5 supplements a doctor who says he’s reversed his age by 20 years takes every day

‘Baby’ aspirin

Roizen takes a low dose of aspirin (usually 81 milligrams), sometimes known as “baby aspirin,” twice a day in the hope it will prevent heart attacks and strokes. Taking aspirin regularly long-term carries risks because it can thin the blood so that the body can’t form clots when bleeding.

But Roizen believes it is safe for him to take as “someone over the age of 50 with a low risk of bleeding.”

However, the US Preventive Services Task Force does not recommend adults over 60 take preventive aspirin.

CoQ10

CoQ10 is a substance found in cells that helps convert food into energy. As an antioxidant, it has been linked to a reduction in the effects of aging on the skin and on a cellular level in humans and rodents. It’s also thought to prevent problems associated with free radicals, which are DNA-damaging particles that move around the body.

Roizen said he takes the supplement alongside statins to reduce his cholesterol levels, because statins decrease CoQ10 levels in the body.

However, a small 2022 study involving 37 participants published in Antioxidants found that the supplement didn’t the amount of CoQ10 in their muscles, where pain can occur in people who take statins.

And, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, there isn’t strong evidence that CoQ10 improves blood pressure and heart failure despite some claims.

ASU

ASU stands for avocado-soybean unsaponifiables, which are vegetable extracts leftover from soap-making.

Roizen takes it to decrease the pain of osteoarthritis. There some evidence to suggest that ASU could treat osteoarthritis because of its anti-inflammatory properties. However, researchers say more long-term studies in humans are needed.

Ergothioneine

Ergothioneine is present in most foods, but mushrooms are particularly rich in it. Roizen doesn’t take an ergothioneine supplement but regards the substance as a supplement to his diet.

Instead of taking a pill, he gets it from mushrooms. Five days a week, he has an “MLT” — a mushroom, lettuce, and tomato sandwich — for lunch.

Eating plenty of ergothioneine as part of a healthy diet was linked to a lower risk of coronary artery disease in a 2020 study by researchers from Lund University, Sweden.

Meanwhile, studies on cells suggest that ergothioneine can help prevent DNA damage from UV exposure, according to a 2022 review of studies published in the journal Antioxidants & Redox Signaling.