mice given a NAD+ booster drug ran around like young mice within a few days.

They study the mechanisms by which the NAD+level repairs DNA and look for ways to improve this process. In particular, they study enzymes that deplete or increase NAD+ as potential tools to control the NAD+ level in the cells.

They have also actively looked for sirtuin activating compounds (STACs) and have discovered potent activators that raise NAD+ levels. They are testing these for their effects on ageing and age-related diseases.

But mice are not people, so it is too early to start taking NAD-boosting drugs until the results of human trials are completed.

Sinclairs advice for longevity is to avoid scans and X-rays as much as possible as they damage your DNA and get a little bit hungry from time to time. He spends four hours a week at the gym, include one hour doing yoga and an hour in the sauna.

He says the stress of jumping into cold water after the hot steam room and hot tub increases brown fat in his body. Brown fat has lots of mitochondria which raises the metabolic rate and helps to prevent excessive weight gain.

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Get younger reverse ageing and increase your health span - Have a Go News

Scientists recently made some impressive developments in the field of age-related diseases. Nonetheless, essentially turning back time on a living creature's DNA remains indefinable and a "Holy Grail."

It is common knowledge that DNA is gradually breaking down as a person gets older. It is seen that such impairment is aging, and various age-related diseases tend to pop up the older an individual gets.

Harvard Medical Schoolresearchers now seem to have a big leap in moving aging backward in mice. More particularly, the scientists managed to invigorate an aging mice's vision by giving them a boost through the use of genes present during early development.

As the scientists explain in a new study Nature published, the work focused on "glaucoma-induced vision impairment in the mice."

(Photo : analogicus on Pixabay)Research findings recently proposed an approach thats safe and could potentially revolutionize the therapeutics of the eye.

The research team used a virus to impact the mice's retinas through the use of a "trio" of what are described as "youth-invigorating genes."

Such genes: Oct4, Sox2, and Klf4, according to the study, are said to be active when the mice's embryos are developing. This, the study authors said, resulted in an intense reversal of the age-related vision problems experienced by mice.

It stimulated the regeneration of nerve while reversing, too, the glaucoma-like occurrences in the animals plagued by it.

With vision loss minus glaucoma that's related to age, the impact was the same, the study specified. More so, the mice regained their previously lost vision.

According to the study's senior author David Sinclair, their research "demonstrates that it is possible to safely reverse the age of complex tissue" like the retina and has its youthful biological role restored."

If confirmed through further research, such results could be transformative for the care of age-associated vision illnesses such as glaucoma and to the areas of biology and medical treatments for illness at large.

As impressive as their study findings were, warn the study authors that they would need to be duplicated in later studies if further development is to be made through the use of such genes for the reversal of loss of vision in other animals and even humans.

A related article BGRposted said this study may be promising, although it is certainly "not ready for human testing yet."

In connection to this new finding, Yuacheng Lu, an HMS research fellow and former ex-doctoral student in Sinclair's lab, developed a gene treatment that could safely reverse the cells' age in living animals.

The work of Lu's develops on Shinya Yamanaka's Nobel Prize-winningdiscovery. Yamanaka discovered the four transcription factors, namely, Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc, that could remove epigenetics markers on cells and bring back these cells to their original embryonic state from which they can progress into any cell type.

At this project's onset, Lu explained, many of their colleagues said their approach would not succeed, or it would be dangerous to use it.

The former doctoral student added, their research findings propose this approach "is safe and could potentially revolutionize the therapeutics of the eye," as well as the many other organs impacted by aging.

ALSO READ: How Good Are You at Recognizing Faces? Here's a New Face Test Scientists Want You To Try

Check out more news and information on Agingin Science Times.

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Scientists Uncover Approach That Could Reverse Age-Related Vision Loss - Science Times

In the hours after Pfizers momentous vaccine news emerged on Monday #pfizerproud popped up on my social media feeds again and again from the firms employees, both past and present.

Ive been an avid observer of pharma social media for some time and this is somewhat unusual. Not for the pharma employees to be proud of the work they do, but such a spontaneous and widespread demonstration of pride in our industry is not normally seen, though it is thoroughly deserved here.

Interim analysis of the COVID-19 vaccine candidate Pfizer has been working on with BioNTech found it to be more than 90% effective at countering the disease, and the company said it expected to be in a position to file BNT162b2 for FDA approval in the third week of November.

The phase 3 trial results are a huge advance in the fight against the global coronavirus pandemic. The study, which only began at the end of July, has enrolled 43,538 patients to date and has shown that protection against COVID-19 is achieved 28 days after the initiation of the two-dose vaccination.

As Pfizers CEO Albert Bourla said: Today is a great day for science and humanity. We are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis.

The work to date certainly justifies Bourlas insistence on pushing his vaccine research and manufacturing leadership to think differently about the issue and move quicker that they would have thought possible.

The scientists have done their job

Think in different terms, he told them back in March, according to Forbes, when the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to overwhelm countries like Italy and Spain in Western Europe.

Think you have an open chequebook, you dont need to worry about such things. Think that we will do things in parallel, not sequential. Think you need to build manufacturing of a vaccine before you know whats working. If it doesnt, let me worry about it and we will write it off and throw it out.

