Healthy Aging Month: Supporting Wellness at Every Stage of Life
September is Healthy Aging Month—a good reminder that taking care of your health isn't just about living longer. It's about supporting your energy, strength, mobility and overall well-being as your body changes over time.
Healthy aging starts with the basics: balanced nutrition, regular movement, quality sleep, stress management and preventive healthcare. But our nutritional needs, metabolism and other biological processes can also change with age.
This is one reason researchers continue to study nutrients, compounds and signaling pathways involved in cellular energy, antioxidant protection, hormone function and other areas of health. NAD+, vitamin B12, glutathione, methylene blue, sermorelin and antioxidants are among the options that may come up in conversations about provider-guided wellness.
Here's a closer look at what they are and why they're being studied.
Supporting Cellular Energy: NAD+
Every cell in your body needs energy to do its job. NAD+, short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is a naturally occurring molecule that helps cells turn the nutrients we eat into usable energy.
NAD+ is also involved in other important cellular processes. Researchers have become increasingly interested in NAD+ because its levels and metabolism can change with age.
Scientists continue to study the relationship between NAD+, cellular function and aging, as well as different ways of influencing NAD+ levels in the body.
Supporting Nutrition and Normal Body Function: Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that the body needs for normal nerve function, red blood cell formation and DNA production.
Getting enough B12 can become especially important as we age. According to the National Institutes of Health, some older adults have difficulty absorbing naturally occurring vitamin B12 from food.
B12 is naturally found in foods such as fish, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products and is also available through fortified foods and supplementation.
When appropriate, a healthcare provider can evaluate B12 status and determine whether additional supplementation may be useful based on an individual's diet, medications, health history and nutritional needs.
Supporting the Body's Antioxidant Defenses: Glutathione
You've probably heard about antioxidants, but what exactly do they do?
As part of normal everyday metabolism, the body produces molecules known as free radicals. The body has its own antioxidant systems that help keep these molecules in balance.
Glutathione is one of the antioxidants naturally produced by the body. It is found in cells throughout the body and plays an important role in normal antioxidant defense and cellular function.
Researchers continue to study glutathione and how changes in the body's antioxidant systems may relate to health and aging.
Antioxidants and Healthy Aging
Glutathione isn't the only antioxidant involved in protecting cells from oxidative stress.
Antioxidants include several vitamins, minerals and naturally occurring compounds. Some are produced within the body while others come from the foods we eat.
Common dietary antioxidants and nutrients involved in antioxidant systems include:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Selenium
- Carotenoids
Colorful fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and other nutrient-rich foods can provide many of these nutrients.
Rather than thinking of antioxidants as a single treatment, it can be helpful to think of them as part of a much larger system the body uses to maintain normal cellular health.
Methylene Blue and Cellular Research
Methylene blue has been used in medicine for many years and has specific established medical applications. It has also become an area of research because of the way it interacts with processes involved in cellular energy.
One area scientists have explored is the mitochondria—structures within our cells that help convert nutrients into energy the body can use.
Because mitochondrial function is an important part of cellular health, researchers continue to investigate methylene blue in several areas of medicine and biology.
Methylene blue can interact with certain medications, so a complete review of medications and medical history is particularly important when a provider is considering its use.
Hormonal Signaling and Sermorelin
Hormones are chemical messengers that help coordinate many functions throughout the body.
Sermorelin interacts with the body's growth hormone signaling pathway. Rather than being growth hormone itself, sermorelin is related to a naturally occurring hormone that signals the pituitary gland.
Growth hormone is involved in several normal physiological processes, and its production changes throughout life. This has made growth hormone signaling an ongoing area of research related to aging, metabolism and body composition.
Because hormone-related therapies affect complex systems in the body, a healthcare provider should evaluate an individual's health history, current medications and clinical needs before determining whether treatment is appropriate.
Putting the Pieces Together
NAD+, B12, glutathione, methylene blue, sermorelin and antioxidants are often discussed together in wellness settings, but they aren't all doing the same thing.
They relate to different areas of biology:
NAD+ → cellular energy and metabolism
Vitamin B12 → nerve function, red blood cells and DNA production
Glutathione → antioxidant defense
Antioxidants → helping the body manage oxidative stress
Methylene blue → cellular and mitochondrial processes under continued research
Sermorelin → growth hormone signaling
Understanding those differences is important because healthy aging isn't about finding one therapy that does everything. It's about looking at the bigger picture and identifying the areas of health that may need attention for each individual.
The Foundation of Healthy Aging
Wellness therapies are only one piece of a much larger picture.
Some of the most important habits for supporting health as we age remain remarkably simple:
- Eat a varied, nutrient-rich diet
- Stay physically active
- Include strength-building activities
- Get consistent, quality sleep
- Stay hydrated
- Manage everyday stress
- Maintain social connections
- Keep up with recommended health screenings and preventive care
These habits work together to support physical function and overall well-being throughout life.
A Personalized Approach to Healthy Aging
There is no universal healthy aging plan.
One person may need more support with nutrition while another may be focused on maintaining strength, improving daily habits or addressing a specific health concern.
A licensed healthcare provider can look at the complete picture—including medical history, medications, lifestyle, symptoms, laboratory results when appropriate and personal health goals—to determine what options make sense for each individual.
Healthy aging isn't about stopping the clock. It's about continuing to invest in your health at every stage of life.
Explore Your Healthy Aging Options
Interested in learning more about healthy aging?
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This content is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical advice. TeleWellnessMD® is a technology platform that connects patients with licensed healthcare providers. TeleWellnessMD® does not practice medicine, provide medical advice, or dispense medications. All therapies require evaluation and approval by a licensed healthcare provider. Results may vary. Prescription required. Compounded drugs are not FDA approved. This means that the FDA does not verify the safety, effectiveness or quality of compounded drugs before they are marketed.
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