Medical Interventions (TRT, HGH, Stem Cells, Peptides, etc.)

“The future looks like this: we can keep our bodies healthy by eating right, doing physical exercise, taking the right medicine/supplements, and when that doesn’t work and things fail you can rebuild the body, replace cells, put in new organs and that way we’ll live many decades longer.” – David Sinclair
It’s important to have healthy levels (within normal) of testosterone and HGH but going overboard with supplementation could actually accelerate aging
“Abundance mimetics” like testosterone and HGH signal to the body that times are good which might be a short term gain but so far show no long term anti-aging benefit
Mimetics that induce adversity are likely to be more effective in the long run
New parents: look into cord blood banking – it’s worthwhile to have for your children later in life, particularly in the event of future childhood cancer
With most anti-aging treatments right now, we don’t know what we don’t know yet
In a small but promising study, a cocktail of growth hormone, DHEA, and metformin administered for 12 months set the biological clock back 2.5 years in a group of 52-year-old men

Testosterone levels decrease as we age
TRT has grown rapidly over the years and is used for sexual dysfunction, mental health, building muscle, fitness, vitality
Testosterone is an “abundance mimetic” meaning it tells the body times are good and it should build muscle, grow, reproduce
The body needs cycles where it’s in adversity mimetic (times are bad) and abundance mimetic (times are good)
Pros of TRT: improves aerobic capacity, improves libido, increase in skeletal muscle mass, increase in power
Risks of TRT: sleep apnea, larger breast tissue (testosterone can be converted into estrogen), bigger prostate, shrinking testicles, increase in risk of blood clots
“Just because something feels good today, and is beneficial to you today, does not mean it is addressing biological causes of aging.” – Matthew LaPlante
Abundance mimetics (TRT, HGH) make you feel great short term but are likely to cause problems in the long term
The best way to naturally increase testosterone levels: exercise, particularly resistance training of large muscles in the body (i.e., back, legs, posterior chain)

People supplement with HGH to compensate for decreased exercise capacity, decreased bone density, decreased muscle mass, decreased body fat
HGH is helpful short term but may have a big downside long term – higher risks of heart disease and cancer
Some of the immediate side effects of HGH are sore joints and carpal tunnel syndrome, insulin resistance, high cholesterol, edema
There are benefits to supplementation to keep HGH levels within normal range, but going too high has risks and could actually accelerate aging
The best way to naturally increase growth hormone levels: don’t eat too close to bedtime and rest through the night with a good night’s sleep

Peptides are made of strings of amino acids and used by cells to communicate with each other
Aging is partly a loss of cellular communication so on the surface it seems like peptide supplementation should be helpful
Most peptide supplements and hormones are using recombinant DNA technology
Peptide supplements are inexpensive to make, easy to use & relatively non-toxic
What to look for with peptide supplementation: boost of regenerative signaling, increased wound healing, lower blood sugar levels, increased mitochondrial activity
MOTS-C: a peptide that comes from mitochondrial DNA and has had good success in studies with lowering blood glucose levels and reducing fat in the body
Less is known about peptides than TRT or HGH so it’s difficult (if not impossible) to get in the U.S. until further studies are done
Risks of peptides: there seem to be immunological reactions like arthritis
Most benefits of peptides are anecdotal and under study

Exosome: vesicles that carry genetic information and proteins to cells throughout the body and create a path of communication between cells
Can be delivered by IV or injection
Exosomes are collected from blood and can be used to diagnose injury and disease
With exosomes, it’s very possible that in years to come that we’ll be able to have advanced notice of cancers without biopsy – just a blood test or finger prick at home
It’s possible that exosomes rejuvenate senescent cells and reverse state
Exosomes are highly validated but we don’t know about long term effects

Stem cells are cells that can divide asymmetrically to produce cells that go on to make tissues
Types of stem cells: multipotent, totipotent, pluripotent
Induced pluripotent cells can treat areas of the body where cells aren’t acting the way they’re meant to
Problem with pluripotent cells: they induce cancer because you’re taking the age of the cell back to zero and allowing it to grow
We can make new organs using induced pluripotent cells – but the problem is stem cells don’t always settle in the correct place and cause bigger problems
Instead of pluripotent cells, harvested stem cells (from the back or hips) are taken from the body, frozen down, and injected back in
Cons of stem cells use: stem cells age and undergo epigenetic changes that make them less able to regenerate new tissue
If you capture cells in your 20s or 30s, you can freeze them and the bank later for use as you age to replace old blood or assist with leukemia treatment
Harvested stem cells from younger donors injected into older patients showed improvements in distances patient is able to walk, reduction in cytokines, improved mental states, improved quality of life

In a small study, a cocktail of growth hormone, DHEA, and metformin administered for 12 months set the biological clock back 2.5 years in a group of 52-year-old men
Read more: Reversal Of Epigenetic Aging And Immunosenescent Trends In Humans by Fahy, Brooke, Watson, et.al.