His approach is certainly in keeping with the transformative nature of 2020 and the innovations and adaptations that the year has so far forced on us all. It was, after all, shortly after the outbreak began in January that scientists from China published details of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Of course, the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is just one of many in development and study is still ongoing and collecting additional safety and efficacy data.

Its final vaccine efficacy percentage may vary from the headline grabbing results released this week, as the companies themselves have noted, and many wider questions remain for policymakers and politicians. Theres the ongoing issue of public attitudes to vaccines and trust, deliberations on how to best distribute Pfizers, or any other companys, COVID-19 vaccine, and the financial returns of any vaccines will be sure to be scrutinised.

Having a vaccine which works is just the starting point, acknowledged David Sinclair, director of UK charity and thinktank the International Longevity Centre commented. But he added: That we are one step closer to a vaccine against Covid-19 is brilliant news. The scientists have done their job.

Its a sentiment that can be applied to all of those across the industry who have been working, directly or indirectly, on COVID-19 and all the healthcare outcomes affected by the pandemic.

So, although I started this article focusing on #pfizerproud, the industry should also be #gileadproud, #astrazenecaproud, #lillyproud and so on.

Hope from medicines, vaccines and health tech

Pharma has always existed at close intersection to mainstream society. Its an industry that touches all of our lives with its vital role in our healthcare, but this year has, unfortunately, given it even more resonance.

At a time when the public is obsessing over infection rates, the R number and COVID-19s deadly toll, like many in the industry Ive been having really quite detailed conversations with non-pharma friends about clinical trials, vaccines and public health.

The upshot of those conversations, in addition to a burning desire for rapid progress, is that we need pharma now more than ever.

As ABPI chief executive Richard Torbett said earlier this week when talking about the importance of vaccines: Millions of people all over the world are living under some form of restrictions.The organisations who research, develop and manufacture medicines, vaccines and health tech are our best hope of treating, preventing or one day even eradicating the virus.

Much as Joe Bidens win in the US presidential election provides a sense of a weight having been lifted from the minds of many, in the US and far around the world, Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial results brings a similar sense of relief.

In neither case are we out of the woods yet, and its not even that things wont get worse before they get better but the last week has provided some very welcome news indeed.

So, for now, lets celebrate a major step towards the emergence of a COVID-19 vaccine and be #pharmaproud about the huge contribution the industry had made, and is making, during this global health emergency.

About the author

Dominic Tyer is a journalist and editor specialising in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. He is currently pharmaphorums interim managing editor and is also creative and editorial director at the companys specialist healthcare content consultancy pharmaphorum connect.

Connect with Dominic on LinkedIn or Twitter

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We should allow ourselves to be #pharmaproud - - pharmaphorum

In one way or another, we are all concerned about how well we are aging, whether that is physically, mentally, or visually in the way we look! Living a healthier lifestyle is something many of us focus on as we age; we all want to live well and experience the most out of life! If you have been looking into ways to improve your overall health and promote healthy aging, you may have heard of metformin. Metformin is becoming an increasingly popular topic when it comes to anti-aging, thanks to the several studies that have been published about the incredible benefits for overall health, mortality, and anti-aging. Metformin is derived from natural compounds in the French Lilac plant and has been used to treat diabetes since the Middle Ages. Used for over 60 years, this medication has an outstanding safety record, and is a safe and cost effective.

Leading Harvard scientist, Dr. David Sinclair, wrote a blog on the benefits of metformin anti aging, titled This cheap pill might help you live a longer, healthier life. Dr. Sinclair outlined numerous studies that proved the beneficial effects metformin can have, and we have compiled 6 of the top benefits backed by science.

As we age, we are more likely to face complicated health challenges, like cancer. However, research has shown metformin to have anti-cancer properties that reduce the likelihood of being diagnosed with numerous forms of cancer. In 2009, a promising study was carried out in the UK, with over 62,000 participants. The study revealed that using metformin was associated with a lowered risk of cancer in the colon and pancreas. The study divided participants into four separate groups, based on where they were receiving monotherapy with metformin, or sulfonylurea, combined therapy (metformin plus sulfonylurea), or insulin. Those using metformin monotherapy had the lowest risk of colon and pancreas cancer. Whereas those on insulin, or insulin secretagogues were more likely to develop cancers.

Additionally, a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic revealed that diabetic women who took metformin had a better survival rate than those who did not. This research is extremely significant because ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cancer in women and has a mortality rate of 65%. The benefits of metformin are impressive and women around the world are taking note.

When taking a closer look at the overall mortality rate of cancer patients with Diabetes, a study of 1,300 participants in the Netherlands revealed that metformin use was associated with lower cancer mortality compared with non-users.

Further, metformin users with diabetes were shown to have a reduced risk of colorectal cancer than non-users. A comprehensive study that took place in the United States, included over 460,000 participants over the course of several years. The results revealed an 8% reduction in the likelihood of a colorectal cancer diagnosis among those who used metformin.

Scientists compared 78,000 people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and compared them to a control group of 78,000 people without diabetic controls. Patients with type 2 diabetes who were taking metformin had a longer survival rate than the non-diabetic control group, over a 5-year period. There have been multiple studies on the use of metformin that confirm the positive effects on overall health and longevity.

