Before we can ask the question of what is anti-aging, we have to understand the body and why we age, so here’s a quick science lesson: The human body consists of trillions of cells. DNA is part of every cell (its code). Our cells regenerate & replicate continuously in the body using this code (the cell cycle). Biological processes cause errors during the cell cycle and the errors appear as dangerous free radical cells that can damage the body, we call this damage aging. Obviously because many of our cells operate differently and because the replication process is complex, there are many different sorts of damage that make up aging, a recent breakthrough in scientific research indicates that there are nine biological reasons for aging.

One of the most classic and well-known supplements for anti-aging is collagen and we typically use it for the benefit it has for retaining elasticity in our skin. Skin is something a lot of people fixate on when thinking about anti-aging as it relates to people’s perception of us. While it is nice, of course, to have good skin, there are actually far more important parts of us to consider in order to preserve our lives. Luckily collagen is far more than just a skin rejuvenator. According to Dr. Johanna Ward it strengthens our bones, joints, hair and even prevents a leaky gut. While collagen exists in abundance in our bodies when we’re young, we become depleted as we age which is why older people especially should be considering taking it.

As with all drugs, medicines and supplements some anti-aging solutions have been about for centuries while some are much newer. Two interesting ones to compare are Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, and resveratrol which is a far newer supplement only recently discovered by Dr. David Sinclair. Turmeric root has been available for thousands of years and has always been suspected of having anti-aging properties. And it’s true, curcumin is an antioxidant that prevents inflammation in your body by reducing the build-up of free-radical cells that can be harmful. Resveratrol on the other hand is very new. It’s discovered naturally in grapes, berries and nuts but requires extraction to be useful. As Dr. Sinclair puts it: “Resveratrol steps on the accelerator pedal of the sirtuin enzymes”. This is important as sirtuin is responsible for repairing DNA damage preventing the slow deterioration of our cells. While resveratrol is more complex and harder to obtain, it is through the progress of science that we can understand that both have huge anti-aging benefits and can be supplemented in our diet easily.

The last two supplements that are we will mention are NAD+ and CoQ10. Don’t be put off by their complicated names. NAD+ is a naturally occurring substance in your body. According to Dr. Firshein. Your body uses it to regulate almost every body function that you have. It regulates how your body repairs itself in terms of your DNA and helps you regulate your sleep cycles. And it really helps your body go through a process called autophagy, which is the way that your body cleans up damaged material inside yourself." Adding additional NAD+ to your diet helps keep this process going as your natural production starts to decrease in adulthood. Like NAD+, CoQ10 or ubiquinol as it’s also known is a naturally occurring substance in the body and like NAD+ it depletes over time making it extremely important for sustaining life. A research study of 443 older adults supplementing CoQ10 shows that it improves overall quality of life and reduces average hospital visits because it prevents the onset of age-related diseases making it a worthy addition to your supplement regime.

There’s many other supplements that could be on this list but these are a few of the best. They support a body that is free from aches and pains but most importantly they stave off the chances of developing deadly age-related diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s. It may seem like a lot of effort to add them to your diet, but the benefits definitely make it worth it if you’re interested in living a long and healthy life.