Ponce De Leon Health launches supplement to help resist aging
Ponce De Leon Health recently debuted its latest offering, a science-backed product they say will extend overall human longevity while increasing the health and quality. The company even claims it could ultimately reversethe effects of biological aging as measured by a DNA test.
The company, which is focused on reversing epigenetic aspects of aging, just launched Rejuvant LifeTabs, a dietary supplement formulated for both men and women to help resist aging and coupled with a non-invasive DNA methylation test to measure biological age.
The product, which acts on 32 markers for aging, was developed in collaboration with Dr. Brian Kennedy of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, to fine-tune pathways associated with aging, including DNA de-methylation, to potentially decrease biological age.
Science to resist aging
Rejuvant contains LifeAKG, a patent-pending form of Calcium Alpha-Ketoglutarate (Ca-AKG) in a patent-pending combination. The supplement is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). Rejuvant LifeTabs is the first in a series of products designed to deliver LifeAKG for longevity. AKG influences several age-related processes, including stem cell proliferation and osteoporosis. AKG is also involved in various fundamental processes, including central metabolism, collagen synthesis and epigenetic regulation.
Life expectancy continues to increase worldwide. More than one third of the population of high-income countries is now age 60 or older.
Aging begins on the cellular level, and contains a lot of moving pieces. Because the AKG is rich in healthy, younger cells, it has been studied in over 1,200 scientific publications. The company said these studies demonstrate that it rewinds biological age by generating cellular energy to maintain vitality, reduces age-related inflammation, detoxifies ammonia levels in cells, and maintains DNA structure.
"Regarding the longer term benefits related to healthy aging, our customers are able to establish an epigenetic age base-line and then track, for the first time ever, the advantages of Rejuvant with the inclusion of a simple saliva-based DNA methylation test, taken at home and evaluated by an independent, third-party laboratory. A significant number of customers have seen their biological age (as correlated to levels of DNA methylation) decline in just a few months– they’re stunned and encouraged to stay on the program long term," Douglas Lynch, SVP Marketing, Ponce de Leon Health, told Nutra-Ingredients-USA.
Research shows increase in lifespan and healthspan in mammalian models
To study its role in mammalian aging, animals received sustained CaAKG treatment starting at 18 months of age and determined its effect on survival, as well as the onset of frailty. CaAKG, a key metabolite in tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, was found to significantly extend lifespan and healthspan in mice, according to researchers, who say they observed that CaAKG promotes longer, healthier life associated while decreasing levels of inflammatory factors. Strikingly, the reduction in frailty was more dramatic than the increase in lifespan, leading the researchers to believe that CaAKG compresses the period of morbidity. When specific disruptions of nutrient-sensing pathways occur, researchers found that it can enhance longevity in lab animals.
The report said if translated to humans, extending lifespan would be an ideal outcome, but more importantly, reducing the debilitating period of functional decline and disease management that plague many aging individuals.
“Given its GRAS status and human safety record, our findings point to a potential safe human intervention that may impact important elements of aging and improve quality of life in the elderly population,” the report said.
In a scientific paper now pending publication, the researchers at the Buck Institute were ultimately able to postpone the onset of frailty in mammals, something to date not demonstrated in a commercially-available product. The researchers presented their work to a peer-group of scientists at the Nature Conference 2019: Ageing, Health, and Rejuvenation, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands last June.
Regarding the mammal data, the researchers said that if “translated to humans, this effect would be an ideal outcome, extending lifespan but more importantly reducing the debilitating period of functional decline and disease management that plague many aging individuals.” The Buck scientists further point out, that “in humans, plasma AKG levels decline 10 folds between the ages of 40 and 80. The molecule is not available in the human diet, making direct supplementation the only feasible route to restore levels.”
“The Buck Institute conducted trials on the key ingredient in Rejuvant LifeTabs, investigating the effect of a variety of single substances, compounds, and combinations of compounds on aging, initially in FINAL invertebrates,” said Dr. Brian Kennedy, CSO of Ponce De Leon Health. “The results of the studies, which are currently in the review process for publication in a top-tier academic journal, were impressive.”
“Many companies looking to enhance and extend healthspan have developed products that simply miss the mark,” stated Tom Weldon, CEO of Ponce De Leon Health. “Their products lack the scientific mammalian data to show an actual delay in frailty and an increase in healthspan, while Rejuvant contains a safe combination of anti-aging compounds, and a patent pending ingredient called LifeAKG, potentially helping people live longer AND healthier.”
Golden years = golden opportunity
In the United States alone, the US Census Bureau projects that the number of seniors in the US will eventually outnumber the number of children in the country. This is no niche market.
The Bureau calls 2030 the “important demographic turning point in US history” during which all baby boomers will be older than the age of 65, and when 1 in every 5 Americans will be of retirement age. That means that by the year 2035, there will be 78 million people aged 65 and older, compared to 76.4 million children under the age of 18.
The increase in life expectancy, growing number of health-conscious consumers, and the many healthcare challenges is driving an increased demand for dietary supplements that support healthy ageing, making for a huge opportunity for the market.
Lynch told NutraIngredients-USA, "This science behind the product shows that non-drug interventions can not only be free of drug side effects, but significantly effective. This is the first time ever that a dietary supplement has been shown in a mammalian model, to extend lifespan (12%), extend healthspan---the healthiest years of life (41%), and reduce 32 markers of frailty (46%) versus the control group. This is not just a claim that an ingredient lowers with age, so we are putting it back in your body. This is a plan to slow and potentially reverse biological aging, and by offering our customers the chance to test their progress with a DNA kit, we are taking the whole healthy aging category into an exciting new direction."
Source:
BioRxiv
Author: Shahmirzadi, A.A. et al.
Alpha-ketoglutarate, an endogenous metabolite, extends lifespan and compresses morbidity in aging mice