In a comprehensive, multi-year study, metformin was shown to reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 31%. This study showed the effect of metformin was equally effective for both men and women. As we see the rates of diabetes on the rise, and the associated health issues related to diabetes can be serious and life-threatening, these results were very positive and have significant potential for those at risk of developing diabetes.

A 2009 study of 390 patients in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial showed that metformin reduced the risk of macrovascular disease. This study included a 4.3-year follow-up period and demonstrated that metformin can significantly reduce cardiovascular mortality. Additionally, the study showed that metformin can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events in both diabetic, and non-diabetic patients with coronary heart disease. As such, the benefits of metformin are effective for anti-aging purposes, due to the fact cardiovascular health typically declines with age.

A study of 67,731 participants who were non-demented, non-diabetic, and over 65 years of age, were studied from January 2004 to December 2009: The study revealed that diabetes is associated with an increased risk of dementia. When provided with sulfonylureas or metformin, rather than thiazolidinediones for a longer period the risk was reduced. More specifically, the study determined that metformin use showed a significant inverse association with cognitive impairment. This large scale study controlled for age, education, diabetes duration, fasting blood glucose, vascular and non-vascular risk factors. This is a significant finding proving the anti-aging effects of metformin.

Weight-loss is something on many peoples minds as they age, and not just for superficial reasons! Weight gain can affect mobility, can negatively impact cardiovascular health, and can result in a wide array of other health challenges. As we age, it often becomes more difficult to lose weight. A 2012 study of 154 patients was conducted over a 6 month period in Germany. The purpose of the study was to determine the efficacy of metformin for the treatment of obesity. The results were impressive and demonstrated that metformin is an effective drug to reduce weight in a naturalistic outpatient setting in insulin sensitive and insulin resistant overweight and obese patients.

The anti-aging benefits of metformin have been experienced by thousands of patients around the world. Not only can it reduce mortality, but it can improve longevity, overall health, and quality of life as one ages. The studies on metformin have been extensive, and the results truly do speak for themselves. In addition to the listed benefits of above, studies have shown metformin slows down the rate of DNA damage. Though access to metformin has not always been easy, there are telehealth subscription services available that have improved access to buy metformin. AgelessRx.com is an American based company that provides high-quality metformin through their telehealth subscription service.

More here:
6 Anti Aging Benefits of Metformin - The Shepherd of the Hills Gazette

Boss Ricky Waddell believes the pressure has eased on his Caledonian Braves stars after their first win of the Lowland League season.

Jack Smith, David Winters and David Sinclair earned The Braves the three points against Dalbeattie Star, with Steven Degnan's strike for the visitors proving to be a consolation for the hosts.

With a huge clash with current league champions Kelty Hearts this weekend, Waddell believes it was crucial to get off the mark last night after an impressive display.

He told Lanarkshire Live Sport : "We really set the tone of the game early on that was important for us.

"We had a couple of sticky moments but I felt we were comfortable at half-time going in at 2-0.

"We didn't give away many chances and rode the storm after they got their goal before David's free-kick wraps things up for us.

Gallery: Predicted XI: Celtic v Rangers (H) (Read Sport)

"It gives us a bit of breathing space after a tough start to the season.

"We are getting bodies back, hopefully, in time for Saturday and we are getting back to where we were before the injuries in pre-season.

"If we go into Kelty off the back of four defeats you are starting to think it's going to be a tough task.

"I feel the boys can breathe a bit easier. Dalbeattie Star is a dangerous game, they take points off people and always come with a plan.

"The win takes away the thought that it has been a really bad start to the season.

"What has happened is that we have improved every game and it gives the players and myself a bit of a lift going into the Kelty game.

"I've been at clubs where you're struggling for a win and that becomes a habit. That's broken right away for us and we can concentrate on progressing."

Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.

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Caledonian Braves can 'breathe a bit easier' after first win says boss Ricky Waddell - MSN UK

We recently came across this article on Mind BodyGreen that was written by their senior health editor, Kristine Thomason, that we thought was well worth the share as it ties in with similar articles that we have published.

By now, you're very familiar with the daily COVID-prevention checklist: Wash your hands, don't touch your face, wear your mask in public, and socially distance from others. And repeat. Each of these precautions aligns with guidelines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, to help mitigate viral transmission.

What the CDC (or any of the powers that be, for that matter) doesn't address quite so clearlymuch to many experts' dismayis the fact that nutrition is also a non-negotiable in the fight against COVID-19.

As for the CDC guidelines, there is a mention tucked into their "Food and Coronavirus" guidelines, where they advise: Reduce pandemic-related stress through good nutrition; incorporate vitamins C and D, plus zinc, into your diet for possible immune system support; read labels on any canned foods you buy, and seek out the healthiest options; and prioritize fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. They also point toward resources at the USDA Nutrition Assistance Program if you need help securing nutritious foods.

Of course, all that information is important and usefulas are the other COVID-19 guidelines the CDC has laid out. But, unfortunately, there's not a single mention of nutrition as a preventive measureit's entirely left out of the conversation on their "Prevent Getting Sick" section. The way we see it, leaving nutrition as a side note is a huge miss. After all, we've had nutrition top of mind since day one of the pandemicwhether it's featuring an immunologist's COVID dietary advice or discussing top immune-supporting nutrients with a longevity expert.

