41 Important Nutrients your Body Needs for a Healthier and Longer Life.



According to Dr. Ames, a senior scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, there are 41 nutrients that play an essential role in promoting healthy ageing.

These nutrients comprise 14 known vitamins, vitamins A, B-1, B-2, B-6, B-12, C, D, E, K, niacin, choline, folic acid, pantothenate andbiotin.

They also include 16 essential minerals namely calcium, chloride, chromium, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, sulfur, and zinc.

The last 11 nutrients are substances or compounds that are not classified as vitamins but should be, according to Dr. Ames. These include Alpha-carotene, ergothioneine, queuine, astaxanthin, lutein, taurine, beta carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin and PQQ.

Ames called all these 41 nutrients“longevity vitamins” because he believes they play important role in promoting a long and healthy life.

The Triage Theory

The idea of longevity vitamins has its base on a concept that Ames developed more than a decade ago, known as the triage theory.

This theory primarily states that when the body runs low on a certain vitamin or mineral, it then has to make a decision about how to use its inadequate supply:  should it be used to fix immediate issues or should it be used to keep everything else running smoothly? Ames believes that if the body is always sufficiently supplied with all the various vitamins, it should never have to make that decision.

Take magnesium, for example: If a person’s body is magnesium deficient, the body might channel its remaining stores into fixing a problem like a cramp, which can be caused by magnesium deficiency. However, by doing this, the body isn’t using magnesium to help fight other less immediate issues, like DNA damage, which causes cells to age and die in the longer term.

Eating a Healthy Diet Is a Good Place to Start

An 89-year-old Ames has this to say “I think supplements are fine. I have an Italian wife and she was a professor at Berkeley also, and she feeds me a very good Mediterranean diet, so I’m in pretty good shape for 90,” he says.

“There are pleasures in eating good foods and a varied diet. That’s a reason to not just live on pills.”

Based on his findings, Ames emphasises the value of adhering to a balanced, healthy diet. "Diet is very important for our long-term health, and this theoretical framework just reinforces you should try to do what your mother told you: Eat your veggies, eat your fruit (and) give up sugary soft drinks and empty carbohydrates," he says.

Nutrients derived from Plant have not been greatly altered from their original state, especially when compared to the nutrients derived from animals such as meat and milk. That makes plants, such as spinach much better sources of unadulterated nutrition.

When one is eating a well-balanced diet he/she is already consuming dozens of nutritious vitamins and minerals (and hundreds of other dietary bioactive components) at once.


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