Nutrients Increase Lifespan, Strength in Elders

Vitamin C. People in low- and middle-income countries often have low levels of vitamin C, which doctors believe may increase chances for disease. In what may be the first study of its kind, doctors measured vitamin C levels in 948 men and women, aged 53 to 84, in Linxian, China.

After an average of 16 years of follow-up, compared to those with the lowest levels, those with the highest levels of vitamin C were 25 percent less likely to have died from any cause. Good vitamin C levels reduced chances of dying from stroke or cancer by 28 percent, and by 35 percent for heart disease. Those with normal levels of vitamin C-at or above 28 micromoles per liter of blood-were 23 percent less likely to have died prematurely, and 38 percent less likely to have died from heart disease.

Nutrients (astaxanthin, tocotrienol, zinc) increase strength, endurance.

Muscles lose mass and strength with age. In this study, 42 people, aged 65 to 82, took a placebo or 12 mg of astaxanthin, 10 mg of tocotrienol vitamin E, plus 6 mg of zinc per day for four months. During the first three months, participants took an exercise training program lasting 40 to 60 minutes per day, three times per week.

Over the four-month study, while muscle strength did not improve for placebo, those in the supplement group saw a 14 percent increase in muscle strength. The supplement group also saw a 40 percent increase in endurance and an 8 percent increase in mobility.