One expert who has been particularly outspoken about this topic is preventive medicine specialist David Katz, M.D. He already gave a compelling COVID reality check on the mindbodygreen podcast, and now, he's sharing his thoughts on the importance of nutrition as a tool to keep you healthynow and always. But especially now.

Why nutrition needs to be a priority, not an afterthought.

"The greatest single influence of whether you develop a bad chronic disease or die prematurely is your diet quality," says Katz. "Diet is constantly, universally important. Literature showing that it is the single leading predictor of all-cause mortality is incontrovertible."

So, why exactly don't we hear more about diet in relation to disease prevention? To start, other factors that affect health and mortality are often much more straightforward. For example: You're either a smoker or a nonsmoker; you either do physical activity or you don't; your blood pressure is either high or normal. "But diet is an infinite array of intermingled variables," says Katz. "There are many ways to get it right. There are many more ways to get it wrong."

There are also numerous other factors at play (think cultural, socioeconomic, the list goes on) that can interfere with your access and understanding of optimal nutrition. Not to mention, as survival-driven humans, our instincts are programmed to be more attuned to immediate threats rather than long-term ones, Katz explains. "One of the reasons we neglect our diet is it doesn't fly at the speed of a bullet," he says. "If I eat a doughnut today, it won't affect me tomorrow. The cause and effect are separated by time, so it's hard to see. We are pretty blas about the massive association between diet and adverse health outcomes in general." That is, until we're faced with a pressing threat. Enter: COVID-19.

Why focusing on diet amid COVID-19 is both a necessity and an opportunity.

It's no secret that individuals with underlying health conditions like heart disease, asthma, diabetes, and chronic lung disease are at a higher risk of adverse COVID outcomes. "To ignore that is absurd, and to ignore that diet is the greatest single driver of all of that is also absurd," says Katz.

For that reason, Katz sees the current COVID-19 climate not only as a reason to prioritize diet more than ever but also an ideal time for people to make lasting change.

"It's a massive opportunity to address the acute and the chronic," he says. "We should have done it anyway, but that's the problem with dietit's a slow-motion threat; it doesn't trigger our anxiety. COVID does, so I say, let's catch the wave."

So, what can you do...today?

"There's never been a better time to have the 'let's get healthy, America' conversation," says Katz. That's because, even small, conscious changes can affect your health and immunity.

As for a healthy diet, Katz believes there's a basic theme to eating optimally, but there isn't a narrow prescription every person needs to adopt. To get you started on your own path, he shares a few tips for taking positive, dietary steps forwardand they're backed by other experts in the field, too:

1. Start with one healthy meal...but know the benefits get better over time.

"You can alter your immune response with a single meal," Katz says, "the magnitude of benefit will accrue over time, you certainly won't get the full measure from one good meal, but you can start the party." He notes that there is evidence in studies that observe how harvest cells in the immune system react to different stimuli. "They react in a way that's more likely to protect you following a high-quality meal, as opposed to a low-quality meal."

2. Opt for wholesome, natural foods.

"Essentially the closer you get to foods that come directly from nature, the better," says Katz. "So you want to avoid ultra-processed stuff and eat as much real, minimally or unprocessed foods as possible." Simple steps in the right direction might mean sipping water instead of soda or choosing whole grains instead of refined ones. "And if the ingredient list runs off the box, it's probably a bad idea."

And when it comes to choosing those foods...amid a pandemic, experts and the CDC agree that foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc may be particularly beneficial. "There's no disagreement between scientists and doctors that vitamin D is important for the immune system," David Sinclair, Ph.D., said during a recent mbg podcast episode. While Amy Shah, M.D., notes that vitamin C is such an important nutrient for immune support.

Supplements are also an option, but Katz points out these should be used as "supplemental to, not substitutes for a high-quality diet."

3. Swap in plants when you can.

"Since our diets tend to be heavy on animal foods, and most people consume too few fruits and vegetables, the more you can shift to plant foods the better," says Katz. That includes an array of fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. "Basically, any time you can eat a plant instead of an animal, do."

Other experts agree with this sentiment, including Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D. "If we go back to the cultures that have respected longevity and ask what they ate, we find that they're eating very hearty plants," he shared in a recent mbg podcast episode.

Of course, there are other measures you can takebut a healthy diet doesn't need to be overly complex, by any means. As Katz puts it, "It's just that simple; it's just that powerful. It's actionable, it's immediate, and there's never been a better time."

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Why Aren't We Talking More About Nutrition Amid COVID-19? - Anti Aging News

For the first time in history, leading scientists and entrepreneurs believe theres a way to slow aging and maybe even reverseit.

The latest research on longevity suggests there is no reason that people born today cant live to at least 120 years old... perhaps even to 150 and beyond.

How would you change your life if you could live to 120 years old and remain healthy?

What would you do differently today?

Last week we explored the Longevity Mindset. Today and next week, Ill do a quick review of the latest advancements toward rewiring the biology of aging.

Every year, I take a group of my Abundance 360 Members on a Platinum Longevity Trip to meet with the cutting-edge researchers and companies. Following are some of the companies and technologies we observed that have the potential to increase your healthspan the amount of time you have to live a healthy and functional life, avoiding expensive end-of-life care.

