From plain water to compound found in sperm – we test products that claim they can extend life
LIFE expectancy in the UK has dropped down the world rankings, latest figures reveal.
Only America now fares worse than us among the advanced economies.
Seven decades ago, we had one of the longest life expectancies but in March this year the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine revealed we are ranked 36th in the global standings.
Jane Atkinson looks at products that claim they can help us all live a little bit longer . . .
Coffee
UDA is a coffee formula backed by Oxford and Harvard scientists, which helps extend wellbeing for longer.
Its ethos is about living as healthily as possible, with ingredients to enhance metabolism, boost immunity, tackle stress and help resilience.
It includes NMN, which can suppress age-associated weight gain, alpha-ketoglutarate that enhances bone tissue formation, and ashwagandha to calm the brain, lower blood pressure and alter the immune system.
Plus there is curcumin, which is great for helping inflammatory conditions.
These amazing ingredients are mixed in with 5,300mg of barista-style coffee.
This is bitter but if you like strong coffee, care about your health and can stomach the price, this is worth a go.
From £35.10 for a month’s supply, uda.com.
Spermidine
YES, you heard that right.
Spermidine is a naturally occurring polyamine (synthesised from two amino acids) that is involved in multiple biological processes, including DNA metabolism, autophagy (your body’s process of reusing old and damaged cell parts) and ageing.
And, as the name suggests, it was originally found in semen.
TV presenter and recent I’m A Celebrity contestant Carol Vorderman swears by the anti-ageing ingredient.
You can source it from aged cheddar cheese, mushrooms, mangos or supplements.
Youth & Earth’s spermidine originates from buckwheat sprouts – the highest concentration of spermidine found in any food source.
But it is gluten-free.
One month’s supply is on offer for £37.49, youthandearth.com.
Water
PLAIN old water can work wonders.
According to a National Institutes of Health study, published in January in the journal eBioMedicine, adults who are well-hydrated tend to live longer and they have healthier lives too, with fewer chronic conditions, including heart and lung disease, than those who don’t.
But just one in four of us drinks enough water.
We should be aiming to drink two litres (roughly 3½ pints) every day.
The bottom line is your urine should be straw-coloured.
If it isn’t, you need to get guzzling.
The great news – water is free.
And although you can get liquids from other drinks or food, plain old water, or fizzy water, are the best sources.