By chance, I came across a couple of interesting booths at the most recent A4M (anti-aging medicine) conference in Orlando a few months ago that I believe is worth sharing with you and will change your life.
These booths were claiming to increase your mitochondrial health with the use of Carnosine supplements and other antioxidants and co-factors like Coenzyme Q10.
I splurged and bought a few bottles of Carnosine and have been religiously taking it over the past 3 months.
Interestingly, my average resting HR on my Oura ring has lowered from about 58 to 52 in that same time period. (Read more about the Oura Ring in my blog post) Not that this proves anything but I can’t find anything else I changed apart from spring arriving and with it more sunlight exposure.
So I did a quick google search on Carnosine and impressively there seems to be some good research on its positive effects on our health.
What is Carnosine?
First the basics, Carnosine is 2 amino acids (histidine and beta-alanine) joined together to form a dipeptide. It is found primarily in meat and thus vegetarians can have relatively low levels of this peptide.
Positive Effects on Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Cataracts…
Early studies showed that Carnosine acts to lower the protein-associated advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs). These AGEs are seen in chronic diseases such as diabetes, and Alzheimer’s (that cause damage to our metabolic processes).
Alzheimer’s disease – is neuropathology that involves the formation of senile plaques primarily composed by amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), and neurofibrillary tangles mainly composed of hyperphosphorylated tau (τ) protein in the brain. These formations appear to be inhibited by Carnosine.
Apart from the above, It is still mostly unknown what the exact mechanisms are for the widespread protective health effects of Carnosine on our body. But research is pointing to the beneficial effects on our mitochondria – thus slowing down aging.
After a few months of taking a reputable Carnosine supplement (total of 250mg in the morning) and seeing the strong research, I’ve become a believer. I have implemented it within my morning supplement routine.
Couple of things to keep in mind if you are going to start supplementing:
- Carnivores do obtain Carnosine from their diet so the health benefits of supplementation may not be as pronounced as someone who is a vegetarian/vegan
- Oral absorption of Carnosine may vary according to the type of supplement. I am using a company called Carnomed which claims that their supplement has been shown to be absorbed through the gut.