Todays blog will be part one of a two-part series covering these developments.

Lets dive in

Over the past two decades, the cost of sequencing the human genome has dropped 100,000-fold: from $100 million per genome, to below $1,000 per genome (current estimates are as low as $300).

Genome sequencing can uncover disease susceptibilities years before symptoms present, allowing for personalized preventative care to begin sooner than ever before.

For example, the Cancer Genome Atlas Program at the NIH is currently using gene sequencing to decode the genetic underpinnings of 30 cancer types.

Perhaps the most impactful potential of low-cost genome sequencing is its ability to be used in what is called a liquid biopsy the ability to find free-flowing cancer DNA in your bloodstream that might indicate the existence of an undetected cancer in your body. And, as we know, finding cancer at stage-zero or stage-one is the key to survival.

There are two major companies we visited with during our Platinum Longevity Trip:

Cancer detection company GRAILanalyzes the mutated, fractionated DNA and RNA from cancer cells in your blood (from a simple blood draw) to diagnose over 50 cancer types in early stages. GRAIL recently received an $8 billion buy-out offer from biotech giant Illumina.

Freenometakes a similar approach to early cancer diagnosis from a real-time blood draw (called a liquid biopsy), initially focused on colon cancer. Freenomes multiomics platform analyzes fragments of DNA, RNA, and protein from the cancer and from the host response. This form of precision medicine bridges early detection and early intervention to boost human healthspan.

One of the most powerful technologies now available in the fight for longevity is called gene therapy a technology theorized in the 1980s that has taken almost 40 years to mature. Gene therapy allows scientists to use a vector (typically an Adeno Associated Virus) to carry a desired gene to a set of desired cells in an organism. Want a specific gene put into retinal cells, or bone marrow, or neurons? No problem, there's a gene therapy approach for that.

A new biotech start-up called Gordian Biotechnologyis using the convergence of gene therapy and single cell sequencing to run hundreds of thousands of independent experiments in a single animal to determine the therapeutic effects of specific gene additions on specific cells of interest. Because aging is such a multifactorial process, this approach can run thousands of parallel experiments to tackle the many complexities of age-related diseases simultaneously.

Next week, well learn about a company called Rejuvenate Bio, and an extraordinary researcher named Dr. David Sinclair who is using gene therapy to potentially rejuvenate animals with the ultimate goal of age reversal in humans.

In addition to Gene Therapy, the other incredible tool in our longevity research arsenal is CRISPR.

You may know CRISPR as the molecular scissors that can edit genes think CTRL X (cut) and CTRL V (paste). But beyond cutting and pasting, CRISPR can also be used to help find and identify a sequence of DNA in your cell, sort of a CTRL F functionality. This discovery is so important and transformative that the Nobel Prize was just awarded this month to Dr. Jennifer Doudna of Gladstone Institutes for its discovery.

Here are several other exciting CRISPR developments:

Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunologyis using CRISPR to edit the T-cells of the immune system that play critical roles in cancer, infection, and autoimmunity. CRISPR can delete mutated genes or add new DNA to reprogram the T-cells. This personalized approach takes advantage of the bodys own immune system to tackle complex diseases.

Rather than snipping and replacing genes, Mammoth Bioscienceshas programmed CRISPR proteins to locate and cleave target genes, acting as molecular shredders. The cleaved gene serves as a molecular readout if the target is successfully bound, enabling CRISPR to serve as a diagnostic tool. Additionally, the companys novel CRISPR proteins (cas14, casV) exist in the micro and nano scales, opening the door for new delivery systems at smaller scales than ever before.

With the recent breakthroughs in CRISPR and Gene Therapy technologies, a variety of strategies for reversing disease have been tried. Yet countlessexperiments remain, and thats where AI can help.

The explosion of novel imaging, sensing, and sequencing tools has unleashed an abundance of patient data.

But bringing together this information across millions of patients to form actionable insights can only be achieved with Artificial Intelligence.

One of the leading companies in this area is Insilico Medicine, which is leveraging AI in its end-to-end drug pipeline, extending healthy longevity through drug discovery and aging research.

In their comprehensive drug discovery engine, Insilico uses millions of samples and multiple data types to A) discover signatures of diseases, and B) identify the most promising targets for billions of molecules. These molecules either already exist or can be generated de novo with the desired set of parameters.

Insilico uses an AI technique called generative adversarial networks (GANs) to imagine novel molecular structures. With reinforcement learning, Insilicos system lets you generate a molecule with any of up to 20 different properties to hit a specified target.

Thanks to converging breakthroughs in machine learning, drug discovery and molecular biology, companies like Insilico can now do with 50 people what the pharmaceutical industry can barely do with an army of 5,000.

Another extraordinary company on the Longevity Platinum Trip was a company out of the Buck Institute called Edifice Health, which has developed the ability to determine your inflammatory age using advanced AI to score biomarkers of immune health. Inflammation is a leading contributor to most chronic illnesses, and greater awareness of this symptom will enhance preventative care. Even more important than measuring inflammatory age, Edifice Health is screening thousands of molecules to determine which can quell such inflammation.

