How to Use Anti-Aging Supplements

Almost every system in our body slows down during the aging process. Our bones become more brittle and we lose muscle mass. Some of us find we have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a greater risk for diabetes and heart disease. Our memory may not be as sharp as it used to be. Anti-aging supplements can help retard some signs of aging through hormone therapy and nutritional supplementation.

Things You'll Need

• Prescriptions for hormone supplements
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin B
• Gingko Biloba
• Tomato-based foods
• Calcium supplements

Instructions

Slow Your Aging Body's Decline With Hormone Therapy

1. Visit your doctor to evaluate your hormone levels. He will order blood tests to check your levels of human growth hormone (hGH), testosterone, estrogen, DHEA and melatonin, among others. Supplements of all these hormones and more are available by prescription.

2. Use human growth hormone (hGH) to strengthen your immune system. Our levels of hGH drop as we age, leaving our immunity compromised. Taking hGH injections can help our immune systems fight off viruses and diseases.

3. Restore declining levels of DHEA, a steroid hormone that our adrenal gland makes. DHEA helps dependent hormones build muscle and maintain our libido. When used as an anti-aging drug, DHEA supplements can increase our stamina and put a spark back in our love lives as we grow older.

4. Use hormone therapy to lower cholesterol and the risk of heart diseases, two common side effects of age. In addition, the use of testosterone in men and estrogen in women can reduce bone density loss, which leads to osteoporosis.

5. Take melatonin supplements. When used as an anti-aging measure, this hormone can combat age-related insomnia and other sleep disorders.

Stay Nutritionally Fit as You Age With Supplements

1. Fit a variety of antioxidants into your diet to eliminate excess free radicals in your body. Free radicals are molecules that, when in overabundance, can lead to high cholesterol and high blood pressure in older people. Green tea, blueberries, strawberries and pomegranate juice and other foods high in vitamin E are excellent sources of antioxidants.

2. Get enough vitamin B in your diet in your later years. Vitamin B6, in particular, helps defend your body against factors that can cause heart disease and stroke.

3. Take gingko biloba to get benefits in many areas of aging. This herb is an antioxidant and can also prevent macular degeneration and impotence. Gingo biloba can maintain nerve function and cerebral vascular function that is linked to memory loss.

4. Indulge in pizza, spaghetti with tomato sauce and other foods high in lycopene. Lycopene is a free-radical fighter that we produce less of as we age. Other good sources of lycopene include watermelon, pink grapefruit, papaya and pink guava.

5. Maintain a healthy level of calcium in your diet to offset bone density loss. Milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy items provide us with calcium. Supplements are found at most drugstores or supermarkets if you cannot tolerate dairy.

Tips & Warnings

• Monitor the amount of grapefruit you eat if you are taking prescription medications. Some medicines, especially statin drugs for high cholesterol, become less effective when you consume large quantities of grapefruit products.