Why Dave Asprey’s approach to living to 180 might just work...
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 as sound ways to slow the biological aging process and, ultimately, live longer. Here’s why...
Fasting and Exercise boost AMPK
Calorie restriction (often achieved through fasting) has been evidenced with health and longevity benefits for over 10 years now. This is because reducing calorie intake by around 20-40%, without compromising basic nutritional needs, boosts the production of an enzyme called AMPK.
Published research over the last 25 years has shown that exercise also activates AMPK production with observations that this may be more associated with high intensity exercise.
AMPK is relevant when it comes to health and lifespan because it helps improve the function of the mitochondria. The mitochondria are the parts of the cell responsible for important functions including energy production and the elimination of damaged or dying cells. In fact, mitochondrial fitness is becoming increasingly important in researching age-related diseases.
AMPK activates NAD+ production
The main reason AMPK is so important for maintaining healthy mitochondria and longevity is its activation of NAD+. NAD+ is the oxidised form of a molecule found in every cell in the body and essential to life called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). However, clinical research over the last 10 years has demonstrated that NAD+ levels decline with age. In fact, they halve every 20 years.
There is now an abundance of evidence that links this decline in NAD+ to a reduction in the cell’s ability to produce energy and repair DNA damage. This results in the deterioration in vitality, stamina and strength that is often experienced beyond the age of 40 years. But the reduced ability to repair DNA damage is important as it is associated with the development of age-related diseases. This is because NAD+ plays a crucial role in activating a group of proteins in the body that are so important to health and lifespan that they are called “the longevity genes”.
NAD+ activates Longevity Genes
These longevity genes are called sirtuins and, over the last few years, their role in health has become increasingly clear. In fact, changes in sirtuin production have been shown to be critical in several diseases, including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and neurodegeneration. This is because they carry out vital roles such as epigenetic regulation. Epigenetic regulation is the system that ensures the DNA code is being read and replicated correctly when our cells reproduce. It makes sure the right genes are passed on and switched on in the right part of the body. When this is altered, cell production can go awry and this can lead to disease.
However, sirtuin production relies solely on NAD+.
This means that, as NAD+ levels decline with age, so do the sirtuins. This leads to undesirable changes in cells and, eventually, disease. Therefore, strategies to restore NAD+ levels have become increasingly important for living healthier for longer.
Dave Asprey’s advice to skip breakfast and exercise every day is a sensible approach to boost AMPK. In fact, a study published in Nature in 2009 linked AMPK production to aging by showing that it enhances sirtuin activity by increasing cellular NAD+ levels. The result was a restoration of important functions downstream.
AMPK can also be increased by natural ingredients such as Alpha Lipoic Acid, found in antiaging supplements. However, NAD+ production is complex involving multiple pathways and enzymes in addition to AMPK. Find out more about NAD+ and aging or find out more about addressing the whole NAD+ system.
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.