#22

Please be cautious. Also nothing can be solidly built on a belief and instead it is all science.Out of medications you taking Rapamycin is quite powerful and even though it may not improve memory, and frankly nothing can, it appears that there is some evidence in rodents that it can at least slow down decline. With respect of Ginko Biloba, there’s no conclusive evidence that ginkgo is helpful for any health condition. Although some studies suggest that ginkgo may help to slightly improve some symptoms of dementia, the findings have been described as unreliable. it has potential side effects that may include headache, stomach upset, dizziness, palpitations, constipation, and allergic skin reactions. If you have a known bleeding risk, you should be cautious about ginkgo possibly increasing your risk of bleeding. So net present value of Ginko is in my opinion negative. Out of the other supplements you mention only fish oil in moderate amounts is worth supplementing and I would be a bit cautious about berberine as well.

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#23

That may be true for a young and healthy individual, but it is not a true statement for the elderly.

"Many interventions and drugs have been shown to improve memory in the elderly.
Cognitive Enhancers
Cognitive enhancers, also known as nootropics, have shown potential in improving memory and cognitive function in older adults:

Donepezil

Demonstrated improvement in cognition as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ([1])
May be particularly effective for moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment ([1])
Memantine

Showed benefits when used in combination with donepezil ([1])
Potentially effective for moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment ([1])
Rivastigmine

Transdermal rivastigmine showed cognitive improvements ([1])
Oral rivastigmine demonstrated effectiveness when adjusted for baseline MMSE scores and comorbidities ([1])
Galantamine

Improved cognition as measured by the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale"

Comparative safety and efficacy of cognitive enhancers for Alzheimer’s dementia: a systematic review with individual patient data network meta-analysis. (BMJ open, 2022)
Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Cognitive Enhancers for Treating Alzheimer’s Disease: Systematic Review and Network Metaanalysis. (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2018)
Cognitive Tele-Enhancement in Healthy Older Adults and Subjects With Subjective Memory Complaints: A Review. (Frontiers in neurology, 2021)
Strategies to Promote Cognitive Health in Aging: Recent Evidence and Innovations. (Current psychiatry reports, 2022)
Does the combination of exercise and cognitive training improve working memory in older adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis. (PeerJ, 2023)
Cognitive Improvement with Glutathione Supplement in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Way Forward. (Journal of Alzheimer’s disease : JAD, 2019)
Small molecule cognitive enhancer reverses age-related memory decline in mice. (eLif

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#24

There is no current medication that can stop, slow down or reverse dementia, some can temporarily help a person with their memory and thinking. Further, these treatments are only effective for people with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease dementia, and mixed dementia involving any of these types.There aren’t yet any medications that improve the symptoms of vascular dementia or frontotemporal dementia. Moreover, for the subset of people who these medications can help only about one out of ten people will show a improvement in their memory and thinking, about one out of ten people will experience unpleasant side effects and around eight out of ten people will feel no noticeable difference. Hence, my statement that there is no memory rejuvenation (= permanent and not temporary) I believe still holds.

#25

The subject you originally introduced is memory improvement. There are things that can help with that. Period. Your statement was not correct.

As for the new issue you raised, halting or reversing dementia, there are some compounds that show promise but you are correct for now in saying there is nothing that can accomplish this.

But More importantly, there is an abundance of things we can do to reduce the odds of having dementia. Some chemical, some lifestyle. This topic is what I think most of us are discussing.

As for being careful, it is an admonition that by itself is always generally applicable, but not very useful in specific. Most of these supplements are pretty mild in small doses and can be taken on a trial basis with minimal risk. What being careful can usefully mean is balancing risk and reward and being honest with oneself about outcomes.

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#26

Healthy looking man you are! Keep on with the good choices. It shows.

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#27

Thanks so much. I just finished my first strength training workout in a month. Of course, the last month has been very full of yard work, which in August in North Carolina burns more calories than any gym circuit training can! I also installed and am in final phases of adjusting 250 pounds of astronomy equipment in the back yard observatory. I keep busy and keep looking up!

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#28

Physical work is the best workout, no doubt about it. It makes you use all your muscle groups and builds endurance while building strength.

As an aside, I think it is kind of annoying that my Apple watch does not have a “physical work” setting for the fitness app. It is a lot better for you than a brisk walk. Kind of silly.

#29

When I do physical work I set my app to Functional Strength Training. I agree that it’s the best workout.

1 Like
#30

Makes sense! Thanks.