An additional company out of the Buck Institute is Gerostate Alpha, a pharmaceutical company that is using large-scale AI to test millions of compounds for their ability to extend the life of a worm-like creature called the nematode. Once they get a hit in nematodes (rather short-lived creatures), they will then test the molecules in mice and eventually in humans. The company is testing millions of compounds in parallel, hoping to literally discover the pharmaceutical fountain of youth.

In next weeks blog, well continue to review other exciting companies on the cutting-edge of longevity science, diving more into gene therapy, senolytic medicines, vaccines, and stem cells.

If tracking the latest breakthroughs in longevity is something you desire If developing a Longevity Mindset is important to you, then consider joining my Abundance 360Mastermind.

Every year, my team and I select a group of 360 entrepreneurs and CEOs to coach over the course of a year-long program. A360 starts each January with a live event and continues every two months with Implementation Workshops, in which I personally coach members in small groups over Zoom. (In January 2021, you have a choice of live in-person or virtual participation. See the A360 website for more info.)

My mission is to help A360 members identify their massively transformative purpose, select their moonshot, and hone an Abundance, Exponential, and Longevity Mindset. Together we will actively select and reinforce your preferred mindsets.

To learn more and apply, visit abundance360.com

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100 years old will be the new 60 | Health & Wellness - CL Charlotte

Max Wallace, a former professional boxer with an interest in art, wants to set up his own wellbeing centre. Sunil Jindal plans to set up a Mumsnet for older men while Sharon Thomas has a business model to monetise her mini artwork greetings cards.

But these entrepreneurs face one problem: theyre over 50 and although the state pension age rises to 66 on Tuesday, 54-year-old Jindal said they already risk being perceived to be over the hill by everyone from banks to, occasionally, themselves.

Ive had a very successful career in computer science, reaching director level, but when my last employer and I went our separate ways in July, I found it a real shock to be back in the job market, Jindal said.

Im applying for jobs but Im planning my own business too because I cant help asking myself: Will I find something at my age? Theres so much stigma around older people out there and I find I doubt myself too; can I reposition my USP at my age, deal with the technology, sustain the energy? he added.

Wallace has no shortage of energy, having set up a community interest company called Health Defence which offers fitness programmes, aimed at combatting ill health in the community. He now hopes to open a micro wellbeing centre in Hammersmith, west London, where people can access his boxing/kickboxing fitness programme, along with healthy eating workshops, massages and free health checks.

Around 377,000 older workers one in 10 male, and eight in 10 female workers in their 50s and 60s face a significant risk of losing their jobs as the governments furlough scheme is wound down this month, according to the Centre for Ageing Better and the Learning and Work Institute.

That is in addition to the recent doubling in the number of people over-50s already claiming unemployment-related benefits between March and May. According to an analysis of official data by Rest Less, a jobs, money and lifestyle site for the over-50s, numbers rose from 304,000 in March to 588,000 in June. This means that more over-50s are claiming universal credit than under-25s.

Additional analysis of Department for Work and Pensions data by the Centre for Ageing Better found that over-50s are less likely to bounce back from unemployment than any other age group: just 35% who lose their job return to work quickly, with 29% remaining unemployed for more than 12 months.

These statistics are causing concern among experts. Last week, the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC), the UKs specialist thinktank on the impact of longevity on society, urged the government to introduce a scheme akin to Kickstart but focused on the needs of older workers.

The long-term growth in employment of those aged over 50 has stalled, with too many people forced out of the workforce too early, said David Sinclair, ILC director. These older workers contribute to economic growth but are likely to find it much more difficult than other ages to get themselves another job.

Andy Briggs, group CEO at Phoenix Group and Government Business Champion for Older Workers, agreed. We know that if you become unemployed over the age of 50 you are less likely than any other group to get another job.

Suzanne Noble, who co-founded Advantages of Age with Rose Rouse, said this is a problem for which there are limited solutions. Noble, who has co-founded the Startup School for Seniors which launched on Monday, said a move into self-employment is one of the most positive and realistic choices available.

Lack of confidence is the key challenge for this age group, said Noble, who has also launched Silver Sharers, a website that matches homeowners aged 50-plus with lodgers of any age. We know, from previous work done with over-50s, that when an older person loses their job it can take a real toll on their mental health.

If youve been working for decades in a career, the expectation is that will deliver you into a comfortable retirement, she added. When that outcome is taken away from you, it can be crushing. Many feel that their work experience no longer has any value and that theres nowhere for them in the modern workplace.

But thats simply not the case, said Noble. Experience is one of the most important USPs of this group, so ignore it at your peril, she said. We have a more relaxed attitude to other people and their opinion about us: the No Fucks Given-movement stole the idea from their elders and betters.

The statistics show the value of that experience: businesses started by those aged over 45 are more likely to be successful than those created by those aged 18-25 years.

Mark Elliott, Nobles co-founder of the free, eight-week online Startup School for Seniors whose 60 participants are aged between 50 to 75 pointed out that modern technology is easier to use than it ever has been. If Covid-19 has taught us nothing else, its that many more older people have become digitally savvy through using Zoom and other video conferencing software, he said.

Theres no reason to assume that someone 50-plus hasnt got the aim or ambition of building a fast-scaling tech business but older entrepreneurs need to be realistic, he said.

