Homocysteine

If we have a genetic tendency to an increased level of homocysteine (a kind of fatty acid which we can have too much of), this is indicative of other health risks, for example dementia or multiple sclerosis. So if we know we have an elevated homocysteine level, we should keep monitoring it in order to forestall more serious diseases. That’s because homocysteine is inflammatory and is capable of causing inflammation at the neurological level. Prevention means identifying the gene and, if the bad gene variant is actually present, then regularly measuring the homocysteine. If homocysteine levels are elevated, then use vitamin B complexes in certain quantities to reduce the homocysteine.

Vitamin E

By taking additional vitamins, we can slow the aging process. The problem is, if you do your own research into vitamins, you will eventually come across discussions about the so-called “Vitamin Myth”. And you will even read claims that vitamins can be counter-productive. As so often, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Vitamin E, for example, often comes in for criticism. To some extent, this is justified. The intake of vitamin E – which cardiologists have been recommending for many years now – has tended to aggravate coronary health rather than alleviating it.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant which has a strong effect on the formation of free radicals and can significantly strengthen our immune system. In this respect, vitamin E has been repeatedly recommended for its capacity to strengthen our immune system as a whole. The problem is that the latest research suggests vitamin E has side-effects which virtually cancel out the benefits, and for this reason, the intake of vitamin E is no longer recommended. However, there are people who benefit considerably from vitamin E. Here too, it is very much a matter of individual genetics. Tailored to the individual’s genetic makeup, it can reduce the risk of heart attack by 50%.

Hormone D3 (Vitamin D)

We should always monitor our vitamin D balance because, according to modern research into aging, humans can nowadays live as long as 115 years. But prolongation of life is not always synonymous with quality of life. Increased life expectancy has meant that the incidence of age-related diseases such as osteoporosis has increased significantly. This disease, in which bone mass and density decrease, has now reached epidemic proportions. This where vitamin D (which is actually a hormone because we make it ourselves) plays a really big role.

Vitamin D is produced with the aid of sunlight on our skin, a process called synthesis . If we have a genetic weakness in this respect and suffer from vitamin D deficiency – something that can be measured – we need to take supplements of this vitamin. Very little of it is present in the food we eat, which means we need to consume it in the form of a vitamin capsule. In addition to preventing osteoporosis, vitamin D also gives protection against cancer. Cancer patients are nowadays treated with very high doses of vitamin D supplements. A person who has a good vitamin D level also enjoys good protection against breast, colon and prostate cancer. And on top of all this, it is one of the vitamins that contribute significantly to boosting the immune system.

Vitamin D

If you have a genetic predisposition to produce little vitamin D via your own skin, then you should always monitor your vitamin D balance and have it regularly checked. It is very important to know your own genetic predisposition: vegetarians, bedridden patients and growing babies need twice as much vitamin D as adults (especially those with a darker complexion).

Furthermore, the ability of the body to produce vitamin D decreases with age, hence there is an increasing susceptibility to osteoporosis. Certain illnesses will also cause a decrease in production, for example thyroid deficiency or Crohn’s disease, or if you are taking cortisone preparations on a regular basis. You should then do the following: Step 1 – take a genetic test; Step 2 – measure your Vitamin D level; Step 3 – take vitamin D supplements as necessary.

Vitamins #2

In deciding on the right amount of vitamin supplementation, the following questions need to be answered: Which vitamins? And what are vitamins anyway? Vitamins are essential micronutrients. “Essential” means that we cannot produce them ourselves. Only a handful of vitamins and minerals are classified as essential. The system of classification and the recommended quantities still represent the state of research in the late 20th century, i.e. quite some time ago.

Nowadays, highly accurate measurement techniques allow a much more nuanced profile to be drawn. And there are more and more “supersubs” from the bench that turn out to be star players. For example, the Omega 3 fatty acids, or lipoic acid... These are important “vitamins” which do not technically qualify as such. They even partially influence genetic features and repair processes within human cells; a suboptimal intake of these nutrients can increase the extent of DNA damage – a marker and a reference point for degeneration, cellular aging and cancer.

So the message is clear: it is not only what we normally refer to as vitamins that are important, but also a variety of other micronutrients.

Vitamins #1

There is a slight problem with the minimum recommended dose of vitamins, i.e. enough to ward off disease. This classification developed in the first half of the twentieth century has been criticized by scientists, because it quickly became clear that the role of nutrients in the body is incredibly varied and in any case is not confined to preventing diseases cause by vitamin deficiency. An analogy might be to suggest that the job of water is to prevent kidney failure on the basis that this condition arises when the body is deprived of fluid.

Conversely, no one would argue that we should drink only enough water to prevent kidney failure. Yet the so-called “minimum recommended dose” of vitamins, as defined for example by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (German Association for Nutrition), is still based on such minimum quantities. In other words, on dosage recommendations that can at most help prevent advanced deficiency symptoms. The physiological optimum intake of vitamins is, in some cases, ten times higher than the minimum recommended dose for the prevention of diseases caused by deficiency.

Hormonal balance

Another important factor in our lives is hormonal balance. By this we mean that we carry on producing hormones as we age. Sex hormones are of course an important part of this: estrogen in women, testosterone in men. They not only keep us young and vital but also healthy. There are various approaches that have been tried out in recent decades, namely the controversial hormone replacement therapies. As so often in life, both sides of the debate are right to a certain extent, in this case the proponents and opponents of hormone replacement.

Hypothyroidism is a case in point: we take thyroid hormones without hesitation. Or in the case of the female contraceptive, hormones are taken over a period of many years. It is only when it comes to slowing the aging process that criticism is voiced, and even the term “hormone” has bad associations. And to some extent with justification, because – and this is how things stand today – hormones should only be taken if you know your genetic predisposition and are able to assess the risk of getting breast cancer. Hormones should not be produced synthetically; they should be derived from plants in moderate amounts sufficient to stimulate the individual’s own hormone production.