#31

This is my 72-year old “boyfriend” on his third set (of 4) of 10 chin-ups :heart:

He did a triathalon last year. His secret? Decades of yoga,cardio, strength training, and calorie restriction. More recently, minoxidil + a few dietary supplements, including nitric oxide. He’s just started rapamycin.

He’ll be 73 in December.

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#32

Great post Bridget - Excellent full range of motion with his pull-ups. That’s how it’s done folks!

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#33

me
me1631×3088 427 KB

50 years and 8 months old on this pic.

I didn’t start using any facial products like tretinoin until 2 years ago just after I turned 49 and freaked out a bit. Thankfully I never liked sun very much and used sunscreen.
I started titrating up rapamycin slowly this year and I’m finally up to about 6 mg a week…
Finasteride and topical minoxidil seems to keep my hair from thinning.
Experimenting with various diets over past 25 years - from Atkins, South Beach (back in a day), keto, IF, TRE, lately finding that modified Blue Zone diet seems to works best for me.
Athlete in high school (soccer, basketball), no so much in my 20s but became high level amateur cyclist in my late 30’s, recently trying to diversify more by spending time lifting, yoga, running, cycling etc. (pic taken in the gym bathroom :wink:
Never smoked, but drunk way too much in my 20’s and 30’s.

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#34

You look mid-late 30s. Good work!

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#35

Excellent results! Look min 20 years younger.

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#36

Dr. Bart looks great! He’s right at the age when women’s faces begin to age much faster than men’s, due to menopause:

A 2019 study in the Amer. Journal of Physical Anthropology found that:

“Age-related facial shape change was similar in both sexes until around age 50, at which time the female aging trajectory turned sharply. The overall magnitude of facial shape change (aging rate) was higher in women than men, especially in early postmenopause. Aging was generally associated with a flatter face, sagged soft tissue (“broken” jawline), deeper nasolabial folds, smaller visible areas of the eyes, thinner lips, and longer nose and ears. In postmenopausal women, facial aging was best predicted by the years since last menstruation and mainly attributable to bone resorption in the mandible.” (Facial aging trajectories: A common shape pattern in male and female faces is disrupted after menopause - PubMed)

Mikhail V. Blagosklonny’s 2010 article
“Why men age faster but reproduce longer than women: mTOR and evolutionary perspectives” offers soe interesting theories about gender differences in aging and longevity:

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#37

JKPrime wrote: Rapamycin is quite powerful and even though it may not improve memory, and frankly nothing can, it appears that there is some evidence in rodents that it can at least slow down decline.

Gotta beg to differ with you buddy. At almost 67 years old, my memory has improved significantly since being on rapamycin .There is no doubt about it sharpening my focus… vocabulary, improving daily.

It really does help unfog and take you back to early memories, names and things where I used to hesitate to remember - now come through easily. I take no other mental health or memory enhancement drug.

True. You have to start losing your quick thinking… and memory, or your ability to pull thoughts and not hesitate to understand when that goes away. And… then to be relieved, when memory and recall all comes back.

Definitely know that rapamycin is a memory enhancement and improvement.That’s my N=1. This is qualitative… but real.

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#38

Looks like staying away from the sun and wearing sunscreen worked. I do the same + sunglasses, hat, hoodie, and long pants, anytime I go out. Likewise my face and body look and perform a few decades younger than my chrono age. Sometimes I get strange comments like aren’t you hot. Then I explain to folks that wearing loose protective clothing is the best way to keep cool during the summer. I find many people really clueless about basics of taking proper care of their bodies

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#39

Glad to see that Rapa is working for you. We are of similar age with you being a couple of years older. Myself I haven’t seen any impact of Rapa on my memory and I have been taking 10 mg once a week for the last 5 years. That said I haven’t experienced any of the memory issues that you describe to start with.

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#40

I have vitiligo that pretty much involved my full face (you can see the borders on my lateral, upper neck) so now I have to be religious with my daily sunscreen - even though paradoxically those with vitiligo have less chance of skin cancer.
The vitiligo did even out the color by getting rid off any hyperpigmentation issues on my face, in essence making it look lighter, which makes it look less aged. There is a reason why so many “anti-aging” facial creams have agents that “lighten” the skin.
I got really lucky by getting this particular auto-immune disease and not something more sinister.

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#41

Sounds like you indeed got lucky here. Also it looks like it hasn’t affected your hair. Either way vitiligo is in fashion and there are dark skinned supermodels with it.

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