Theyre not going to suddenly become Richard Branson but then, would they want to? he asked. On top of what opportunities there are, is the extra question, what sort of opportunities are people this age usually looking for?

With one in five people over 50 being informal carers, flexibility is key, said Elliott. Added to which, older people are often seeking a job that provides them with satisfaction as well as a pay cheque. At this stage in our lives, we need to build a business that we want to work in ourselves. Thats exciting.

Originally posted here:
How newly unemployed over-50s can start-up again - The Guardian

David A. Sinclair, Ph.D., A.O. is a Professor in the Department of Genetics and co-Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School. He is best known for his work on understanding why we age and how to slow its effects. He obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics at the University of New South Wales, Sydney in 1995. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at M.I.T. with Dr. Leonard Guarente where he co discovered a cause of aging for yeast as well as the role of Sir2 in epigenetic changes driven by genome instability. In 1999 he was recruited to Harvard Medical School where he has been teaching aging biology and translational medicine for aging for the past 16 years. His research has been primarily focused on the sirtuins, protein-modifying enzymes that respond to changing NAD+ levels and to caloric restriction (CR) with associated interests in chromatin, energy metabolism, mitochondria, learning and memory, neurodegeneration, and cancer. The Sinclair lab was the first one to identify a role for NAD+ biosynthesis in regulation of lifespan and first showed that sirtuins are involved in CR in mammals. They first identified small molecules that activate SIRT1 such as resveratrol and studied how they improve metabolic function using a combination of genetic, enzymological, biophysical and pharmacological approaches. They recently showed that natural and synthetic activators require SIRT1 to mediate the in vivo effects in muscle and identified a structured activation domain. They demonstrated that miscommunication between the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes is a cause of age-related physiological decline and that relocalization of chromatin factors in response to DNA breaks may be a cause of aging.

Dr. Sinclair is co-founder of several biotechnology companies (Sirtris, Ovascience, Genocea, Cohbar, MetroBiotech, ArcBio, Liberty Biosecurity) and is on the boards of several others. He is also co-founder and co-chief editor of the journal Aging. His work is featured in five books, two documentary movies, 60 Minutes, Morgan Freemans Through the Wormhole and other media. He is an inventor on 35 patents and has received more than 25 awards and honors including the CSL Prize, The Australian Commonwealth Prize, Thompson Prize, Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Award, Charles Hood Fellowship, Leukemia Society Fellowship, Ludwig Scholarship, Harvard-Armenise Fellowship, American Association for Aging Research Fellowship, Nathan Shock Award from the National Institutes of Health, Ellison Medical Foundation Junior and Senior Scholar Awards, Merck Prize, Genzyme Outstanding Achievement in Biomedical Science Award, Bio-Innovator Award, David Murdock-Dole Lectureship, Fisher Honorary Lectureship, Les Lazarus Lectureship, Australian Medical Research Medal, The Frontiers in Aging and Regeneration Award, Top 100 Australian Innovators, and TIME magazines list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

David A. Sinclairs Past and Present Advisory roles, Board Positions, Funding Sources, Licensed Inventions, Investments, Funding, and Invited Talks.

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David Sinclair | The Sinclair Lab

After their shows were cancelled due to the pandemic, DS4 will return to music by headlining at The Sound Lounge this weekend.

Rock band DS4 is set to headline at the grassroots music venue in Morden on Saturday September 25.

The audience at the Sound Lounge can expect a "rock and roll show with a vintage touch" between 7.00 pm to 9.30 pm.

Singer, songwriter and guitarist David Sinclair,says the performance is the groups lifeline.

DS4 came together when David Sinclair hooked up with guitarist Geoff Peel, a sage of the London blues circuit.

Together with Jos Mendoza, ex bass player Jack Sinclair and a cast of special guests, they recorded the album 4 in 2015. Gigging around London venues, including The Borderline, 100 Club and Half Moon Putney, and festivals such as Cornbury and North Wales Blues and Soul Fest, the DS4 has built up a dedicated following.

And won glowing testimonials for a show full of good time rock and roll energy, stirring personal blues ballads and wry narrative wit.The band featuring drummer Rory, has sold-out gigs at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, Dustys Blues Club in High Wycombe, Portobello Live and Gunnersbury Triangle Club.Their latest album Sweet Georgina has received ecstatic reviews, with their track 'The Rolling People' featuring on the CD covermount of Classic Rock magazine last year.

With years of entertaining and months of having to stay inside, the band are "over the moon" to be back in front of an audience.

A spokesperson for DS4 said: "The Sound Lounge can look forward to a glorious show featuring original songs from our first five albums.

"Mixed with classic covers of songs by Lou Reed, Chuck Berry and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

"Live performances are the oxygen that keeps a band like us alive.

Its been a long time to manage without it, and this show is a lifeline for us.

"Zoom and Spotify are all very well.

"But we just cant wait to make contact with hearts and minds in the outside world again.

For ticket information visit http://www.thesoundlounge.org.uk/whats-on

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DS4 to rock Morden live at The Sound Lounge - Your Local Guardian

Future retirees are facing uncertainty over the level of state pension they will receive if they move abroad and could miss out on around 140,000 of income once the Brexit transitional period ends, Aegon claims.

