Simply put, it is the medicine of the 21st Century. More specifically, it is a medical specialty with the goal of improving the quality of life and longevity of the individual. Because of the explosion of scientific and medical advances, there are techniques being used to improve the quality of life and reverse signs of aging and chronic diseases. These techniques involve hormone replacement, dietary interventions, nutritional supplementation, use of specific anti-aging medications, anti-oxidants, treatment of chronic diseases at the root, exercise programs. There are simple, inexpensive programs which certainly can be helpful, and there are comprehensive, physician-supervised programs which, while expensive, can have profound effects on the apparent age of an individual, and I believe, an individual's longevity.
Most authorities believe that currently the genetic structure allows lifespans up to 120 years old, plus or minus a decade. Anti-aging physicians believe that by using techniques to keep the individual's body and brain at 40 to 50 years old, biologically speaking, that that 120 year old genetic potential can be realized. With the advent of genetic anti-aging therapies projected in the next 10 to 20 years, if one can maintain one's condition for the next 30 years, a much longer healthy lifespan may be possible.
Resveratrol is a component of red wine which has been linked to longevity. A recent study, by Sirtis Pharmaceuticals and University Lous Pasteur found that resveratrol protects mice against diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance, and boosts their endurance by a factor of two! Resveratrol treated mice also had larger mitochondria, the cellular energy centers found in all cells. These changes were associated with activation of the SIRT1 gene. The study by Lagouge et al, “Resveratrol improves mitochondrial function and protects against metabolic disease by activating SIRT1 and PGC-1α,” was published in November 2006 in the journal Cell. The mice were fed the amount of resveratrol equivalent to that in 10,000 glasses of red wine. You cannot get enough resveratrol by drinking red wine!
Growth Hormone administration has many physiological effects in growth hormone deficient individuals. A recent review of the literature on growth hormone and cardiovascular effects concluded that: " The relevance of the beneficial effects of GH on the cardiovascular system is strongly suggested but not fully proved." The review, authored by Burger et al, was published in the Nov/Dec volume of the journal Endocrine Practice. It found that typically, GH treatment reduces visceral fat and increases muscle mass, cardiac performance is improved, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels decrease by 10% to 20%, and inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein decline.