{"id":188,"date":"2013-12-20T17:45:28","date_gmt":"2013-12-20T17:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshmitteldorf.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=188"},"modified":"2013-12-21T22:28:12","modified_gmt":"2013-12-21T22:28:12","slug":"anti-aging-anti-depressants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2013\/12\/20\/anti-aging-anti-depressants\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-aging Anti-depressants"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some anti-depressant herbs and medications have anti-aging properties. \u00a0Is this a win-win happenstance, or time to step back and look at goals?<\/em><\/p>\n

As a teacher, I\u2019ve been learning
\nYou\u2019ll forgive me if I boast
\nBut I\u2019ve now become an expert
\nOn the subject I like most
\n– Oscar Hammerstein<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Writing this blog is an ongoing opportunity for me to clarify my thought, and to dig into the literature, to assess just how strong or weak is the empirical basis for my beliefs about health, longevity and evolution. \u00a0This week, for personal reasons, I want to take a second look<\/a> at L-Deprenyl.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Personal confession<\/strong><\/p>\n

All my life I have been afraid of death, and connected to that, at least in my own scheme, has been a horror of drugs that affect the central nervous system. \u00a0I think that as a small child, I must have imagined my mind as a true and objective mirror of the world around me, and what I feared was distortions of that mirror. \u00a0I was a pre-schooler when I heard about addiction*, and the idea gave me nightmares. \u00a0The aversion began with a fear that chemicals could steal from me my identity, my will, my soul, my consciousness, my sense of self \u2013 ideas both primally child-like and deeply philosophical, that wove themselves through my young mind, before I had a vocabulary or an appropriate context in which to explore them.<\/p>\n

And so I grew into adolescence with an aversion to caffeine and alcohol and I had no attraction to cannabis or psychedelics, even as they became emblems of the \u201cpeace and love\u201d generation with which, in other ways, I identified quite powerfully.**<\/p>\n

Later on, my generation switched to SSRI anti-depressants<\/a> as their drug of choice, and my college classmate Peter Kramer wrote the anti-depressant manifesto<\/a>\u2020<\/sup>. \u00a0I was deeply opposed. \u00a0Emotionally, my aversion to anti-depressants comes from this same recoiling at any tampering with \u201cnatural\u201d personality. \u00a0More empirically, I have watched people use anti-depressants to avoid a discomfort with aspects of their lives that they would have been well-advised to address promptly. \u00a0Kramer talks extensively about this problem, with case studies and statistics. \u00a0I have blamed anti-depressants for the demise of my marriage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
“Sisyphus Sleeping” by Michael Bergt<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n

On the other hand\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the same time frame as Listening to Prozac<\/a>, I was learning about aging. \u00a0I deduced that aging is programmed into our genes as an evolutionary adaptation. \u00a0This implies that the usual medical paradigm of \u201chelping the body\u201d to fight disease was not going to work. \u00a0The body is not trying to resist aging. \u00a0The body is trying to destroy itself, and we don\u2019t want to help it<\/em>. \u00a0Therefore \u201cnatural\u201d anti-aging is an oxymoron. \u00a0All anti-aging medicine is in opposition to the body\u2019s natural program.<\/p>\n

I learned about exercise, caloric restriction, and social support for longevity. \u00a0These are the first line of things we can do to maximize our chances for a long and healthy life.<\/p>\n

And I learned about supplements and pharmaceuticals that induce longevity in lab animals. \u00a0\u00a0These are the second line of anti-aging support. \u00a0Before my epiphany about the origin of aging, I had been a committed follower of the natural foods culture, and I would have been quite suspicious of any program to tamper with the body\u2019s chemistry. \u00a0But once the argument for \u201cnatural\u201d was knocked down, I no longer harbored a presumption against supplements, and so I became an early adopter of supplements that showed promise in animal studies. \u00a0Over several years\u2019 time, my supplements shelf expanded.<\/p>\n

The punch line is that some of the most promising anti-aging supplements have effects on the central nervous system, and on mood. \u00a0I\u2019m thinking of melatonin<\/strong>, DHEA<\/strong>, SAMe<\/strong>, and L-Deprenyl<\/strong>, and possibly fish oil<\/strong> and ashwagandha<\/strong>\u2020\u2020<\/sup>. \u00a0I\u2019ve been taking the first three for some years, and just last month I started taking Deprenyl.<\/p>\n

SAMe<\/strong><\/p>\n

SAMe<\/a> (S-adenosyl methionine) is a variation on the theme of methionine, one of the 8 essential amino acids that the body needs for protein synthesis, but cannot make itself. \u00a0(Eating dramatically less methionine is an anti-aging strategy in lab animals that is probably not practical in humans [see my blog from last May<\/a>].) \u00a0SAMe is a naturally-occurring constituent of most cells, and it has an effect on gene transcription<\/a>, which means that it acts at an \u201cupstream\u201d level from which it can affect many metabolic processes at once. \u00a0One of the characteristics of aging cells is the loss of methyl groups<\/a> on the DNA, which causes genes to be expressed where they don\u2019t belong. \u00a0The \u201cMe\u201d in SAMe is a methyl donor, helping to retain methylation of the chromosomes.<\/p>\n