The pension company is warning that the outcome of Brexit negotiations could have a huge impact on the retirement prospects of UK citizens who plan to move to and retire in the European Union (EU) or Switzerland.

Currently, those who are already living in the EU before 31 December 2020 have been reassured that they will receive the same increases to UK state pensions as paid to those living in the UK.

This is based on the triple lock, which guarantees the state pension will rise by the highest of earnings growth, price inflation or 2.5% each year.

However, aside from those who move to Ireland, there has been no guarantee from the UK on the level of the state pension for those retiring and living in other countries.

Steven Cameron, pensions director at Aegon, says: The outcome of last-minute Brexit negotiations could have a huge impact on those who may be planning to retire abroad to another EU country.

With many people living 20 or more years after state pension age, any form of inflation proofing is highly valuable, with the triple lock particularly so.

An inflation linked state pension of 175.20 a week is worth 336,500 whereas one that doesnt increase is worth 191,000 which is 145,500 less.

Cameron adds that while the treatment of state pensions may not be top of the agenda for last minute Brexit negotiations, he warns decisions in these areas could make a huge difference to those planning to move abroad in future for their retirement years.

David Sinclair, director of thinktank the International Longevity Centre, says: For some older people, the state pension provides a significant part of their retirement income.

These people in particular will want to be confident that they can afford their retirement aspirations irrespective of whether they stay in the UK or move abroad.Older people who want to move abroad need to be confident that value of their savings alongside their pension will be adequate.

Sinclair adds that retirees will need to make their wealth last 20-plus years and says this uncertainty is unhelpful for those who want to plan for the long term.

These articles are provided for information purposes only. Occasionally, an opinion about whether to buy or sell a specific investment may be provided by third parties. The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument or product, or to adopt any investment strategy as it is not provided based on an assessment of your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. The value of your investments, and the income derived from them, may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.

Full performance can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website. Simply click on the company's or index name highlighted in the article.

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Brexit casts doubt over UK pension rights - Interactive Investor

When I started my medical degree in the 1970s, a diagnosis of cancer was typically a death sentence. Occasionally, if cancer was detected early, there was some hope for surgical resection. The radiotherapy and chemotherapy used back in those days was rather primitive and certainly often extremely toxic to the body.

Now in the year 2020, despite significant emphasis being appropriately placed on improved therapies and vaccines for COVID-19, the medical world is closing in on a cure for cancer. Over the past decade, the widespread use of immunotherapy and the somewhat newer CAR-T therapies & their spinoffs have revolutionised the treatments of many cancers including haematologic cancers, such as leukaemia and lymphoma but also the common solid tumours such as breast, prostate, colon, lung and melanoma, to name a few.

One of the issues with cancers is that they form a shield around individual tumour cells making them almost invisible to the immune system. Many of the newer immunotherapies help break down the shield, allowing the bodys own immune system to attack the tumour cells.

One of the best group of tumour killing cells in the immune system are T cells known as Tumour Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs). Although these are probably the best soldiers of the immune system, once they enter the battlefield of the tumour micro-environment they are disabled by many of the stressors present in this situation. All cells, whether they be our own naturally occurring cells or those of tumours that have formed in our body, require a supply of nutrients and oxygen to function correctly.

Thus, when a TIL enters a tumour to do its work, it is competing with the tumour for local nutrients and oxygen. The tumour being extremely greedy steals these nutrients leading to a reduction in the function of a component of all cells known as the mitochondria. Mitochondria are the fuel supply of the cell creating energy for the cell, allowing it to do its work and exist. If we deprive the mitochondria of nutrients, the mitochondria are converted into a sluggish state known as terminal exhaustion. Also, when the T cells mitochondria are starting to age, there is a natural process that breaks down the cells and replaces them with younger, healthier T cells to continue the job of trying to destroy any tumours that are present.

The function of any living cell, including T cells and tumour cells, is to survive. Cancer cells create particular antigens which stimulate a protein known as PD-1, which suppresses the T-cell response. Thus, when you have cancer, there is this constant battle being waged inside your body between your own immune system and the tumour.

Now for the good news. Scientists from the US have discovered that a commonly used supplement for anti-ageing known as NAD-riboside enhances mitochondrial function in these failing T cells and allows them to recharge themselves to enhance their attack against tumours. When NAD-riboside was added to specific immunotherapy drugs, this significantly inhibited the growth of a variety of tumours in mice.

Professor David Sinclair from Harvard University has pioneered the use of NAD-riboside for anti-ageing demonstrating that this is a safe and effective supplement, prolonging the life of laboratory animals by 20%. Prof Sinclair has also demonstrated the same anti-ageing markers in human beings. There now appears to be another feather in the cap for this safe and seemingly effective supplement, which may become standard care to be added to all new cancer therapies.

A word of caution in that this has not been trialled in humans as additional therapy but, many people, including myself, already take NAD-riboside or a related supplement e.g. NMN; NAD plus, as a potential anti-ageing therapy. I have been saying for a number of years that vitamin B3 and its variety of analogues such as NAD-riboside are a vital part of good health. This is yet more evidence to support these claims. Although we have not achieved a cure for cancer in 2020, we are certainly edging closer.

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Cancer. How close are we to winning the war? - Switzer