A YOUNGER BODY

This is a companion piece to A Younger Brain from last March. That discussed how a nutrient called SAM-e (S-adenosyl-methionine) can actually youthen your brain. Now we’re going to talk about it can youthen your body.

The older you get, the more creaks and aches and tightness and soreness you get, particularly in connective tissue like cartilage. Our bodies aren’t designed to last as long as we live today, and these tissues wear out. Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, which is an auto-immune disease, osteoarthritis is a mechanical wearing away of joints, cartilage, and connective tissue.

I started taking the SAM-e regimen described in A Younger Brain for mental benefits. For some time, however, I was increasingly afflicted with sciatica and a variety of aching ailments. After about a month or so on the regimen, I noticed that the sciatica and ailments were gone. Gone as in completely vanished, gone as in I felt many years younger.

It turns out that just as SAM-e triggers stem cells in the brain to reproduce and differentiate into specific kinds of neurons, it does the same in joints and connective tissue. That trigger is called methylation. This is the chemical process controlling gene expression – turning genes on and off. Methylation is thus required to turn the genes on for stem cells to multiply, and most importantly, to morph into specific kinds of cells that can replace old body parts with brand new body parts.

SAM-e plays a critical part in the chemical pathway of methylation. It is involved in over 200 different chemical reactions taking place in the cells of our bodies. It is produced naturally – but our bodies become less efficient at producing it as we age. With less SAM-e, we age faster.

The obverse is with more SAM-e, the slower we age. More means supplemental. You need not only supplemental SAM-e, but additionally TMG (tri-methyl-glycine), the B-type vitamins folate, choline, and B12. This will greatly increase the effectiveness of SAM-e by itself..

By following the regimen described in A Younger Brain, I have not only ended up with a younger brain, but a younger pain and ache-free body. We’re all different, so it may not do this for you – but it is still something you might consider if being younger appeals to you.