It is a prescription drug in Europe, where it is commonly used to treat depression. \u00a0In placebo-controlled trials, SAMe is as effective as any patented anti-depressant<\/a> on the market. \u00a0My personal experience is that I have been taking 400 to 800 mg per day of SAMe for most of the last 10 years, and I have never noticed a difference in mood between times with and without it.<\/p>\n

Osteo-arthritis is characterized by loss of the cushioning and lubrication of cartilage in the joints, and SAMe stimulates growth of cartilage<\/a>. \u00a0I have been unable to find any rodent studies testing SAMe for effect on life span. \u00a0(Stephen Spindler<\/a>, please take note.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sisyphus by Melanie Montenegro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DHEA, fish oil, and herbs<\/strong><\/p>\n

DHEA is a hormone-precursor that decreases with age. \u00a0Supplementation with DHEA has also been found to have an anti-depressant effect in a few small studies[ref<\/a>, ref<\/a>, ref<\/a>], but has not to my knowledge been studied in larger trials.<\/p>\n

Fish oil has benefits for risk of cancer and heart disease that probably derive from dialing down inflammation. \u00a0Fish oil in slightly larger doses is prescribed as an anti-depressant [ref<\/a>].<\/p>\n

Ashwaghanda is neuro-protective in vivo and a telomerase activator in vitro. \u00a0It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine of India for centuries.<\/p>\n

In one of the most complete human clinical trials to date, researchers studied the effects of a standardized extract of ashwagandha on the negative effects of stress, including elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Many of the adverse effects of stress are thought to be related to elevated levels of cortisol. The results were impressive. The participants subjectively reported increased energy, reduced fatigue, better sleep, and an enhanced sense of well-being. The participants showed several measurable improvements, including a reduction of cortisol levels up to 26%, a decline in fasting blood sugar levels, and improved lipid profiles. It would appear from this study that ashwagandha can address many of the health and psychological issues that plague today\u2019s society. \u00a0[from LEF magazine<\/a>]<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Modern-day Sisyphus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Deprenyl<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of these, I find Deprenyl most problematic, because it is at once the only one of these chemicals which affects my disposition in a way I sense palpably, and it is also the one for which there is best evidence that it has anti-aging potential. \u00a0I wrote up the story of Deprenyl on this page last March<\/a>. \u00a0Quoting myself:<\/p>\n

Deprenyl is a neuro-protective drug discovered in Hungary more than 30 years ago. It has prolonged life span in many rodent studies, and also in dogs. In the 1990s, under the brand name Selegiline(also Eldepryl and Zelapar) it became a standard treatment for Parkinson\u2019s Disease. Parkinson\u2019s patients who take Selegiline live longer than matched patients who take only the other standard treatment (L-Dopa). More recently the same drug (branded as Emsam) has been prescribed for depression and ADD.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Deprenyl is a chemical cousin of methamphetamine, and it has some of the stimulant effects of amphetamines. \u00a0But the Deprenyl molecule is a mirror-image of the amphetamines (the chemical term is enantiomer<\/a>). \u00a0Background: \u00a0Most large molecules have a shape that is not symmetric left-to-right. \u00a0If you make the chemical in a lab, you get an equal mixture of left-handed and right-handed molecules. \u00a0But biological molecules are always found as one version only, the right- or left-handed molecule. \u00a0So it is right-handed R-Deprenyl that would be converted in the body to the most powerful form of methamphetamine, and the form of the drug as it is distributed is exclusively L-Deprenyl, the left-handed form.<\/p>\n

I have been taking L-Deprenyl for about a month, and for the most part, I like its effect on me. \u00a0I sleep less, concentrate more easily, and have less resistance to the intense exercise that is programmed into my day. \u00a0I\u2019m also more emotional, more impulsive, more volatile, more enthusiastic. \u00a0I think it works for my personality, which leans toward flat affect. \u00a0But I am already a risk-taker, and I worry that my judgment might be compromised. \u00a0I am distrustful, as I said, of any chemical agent that affects the CNS. \u00a0I am asking friends to let me know if they see changes in my affect or attitudes or manner of speaking or sharing emotions.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mood and life span are subjects on which reasonable people differ. \u00a0Most people reading this blog are interested in extending their life expectancy;\u00a0but there is diversity both in our emotional responses to some anti-aging medications and in the way we regard those emotional changes. \u00a0I can only recommend that you read about others’ experience, and then experiment with what you think will work for you.<\/p>\n

