Episode 5: Medical Interventions (TRT, HGH, Stem Cells, etc.) For Longevity

Overview

• A lot of this discussion includes things that the FDA does not approve.

• There is a lot of misinformation about specific topics within this conversation.

• Always talk to a doctor before making any changes.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)

• After 30-40, we tend to lose 1% testosterone levels.

• Not simply used for sexual dysfunction, but health, fitness, and other things.

• Just because you feel younger doesn’t mean you are reversing your biological aging.

Survival Mechanisms

• Survival conditions tell our bodies to hunker down; hard times are coming

• Abundance conditions tell our body times are good and to rebuild and reproduce.

  • TRT and growth hormone GH do this.

• Need to have cycles of wants and needs, great long term.

• We need to have cycles of abundance for growth, but this is only good short-term.

Effects

• Improvements

  • Libido

  • Muscle growth and power

  • Aerobic abilities

• Risk and side effects

  • Worst sleep apnea

  • Higher likelihood that your testosterone turns into estrogen (aromatase).

  • Develop breast tissues

  • Larger prostate

  • Shrinking testosterone

• Supplementing with Testtorone is not synonymous with a long life.

• Just because something is good for you today doesn’t mean it will not benefit you long term.

• Adversity mimetics are good - Lack of food, lots of exercises

• Abundance mimetics - Probably a problem long term.

Human Growth Hormone (HGH)

• It addresses muscle loss, decreased bone density, increased fat.

  • It might harm long-term health.

• Supplementing with HGH long-term might give you higher chances of cancer and heart disease.

• Bringing HGH levels “back to normal” is good, but getting them too high is not good.

• Negative effects can be

  • One immediate side effect of HGH is sore joints and carpal tunnel.

  • Insulin resistance

  • High blood sugar

  • High cholesterol

• Having a naturally healthy level of testosterone and HGH is very good. But having too much is not.

• Eating at the right time and getting good sleep will help you have the right amount of HGH.

• Working out the larger muscle groups like your legs and back is a great way to increase testosterone naturally.

Peptide Supplementation

• Peptides are strings of amino acids.

  • They are used by cells to communicate with each other.

• Insulin is one of the most studied peptides.

• We can now synthesize peptides in machines.

  • Some people have these machines at home and treat themselves (not recommended).

• Typically safe

  • Typically small

  • Not foreign to the body

  • Metabolize fairly quickly

• When giving peptides to people for anti-aging, it’s used for its recovery properties.

  • Signatures of adversity mimetic.

• Some peptides can be used for longevity.

• FDA is nervous about the use of peptides at this stage.

  • Getting many peptides in the US is tough.

• Your body can reject these peptides causing arthritis-type effects.

• Most results occur from mice studies. The results are anecdotal.

MOTS-c

• When injected in mice, it lowers blood sugar and increases mitochondrial activity.

  • Reduces fats in the body.

• Potentially can be used to increase longevity.

Exosome Therapy

• Exosomes send messages throughout the body. We can collect them and understand the messages we send throughout the body.

  • We can read these messages to understand what is going on in the body.

  • We might also be able to send “false” alarms to create the adversity effect.

• Injecting exosomes in mice has shown that they can live longer.

  • There could be some special message in the exosomes that cause beneficial actions related to aging.

• Specific exosomes can also rejuvenate senescent cells.

  • Instead of killing senescent cells, we can rejuvenate them.

Stem Cells

• Stem cells are cells that can divide asymmetrically to produce new cells. They tend to stay juvenile.

  • Multipotent - Can make a few different types of tissues (embryo)

  • Pluripotent - Can create any type of cells and tissues.

• Yamanaka was trying to turn adult cells into pluripotent cells

  • Found five genes that can be used to achieve his goal.

  • You can take someone’s cells, reprogram them, and turn them into anything you want.

• The use of domesticated viruses is used to reprogram cells.

• Pluripotent cells can be used to treat various parts of the body.

• Pluripotent cells can cause cancer, so we don’t currently use pluripotent stem cells.

• Most scientists are using autologous stem cells.

  • Remove cells (like fat cells), plurify them, and put them back in the body.

• Stem cells age as well. They can also be kicked out of their niche.

• You can capture your stem cells in your 20-30’s and put them in a bank, then use them when you get older.

• You might want to consider “banking” your child’s cord blood.

• Most stem cells don’t find their niche when injected.

Cellular Reprogramming

• Instead of adding new stem cells, it might be better to rejuvenate existing stem cells.

• We might be able to rebuild parts of our bodies that are not working well.

• Dr. Sinclair might have found a way to reverse the aging of cells, about 80% reverse.

  • But unlike the Yamanaka effect, it doesn’t cause cancer.

  • Was able to restore eyesight in blind mice.

• By introducing three genes from the Yamanaka effect, they found that they could regrow damaged cells.

  • They mimic glaucoma, and then they can reprogram the eye cells and reverse the aging in the optic nerve.

• We can rejuvenate skin cells, muscles cells, nerve cells, and other cells.

  • It rejuvenates cells.

• Hoping to utilize cellular reprogramming to restore vision in humans within the next two years.

• It was done by leaving the genetic code the same but changing the epigenetic code (the reader’s code).

  • Reverses the effects of X-differentiation.

  • But not entirely sure how the X-differentiation is done.

• Imagine a pill where we can reset the age of all our cells in the body.

Resetting the Aging Clock

• We might do it through genetic reprogramming, exosomes, or other methods.

• A treatment regiment is being tested right now by Dr. Grey Fhey.

  • Using HGH, DHEA, and Metformin, he could mitigate the harmful effects of GH.

  • After a year of this treatment, the age of these men went back 2.5 years.

• HGH can stimulate the thymus, but it can also have many adverse effects. But by negating the effects of HGH, he got a significant impact.

• Measuring the biological age via the Horvath or epigenetic clock is good, but it would be great to see the age of individual cells (tissues, muscles, nerves, etc).