Maximizing Dave Asprey’s approach to living longer
Last week, entrepreneur, author and lifestyle guru, Dave Asprey, appeared on the UK’s This Morning show explaining how he proactively makes interventions to increase his lifespan. Amongst his approach to boost longevity was the practice of skipping breakfast to achieve a 16 hour fast and engaging in 20 minutes of exercise a day. These habits are well accepted in the world of anti-aging science due to the link with AMPK.
However, this approach can be maximized further with the addition of the right ingredient...
Boosting AMPK increases NAD+ and the longevity genes
The reason fasting and exercise are so related to health and longevity is because they boost the production of an enzyme called AMPK. AMPK is relevant because it helps activate the production of one of the most important cellular molecules in the body: NAD+. NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is responsible for the cell’s ability to make energy and repair DNA damage. It does this by activating a group of proteins that are so important to health and life they are referred to as “the longevity genes”.
These longevity genes are called sirtuins. Their production has been shown to be critical in several diseases, including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and neurodegeneration. But the problem is their activation relies solely on NAD+.
This is a problem because NAD+ levels have been shown to decline so significantly with age that they halve every 20 years. As a result, sirtuin activation is reduced and so is the body’s ability to produce energy and repair damage.
Interventions to boost NAD+ production are, therefore, significant to maintaining or restoring an active and healthy lifespan. Boosting AMPK is one way of approaching this.
Maximizing AMPK
In addition to calorie restriction and exercise, AMPK can also be increased by the natural compound Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA). Alpha-lipoic acid is a potent antioxidant agent that acts by multiple mechanisms promoting anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic pathways and positively vasodilatation.
ALA can be a useful ingredient as part of a whole system approach to boosting NAD+. That’s because AMPK is only one part of the NAD+ production factory. NAD+ can also be made from precursor agents and through the cell’s own mechanism for recycling used NAD+. All of these present interesting targets for maximizing the impact of fasting and exercise, restoring NAD+ and reducing the onset of symptoms associated with biological aging.
References;
Cantó, C., Gerhart-Hines, Z., Feige, J. N., Lagouge, M., Noriega, L., Milne, J. C., ... & Auwerx, J. (2009). AMPK regulates energy expenditure by modulating NAD+ metabolism and SIRT1 activity. Nature, 458 : 1056-1060.
Han, X., Tai, H., Wang, X., Wang, Z., Zhou, J., Wei, X., ... & Xiao, H. (2016). AMPK activation protects cells from oxidative stress‐induced senescence via autophagic flux restoration and intracellular NAD+ elevation. Aging cell, 15 : 416-427.
Elibol, B., & Kilic, U. (2018). High levels of SIRT1 expression as a protective mechanism against disease-related conditions. Frontiers in endocrinology, 9 : 614.