Should old articles be forgot and never brought to mind? Not a chance! We reflect on our most popular stories of the year.
Running daily news articles means keeping tabs on which articles garner the most interest from our community – but what were the big hitters of 2021? It seems the longevity community is loving anything with a supplements flavour, and we’re not really surprised; it makes sense that many people who are hoping to stay younger for longer are looking to learn about tangible ways they can control the process now, slowing the aging process while future technologies that could halt or reverse it are still being developed.
In the words of Dr Brian Kennedy: “It’s still a problem to get drugs approved for aging, and I hope that gets solved. But in the meantime, I think the first set of effective interventions may be supplements that get tested adequately, validated and then put into widespread use, and so I’m very excited about this space.”
It seems the longevity community is too! So here we go, a quick summary of our top 5 most read articles of 2021!
New supplement slows aging and promotes weight loss
We interviewed Pankaj Kapahi, PhD about the science behind GLYLO, and how its ability to lower advanced glycation end products (AGEs) – rock the AGEs, as it were. GLYLO is backed by positive preclinical data in mice, and Kapahi and his team are now planning clinical trials of the product in humans. GLYLO promotes the detoxification of AGEs, reducing their number, and also engages other targets that promote healthy aging. The rationale is that glucose itself isn’t toxic, but that the by-products of the glycation process that occurs as we metabolise glucose are. One of these by-products, methylglyoxal, reacts with proteins, fats and DNA to create AGEs.
“We believe that AGEs contribute to a number of age-related and diabetic complications,” Dr Kapahi told Longevity.Technology. “They go up in patients with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy and so on. So that’s why we think methylglyoxal is an important target. We developed GLYLO to as a product to limit the production of AGEs in vivo, and we do this by targeting methylglyoxal.”
Resveratrol – the small molecule with big antiaging ideas
Resveratrol is becoming a popular antiaging supplement; in fact, perhaps a better name for it would be reversatrol as it has shown it can extend lifespan in several lab studies.
Resveratrol also demonstrates anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic properties, and can lower blood pressure, improve heart health and boost cognition.
Resveratrol is gaining popularity – even Dr David Sinclair takes it – partly due to its ability to act as an antioxidant agent; antioxidants work by preventing or slowing damage to cells caused by free radicals.
“Free radicals are unstable molecules produced by the body as a reaction to environmental and other pressures,” Max Cerquetti, the Co-founder of Nutriop, explains. “Resveratrol can scavenge these molecules reducing the damage they do, and, in theory, over time, this can reduce the progress of aging. The research into resveratrol is increasing, with nearly 1500 studies last year alone,” says Cerquetti. “It’s demonstrated neuroprotective qualities, defence against atherosclerosis and slowing damage from aging in numerous studies, and I’m sure there are many additional benefits waiting to be discovered. Perhaps nature really does know best!”
When it comes to antiaging molecules, we can learn a thing or two from plants.
New NAD+ boosting longevity supplement hits the market
The growing longevity supplement market welcomes a new player in Elevant. With people like Dr Eric Verdin on its advisory board, the brand is clearly putting an emphasis on science. And, with Prime expected to be the first of many NMN-based products from Seneque’s portfolio of consumer brands, we’ll be watching developments with interest!
Depletion of NAD+ in our bodies as we age is associated with the hallmarks of aging and may be involved in a wide-range of age-related conditions, such as metabolic disorders, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. It is thought that boosting NAD+ levels may slow or even reverse aspects of aging and potentially delay the progression of age-related diseases, leading to a growing interest in supplements that claim to boost NAD+, such as those containing NMN.
Elevant indicates that we can expect to see further development of NMN-C to support cardiovascular, cognitive, muscular, skin and immune health.
Tree of Longevity – understanding how supplements work
Getting your head round the concept that longevity supplements affect the molecular pathways controlling the hallmarks of aging, rather than directly acting on the hallmarks, is no mean feat. To that end, we have devised the Tree of Longevity, which first made its appearance in our Supplements Market Intelligence Report.
Here’s how it works: imagine the hallmarks of aging to be a tree; the molecular pathways controlling the hallmarks of aging would be the roots, and the ingredients within longevity supplements would be the fertiliser, influencing these pathways to decelerate the rate of aging.
Berberine could be longevity supplements’ “best-kept secret”
A quick glance at PubMed shows that the number of papers published on berberine rises year-on-year; in fact, over 630 papers were published last year alone. Berberine’s traditional success, and its potential for therapeutic benefits mean that people are waking up to the supplement that might even give prescription drugs a run for their money when it comes to lowering blood sugar.
Nutriop Co-founder Max Cerquetti told us: “Berberine is a powerful supplement, but not a particularly well-known one. At Nutriop, we hope to change that with our Berberine HCL, which takes the natural benefits of berberine and supercharges things with the latest scientific developments. “Berberine may be the health supplement industry’s best-kept secret, but considering that up to 80% of people aged over 35 are either diabetic or pre-diabetic, we’re keen to get the story out there!”
The antiaging checklist for berberine warrants a lot of ticks… AMPK activation, ameliorating cellular senescence, life extension in murine models, glucose reduction, weight loss, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant… It’s a most impressive list for a supplement most of us haven’t even heard of, but is readily available.
