ReZoom

A Bit of Serendipity

Anti-aging experts agree that aging begins at the cellular level and manifests in ways we are all too familiar with — age spots, sagging jowls, sore joints.

But, in what seems like kismet for baby boomers, statin drugs like Lipitor, which are prescribed for lowering cholesterol, are now showing signs that they have an anti-aging properties. The results of a new clinical study recently released in the medical journal "The Lancet" reveal that statin drugs have been shown to protect human chromosomes from damage by preserving the telomeres, a protective cap at the end of chromosomes. Our chromosomes determine virtually every physiological function in the body and determine how fast we age.

"Think of the hat that a man would wear on his bald head to prevent getting sunburned," says ReZoom's health and anti-aging expert Dr. Mark Houston. "In addition, the statins increase the mobilization of a special cell from our bone marrow called endothelial progenitor cells that repair the blood vessel lining and reduce the risk for hardening of the arteries, heart attacks and strokes."

The Secret of Telomeres

The statins, Houston reports, generate a compound called telomere capping protein, which protects the telomere from dysfunction and premature shortening. He added that there is evidence the statins may reduce the aging process in the same fashion as they reduce heart disease, and the longer the telomere the better the indicator for a healthy heart.

"Telomeres keep the chromosomes from damage and premature shortening," notes Houston. "Thus telomere length is associated with life span and cardiac disease, as well as other diseases like cancer. Telomere length is an independent predictor of heart disease beyond the usual risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, smoking and obesity."

Individuals age at different rates biologically, which accounts for susceptibility to heart disease, says Houston. Patients with the longest telomere length, that is the top third, had a 49 to 66 percent lower risk of developing heart disease than those in the bottom two-thirds of telomere length. When a statin was administered, the telomere length did not shorten as much as those not taking the drug.

Then there's the bad news. Noted sided effects for statin drugs, according to the Physicians Desk Reference, include liver problems, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headaches and skin rash.

A Billion-Dollar Industry

An emerging medical field that studies the effects of cell damage and toxins in the diet and environment predisposes a belief that nutritional supplements and other treatments can slow the aging process by stimulating the body's own ability to repair and maintain its own health. Hence, a billion dollar industry that is growing exponentially and, consequently, both full of fact and fiction. Some hormones such as DHEA and HGH (human growth hormone) wowed the public recently with fountain-of-youth possibilities. Some say they work, and others say they don't. The Mayo Clinic says there is no convincing evidence that they do work, and they carry risks.

Aging well is a product of a constellation of factors including genetics. A lifestyle that includes a good emotional support system, getting enough recuperative sleep and eating a diet rich in anti-oxidants is also key. More sound advice, added Houston, is to consider all the effects of statins on health.

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