Which supplements does Longevity Expert Dr David Sinclair take?
If you aren’t already familiar with Dr David Sinclair, you should be. A professor at Harvard University, he has been studying ageing for the better part of his academic career and is widely regarded as one of the leading experts on longevity.
Dr. Sinclair’s main research interest is the epigenetics of ageing, with a focus on epigenetic reprogramming of ageing (for instance, reversing ageing), NAD+ metabolism and sirtuins, and NAD+ precursors like NR and NMN.
He gained international repute for his published New York Times best-selling book on ageing, “Lifespan: Why We Age – And Why We Don’t Have To”, where he dives deep into the subject of longevity.
Given that he is a specialist in the topic, it makes sense to find out what supplements the man himself takes in order to live a healthier and longer life. A recent Lifespan podcast that the soon-to-be 53-year-old (who looks at least a decade younger) reveals a comprehensive list of supplements that he takes. To this list, we added other supplements that he has been known to take as described previously in his book. (We are uncertain if he continues to take those.)
It is helpful to keep in mind that to date, Dr Sinclair has made a point to not promote or endorse any specific supplement products, though he does reiterate the importance of consuming certain supplements with food or oils. He also often recommends taking them in the morning, because this coincides with the natural rise in NAD and Sirt-1 activity.
1. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) — 1000 mg per day (in the morning, taken with food)
NMN has been shown to slow down many aspects of ageing in animal studies. NMN is a precursor to NAD+, an important metabolic molecule that many proteins need to properly carry out their function, like protecting and repairing our DNA and epigenome. 1000 mg is a high dose of NMN — most experts would say that 250 to 500 mg is also sufficient to benefit from NMN’s health and longevity promoting effects.
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2. Resveratrol — 1000 mg per day (in the morning, taken with yogurt or olive oil)
Resveratrol is a stilbenoid found in the skin of grapes in low amounts. Studies have shown that resveratrol can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and neurodegeneration. Dr Sinclair believes that resveratrol works synergistically with NMN. Resveratrol is needed to activate the sirtuin genes (which protect our DNA and epigenome), while NMN is needed to fuel the sirtuins.
The Grape - Resveratrol
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3. Quercetin — 500 mg (in the morning, taken with yogurt or olive oil)
Quercetin is a flavonoid, a substance that gives colour to plants. Quercetin targets the important Hallmark of Ageing of cellular senescence. Senescent cells are cells that are not dead, but have stopped dividing. That’s why they are also referred to as zombie cells. Quercetin clears senescent cells and lowers inflammation caused by these zombie cells.
The Zombie - Quercetin
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4. Fisetin — 500 mg (in the morning, taken with yogurt or olive oil)
Fisetin is a flavonol molecule similar to those found in dark chocolate and cacao, and is found in tiny amounts in certain fruits and vegetables. Consistent with other flavonoids sources like quercetin and resveratrol, fisetin exerts a myriad of beneficial effects. For instance, it helps brain cells start to produce proteins that are critical to brain cell structure and function, especially at the communication junctions known as synapses between the cells. It also reduces various markers of inflammation.
5. Metformin (prescription drug) —800 mg per day (in the evening with dinner)
Metformin has shown to extend lifespan in various organisms, including mammals. In humans, we see that diabetics taking metformin actually live longer than healthy non-diabetics who obviously don’t take metformin. Taking metformin can, however, have side effects. In the short-term, metformin can cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal discomfort, which often subsides after a few weeks. In the long-term, metformin can reduce the uptake of vitamin B12.
6. Vitamin D3
Vitamin D can extend lifespan, at least in simple organisms. Vitamin D can reduce the risk of various ageing-related diseases, and Vitamin D deficiency in humans has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases and Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamin D also activates many genes that confer important health benefits. Most vitamin D experts advise to take at least 2000 IU per day, and to get your vitamin D levels checked at least every year.
7. Vitamin K2
Vitamin K is important not just for bone health, but also vascular and mitochondrial health. Vitamin K also improves skin appearance. If you take vitamin D, you ideally also combine it with vitamin K2 (MK-7 is the best form), as the two vitamins work synergistically.
8. Low-dose aspirin – 83 mg per day
A low dose aspirin could reduce inflammation, reduce the risk of heart attacks, and perhaps the risk of cancer. However, a recent large study that involved almost 20,000 participants and that lasted 4.7 years showed that a low dose of aspirin did not reduce cardiovascular disease and did not improve survival. In fact, it even showed that it could actually increase cancer risk somewhat (R), despite many other studies showing that aspirin could have health and longevity benefits.
9. Alpha lipoic Acid
Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a strong antioxidant. There has been a bit of a hype around ALA, especially combined with acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR), to slow down ageing. However, alpha lipoic acid is a strong antioxidant, and scientists have learned that antioxidants could actually accelerate ageing.
8. Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant that improves mitochondrial functioning. There is insufficient scientific evidence (at least in well-conducted studies with the right disease model mice) that coenzyme Q10 can extend lifespan. Also, coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant. In recent years, scientists have learned that antioxidants can actually accelerate ageing (for reasons described here).
11. Spermidine — 1000 mg (in the morning)
Spermidine is found in fresh green pepper, wheat germ, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, and a variety of cheeses. Spermidine can prevent liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma which are one of the most common causes of liver cancer. It is commonly used in supplements which, when taken, regularly, can have a significant impact on longevity.
- For Youth
