I personally am losing patience with the pace of release of products to fight or reverse aging. This is like swimming in molasses – really slow moving and expending tremendous energy (resources like money and more importantly time). The drawback for the Drug pathway is that the outcome is usually a patented molecule, never before seen by the human body, that modifies whatever receptor it land on, creating a self-addiction, and at the same time fraught with dose-dependent side effects. That may not be the case in the future, they may get smarter about interactions and dosing, but the primary direction is already set as the cornerstone of the drug industry – the policy of discovering and patenting molecules to optimizes profits by restricting market availability.
Supplements, on the other hand, notably use existing natural molecules or combinations thereof to enhance levels of known nutrients, with the aim of making up for deficiencies, or absorption, assimilation and utilization of natural food elements. It is a competitive pathway, and whether something works as advertised or is useless is usually public knowledge in short order. That which works is quickly copied and moves to the top of the food chain and is rapidly improved as market forces work to enhance sale/use.
The drug industry uses fear-based comparisons to compete with the supplement industry: focusing on impurity levels, lack of testing/research, casting doubt on effectivity and fear of overdosing. The reality of the situation is that drugs commonly kill around 100,000 people in an average year, while proven supplement deaths are virtually zero. They also will reimagine a supplement into a drug and then ordain that it can no longer be sold as a supplement: they recently formulated an inhalable version of NAC (N-Acetylcysteine), available as a supplement for ~60 years, and then declared that it is now a controlled substance. It is rapidly disappearing from the market – I hope someone sues the FDA soon to keep it available to the public.
Frank Wilhelmi – Retired/consultant electronic engineer researches and reports practical strategies for optimizing health and fitness into advanced age. “I have a passion for living life to the fullest, and helping others to do the same.” A rapidly growing body of knowledge now enables us to extend our health and fitness decades beyond popular expectations.