A doctor who is 78 but claims he has a biological age of 57.6 shared five of the supplements he takes daily.
As life expectancy has grown — the average American is expected to live until 77.5, up from 70.8 in 1970 — so has interest in staying healthy for longer.
Dr. Michael Roizen, an anesthesiologist and the chief wellness officer at Cleveland Clinic whose books include “The Great Age Reboot,” told Business Insider how he exercises and eats to age healthily.
Although dietitians advise people to get their nutrients from food where possible, he also hopes taking the following five supplements will help boost his longevity.
Multivitamins
Roizen takes half a multivitamin twice a day. Although his approach hasn’t been proven in clinical trials, he believes it will keep vitamin levels in the blood as stable as possible, as most of a water-soluble multivitamin is peed out.
Roizen said evidence suggests multivitamins could lower the risk of dementia and cancer. Indeed, a 2022 study by researchers at Columbia University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that taking a multivitamin daily for three years appeared to improve older adults’ cognition and memory, although it was unclear why.
In participants with cardiovascular disease, a risk factor for cognitive decline, the authors said the micronutrients may have treated deficiencies linked to the condition.
However, the jury is still out on multivitamins. A 2022 review of studies by the US Preventive Services Task Force found no evidence that they prevent cardiovascular disease or cancer. In June, a study on 390,124 US adults by researchers at the National Cancer Institute found no evidence that they boosted longevity.
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‘Baby’ aspirin
Roizen takes a low dose of aspirin (usually 81 milligrams), sometimes known as “baby aspirin,” twice a day in the hope it will prevent heart attacks and strokes. Taking aspirin regularly long-term carries risks because it can thin the blood so that the body can’t form clots when bleeding.
But Roizen believes it is safe for him to take as “someone over the age of 50 with a low risk of bleeding.”
However, the US Preventive Services Task Force does not recommend adults over 60 take preventive aspirin.
CoQ10
CoQ10 is a substance found in cells that helps convert food into energy. As an antioxidant, it has been linked to a reduction in the effects of aging on the skin and on a cellular level in humans and rodents. It’s also thought to prevent problems associated with free radicals, which are DNA-damaging particles that move around the body.
Roizen said he takes the supplement alongside statins to reduce his cholesterol levels, because statins decrease CoQ10 levels in the body.
However, a small 2022 study involving 37 participants published in Antioxidants found that the supplement didn’t the amount of CoQ10 in their muscles, where pain can occur in people who take statins.
And, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, there isn’t strong evidence that CoQ10 improves blood pressure and heart failure despite some claims.
ASU
ASU stands for avocado-soybean unsaponifiables, which are vegetable extracts leftover from soap-making.
Roizen takes it to decrease the pain of osteoarthritis. There some evidence to suggest that ASU could treat osteoarthritis because of its anti-inflammatory properties. However, researchers say more long-term studies in humans are needed.
Ergothioneine
Ergothioneine is present in most foods, but mushrooms are particularly rich in it. Roizen doesn’t take an ergothioneine supplement but regards the substance as a supplement to his diet.
Instead of taking a pill, he gets it from mushrooms. Five days a week, he has an “MLT” — a mushroom, lettuce, and tomato sandwich — for lunch.
Eating plenty of ergothioneine as part of a healthy diet was linked to a lower risk of coronary artery disease in a 2020 study by researchers from Lund University, Sweden.
Meanwhile, studies on cells suggest that ergothioneine can help prevent DNA damage from UV exposure, according to a 2022 review of studies published in the journal Antioxidants & Redox Signaling.
