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Doctors agree: people over 70 should prioritize 'healthy life expectancy' over 'life expectancy'
🇦🇷 Argentina /Health & Science

Doctors agree: people over 70 should prioritize 'healthy life expectancy' over 'life expectancy'

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Argentine scientists urge prioritizing healthy lifespan over mere longevity for individuals over 70.
  • Experts caution that NAD+ boosting treatments lack regulation and long-term studies, potentially carrying risks.
  • A healthy lifestyle, including diet, exercise, rest, and social connections, is considered key to longevity.

Argentine medical experts are advising individuals over 70 to focus on "healthy life expectancy" rather than simply extending their lifespan. While international celebrities promote NAD+ treatments for anti-aging, the scientific community remains cautious, emphasizing that the priority should be maintaining health and vitality.

The most prudent position today is to consider that the drop in NAD+ accompanies aging and possibly contributes to its effects, but there are no final conclusions on whether elevating it can reverse biological markers.

— Gabriel ÉrcoliGabriel Ércoli, a medical geneticist and director of Gempre Genómica, explains the scientific community's cautious stance on NAD+ treatments.

Gabriel Ércoli, a medical geneticist, notes that while NAD+ decline accompanies aging, there's no definitive proof that boosting it can reverse biological aging markers. He warns that current NAD+ treatments are unregulated and their long-term efficacy and safety are unproven. Overstimulating cellular processes could even have adverse effects, particularly in cancer patients, as tumor cells require high NAD+ levels for proliferation.

Mercedes Sidders, a functional medicine expert, echoes this sentiment, stating that NAD+ is a health marker, not a "longevity switch." She stresses that scientific evidence does not support NAD+ treatments extending human life. Instead, specialists agree that the true recipe for healthy longevity lies in "blue zones", regions known for inhabitants living past 100 with vitality. This longevity is attributed to lifestyle factors, not miracle supplements.

Restoring its levels can improve quality of life, but there is no genetic or clinical proof that it can extend human life.

— Mercedes SiddersMercedes Sidders, an expert in functional medicine, clarifies the role of NAD+ in health and longevity.

The consensus points to habits like a diet rich in real foods, natural movement, restorative rest, and strong social ties as paramount. For those over 70, maintaining healthy NAD+ levels can be naturally supported through a diet rich in vitamin B3, magnesium, and zinc, alongside practices like intermittent fasting and aligning meals with circadian rhythms. The medical community's stance is that a holistic, lifestyle-centered approach is the most prudent path to a longer, healthier life.

longevity is not a matter of miracle supplements, but of lifestyle and environment.

— Mercedes SiddersMercedes Sidders emphasizes the importance of lifestyle choices over supplements for a long and healthy life.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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