1. Hyaluronic Acid
While you may already use hyaluronic acid serums topically, you should know that this substance also has beneficial anti-aging properties when you ingest it orally. Before you jump to a decision and buy some hyaluronic acid capsules, however, you should know that manufacturers sometimes derive this substance unethically. To make sure that the hyaluronic acid you purchase hasn't harmed any animals, ensure that the ingredients label lists it as "botanical hyaluronic acid."
Hyaluronic acid is naturally occurring in the human body, and it helps lubricate your joints and eye sockets. It's also abundantly present in your skin where it serves the purpose of keeping your skin tissues plump and moist. If you're experiencing common effects of aging like sagging or dry skin, you might want to give hyaluronic acid supplements a shot. Unless you have an immediate bad reaction, try them out for about four weeks before you assess your results.
2. High-Vitamin Cod Liver Oil
Many sources tout the benefits of adding fish oil to your diet. This substance is rife with omega fatty acids, which are crucial to your cardiovascular health. If you're already going so far as to try out fish oil, you might as well give high-vitamin cod liver oil a shot.This supplement contains high concentrations of vitamins A and D, and it has a number of anti-aging benefits. For one, it reduces chronic inflammation, which if left unabated would wreak havoc on your body's cellular integrity. It also improves your bone strength, and we all know that your bones are one of the first parts of your body to start degrading as you age. Best of all, incorporating this supplement into your daily routine can also reduce joint pain and help you with the symptoms of arthritis.
As if all of that weren't enough, this amazing substance reduces your risk of heart disease, improves your mental health, and helps your gut heal from ulcers. Some people swear by cod liver oil that's fermented, but we'll leave it up to you to decide which type of this substance is best for your needs.
3. Resveratrol
Proponents of resveratrol have long touted this substance as an anti-aging miracle cure. Since red wine contains resveratrol, some people may have gotten the wrong idea and upped their alcohol consumption in a misguided attempt to derive the benefits of this substance. Resveratrol is also available in capsule form, and many people take a resveratrol supplement every day to stave off the effects of aging.
Since so many people swear by the effects of this substance that supposedly reduces your risk of cancer and stroke while simultaneously boosting your cell production, it's definitely worth giving resveratrol a shot. However, this substance has come under fire in recent years due to a number of potentially harmful effects that were previously overlooked. For instance, resveratrol is an estrogen mimicker, which means that it might be bad for men. Also, while many experts regard resveratrol as an anti-inflammatory, some people experience increased joint pain when they use this supplement. Due to its immense popularity and potential, I decided to include this substance in my list, but you should take it with a grain of salt.
4. Coenzyme Q10
As you age, levels of a naturally occurring enzyme called coenzyme Q10 (or coQ10 for short) decrease in your body. Among other benefits, coQ10 keeps your blood from clotting when it shouldn't, which reduces the potential that you'll experience a heart attack or other cardiovascular conditions. This enzyme is also critical to the health of your hair, skin, and nails, and you can take this substance in the form of a daily supplement.A wide body of scientific evidence supports the proposition that coQ10 is a potent antioxidant. It reduces the concentration of pesky atoms called free radicals in your system, which helps your body maintain homeostasis and repair itself. Aging culminates in death when your body is no longer capable of repairing itself, so consuming plenty of antioxidants like coenzyme Q10 is one of the best ways that you can ensure your longevity without having to resort to potentially dangerous treatments and synthetic drugs.
5. Carnitine
Carnitine, which is sometimes referred to by its full scientific names D-carnitine and L-carnitine, is a natural substance that most mammals use in their cell metabolism. The FDA has approved this substance for use in situations of low energy or heart muscle weakness, but it has also gained acclaim as a potential anti-aging wonder drug.According to some research, L-carnitine may reverse the effects of aging on your heart. If true, this revelation would explain why doctors have enjoyed such great success in using this substance for congestive heart failure. Carnitine also has beneficial effects on your brain health, which means that it can help reverse age-related neurological conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. It appears that carnitine can even regenerate your brain tissue, so taking a daily carnitine supplement might be one of the best things that you can do to keep the symptoms of aging at bay.
6. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the most powerful natural antioxidants known to man. This substance is widely represented in nature; all citrus fruits contain high levels of vitamin C, and this substance is also present in many vegetables. Therefore, you may not need to take a vitamin C supplement to benefit from its anti-aging effects, but you'll definitely want to up your dietary vitamin C intake to the fullest extent possible.