———<\/p>\n

* I vaguely remember a Paul Winchell movie called Monkey on my Back<\/a>, and a story my best friend told me of his father\u2019s becoming briefly addicted to morphine after a war injury. \u00a0But a little googling reveals distortions in my memory. \u00a0The movie came out when I was 8. \u00a0Paul Winchell (whom I knew from his ventriloquism with puppet Jerry Mahoney<\/a>) was not in the movie, but faced real life addiction problems<\/a>. \u00a0All this has become jumbled and conflated with my pre-school memory.<\/p>\n

** I wasn\u2019t 100% clean. I drank coffee in the Penthouse of the Hilles Library, where I liked to study in the evenings because it seemed like a good place to meet girls. \u00a0I smoked marijuana at half a dozen parties during my 4 years in college, and consumed a comparable quantity of wine and beer, spread over that time. \u00a0But mind-altering substances never allured me, and were never a significant part of my life. \u00a0There came a time (I was 23) when I realized that my only attraction to alcohol and marijuana derived from fear of exclusion, that they were part of a contortion of myself that I felt to be necessary in order to fit in socially. \u00a0I gave myself permission not to do that any more.<\/p>\n

\u2020 Kramer\u2019s book is actually quite balanced and thoughtful on the pros and cons of chemical anti-depressants, and in some ways, deeply critical of the prescribing psychiatric establishment. \u00a0But the book was quoted out of context and developed an unfair reputation<\/a> as a 300-page ad for anti-depressants.<\/p>\n

\u2020\u2020 I originally had included ginkgo biloba in this list, but I couldn’t find convincing evidence that it was either an anti-depressant or a neuroprotective agent, and slim evidence [ref<\/a>, ref<\/a>, ref<\/a>] that it helps with age-related decline in memory. \u00a0“As a teacher I’ve been learning.”<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some anti-depressant herbs and medications have anti-aging properties. \u00a0Is this a win-win happenstance, or time to step back and look at goals? As a teacher, I\u2019ve been learning You\u2019ll forgive me if I boast But I\u2019ve now become an expert On the subject I like most – Oscar Hammerstein Writing this blog is an ongoing … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAnti-aging Anti-depressants - Josh Mitteldorf<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2013\/12\/20\/anti-aging-anti-depressants\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Anti-aging Anti-depressants\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some anti-depressant herbs and medications have anti-aging properties. \u00a0Is this a win-win happenstance, or time to step back and look at goals? 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The surprising fact that our bodies are genetically programmed to age and to die offers an enormous opportunity for medical intervention. It may be that therapies to slow the progress of aging need not repair or regenerate anything, but only need to interfere with an existing program of self-destruction. Mitteldorf has taught a weekly yoga class for thirty years. He is an advocate for vigorous self care, including exercise, meditation and caloric restriction. After earning a PhD in astrophysicist, Mitteldorf moved to evolutionary biology as a primary field in 1996. He has taught at Harvard, Berkeley, Bryn Mawr, LaSalle and Temple University. He is presently affiliated with MIT as a visiting scholar. In private life, Mitteldorf is an advocate for election integrity as well as public health. He is an avid amateur musician, playing piano in chamber groups, French horn in community orchestras. His two daughters are among the first children adopted from China in the mid-1980s. Much to the surprise of evolutionary biologists, genetic experiments indicate that aging has been selected as an adaptation for its own sake. This poses a conundrum: the impact of aging on individual fitness is wholly negative, so aging must be regarded as a kind of evolutionary altruism. Unlike other forms of evolutionary altruism, aging offers benefits to the community that are weak, and not well focussed on near kin of the altruist. 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As a teacher, I\u2019ve been learning You\u2019ll forgive me if I boast But I\u2019ve now become an expert On the subject I like most – Oscar Hammerstein Writing this blog is an ongoing ... 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The surprising fact that our bodies are genetically programmed to age and to die offers an enormous opportunity for medical intervention. It may be that therapies to slow the progress of aging need not repair or regenerate anything, but only need to interfere with an existing program of self-destruction. Mitteldorf has taught a weekly yoga class for thirty years. He is an advocate for vigorous self care, including exercise, meditation and caloric restriction. After earning a PhD in astrophysicist, Mitteldorf moved to evolutionary biology as a primary field in 1996. He has taught at Harvard, Berkeley, Bryn Mawr, LaSalle and Temple University. He is presently affiliated with MIT as a visiting scholar. In private life, Mitteldorf is an advocate for election integrity as well as public health. He is an avid amateur musician, playing piano in chamber groups, French horn in community orchestras. His two daughters are among the first children adopted from China in the mid-1980s. Much to the surprise of evolutionary biologists, genetic experiments indicate that aging has been selected as an adaptation for its own sake. This poses a conundrum: the impact of aging on individual fitness is wholly negative, so aging must be regarded as a kind of evolutionary altruism. Unlike other forms of evolutionary altruism, aging offers benefits to the community that are weak, and not well focussed on near kin of the altruist. This makes the mechanism challenging to understand and to model. more at http:\/\/mathforum.org\/~josh","sameAs":["http:\/\/AgingAdvice.org"],"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/author\/joshmitteldorf\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtN8h-32","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}