In addition to providing antioxidants, vitamin C also promotes hair growth, heals your skin, and improves your blood flow. Best of all, the human body tolerates vitamin C well, and allergies to this substance are rare.
7. Turmeric
Scholars and practitioners of medicine have touted the anti-aging benefits of turmeric for centuries. This all-natural root contains high concentrations of a substance called curcumin, and researchers believe that this simple compound could achieve miracles from fighting cancer to curing heart disease. Why does curcumin work so well in the task of protecting your body against disease? Because it is a potent anti-inflammatory.
The number of scientists who believe that inflammation is the underlying cause of all disease continues to grow and grow. If this theory holds water, then reducing inflammation to nothing could make you practically immortal since your body would be able to repair itself infinitely. While we haven't yet figured out a way to entirely eliminate inflammation, ingesting substances like turmeric is a win-win all around; turmeric is inherently benign, and eating this simple root may be one of the best anti-aging tactics that you can employ.
8. Lysine
Lysine is an amino acid that is a vital part of the construction of new cells in your body, but your body doesn't produce it, which means that it is an essential amino acid. Ideally, you'd get all of the lysine you need from the food you eat, but you might want to take a lysine supplement if you're worried that you aren't eating enough of this potentially age-defying amino.This amino acid helps your body build a number of different proteins, and among these proteins are elastin and collagen. These two proteins are responsible for your skin's youthful appearance; elastin makes your skin taut and firm, and collagen makes it plump and thick. If this function was the only way in which lysine defies aging, that would be enough, but it also appears that this amazing amino acid also supports the production of human growth hormone (HGH), which is essential to your body's production of new cells.
9. Hesperidin
Hesperidin is an anti-aging supplement that has a very specific effect. While many of the other supplements on this list improve your body's overall health, hesperidin works on one of the woes with which aging people are most familiar: enlarged, purple veins. These types of veins are sometimes called varicose veins, and hesperidin treats this unsightly condition by tightening up the structure of your veins and arteries.This substance also decreases inflammation in your veins, which improves your circulatory function. When you decrease vein inflammation, your heart doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood throughout your body, so taking hesperidin may also indirectly decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease.
10. Idebenone
Idebenone is a powerful antioxidant. It protects your skin from environmental damage, and it also reduces the appearance of wrinkles. According to some research, idebenone is more potent than vitamin C, coQ10, and a number of other anti-aging supplements. This substance is highly water soluble, and the human body generally tolerates it well.Interestingly, idebenone is apparently less effective when it is used topically with sunscreen. That's all the more reason to take this topical orally, and using idebenone may also make you rethink your decision to use sunscreen in the first place. While you should definitely defend your skin from UV rays, many sunscreens contain toxic ingredients like parabens that may do more harm than good.
In some rare cases, people have contracted mild contact dermatitis from using idebenone. That's all the more reason why you should ingest this substance orally instead of applying it topically.
11. L-cysteine
L-cysteine is naturally occurring in eggs, meat, and other dairy products, and it is an essential amino acid, which means that it is vital to human health. You can also derive l-cysteine from a number of grains and vegetables, but when you take it in supplement form, you guarantee that you're getting the levels of this substance that you need to survive and thrive.
The primary way in which l-cysteine prevents the effects of aging is through its action as an antioxidant. Antioxidants like l-cysteine protect your cells from damage, which helps them live longer and reproduce more effectively. If you have an l-cysteine deficiency, you should definitely take a supplement that contains this substance. Signs of l-cysteine deficiency include brittle nails, excessive scar tissue, and acne. Before you try l-cysteine, however, you should note that this substance does occasionally cause side effects.
12. Magnesium
Magnesium plays a role in practically every biological process in the human body, and it is also one of the best tools that you can have at your disposal as you fight the aging process. If you have a magnesium deficiency, you're more likely to develop osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer. While you can introduce magnesium into your body by taking Epsom salt baths or eating magnesium-rich foods, you might also want to try magnesium supplements.One of the ways that magnesium deficiency provokes the aging process has to do with the tiny chemical factories in your cells called mitochondria. If you don't have enough magnesium in your body, your mitochondria will calcify, and your cells won't be able to reproduce effectively. Therefore, taking a magnesium supplement can help your body make new cells, which is the key to staying young.