Advancements in healthspan, longevity and cellular aging are accelerating, and one company positioning itself strategically within this growing area is Nestlé, which continues to invest in promising ingredients and scientific substantiation to target the hallmarks of aging.
Latest scientific discoveries have uncovered the important role that cellular health plays in why and how we age. Deterioration in cell function begins in the 40s and accelerates in the 60s; however, research has identified specific cellular nutrients that can help address age-associated cellular decline (AACD).
AACD is reported to lead to decreases in daily energy, muscle function, immune support and overall health.
At the center of a lot of this research has been a focus on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), an important cellular co-factor for improvement of mitochondrial performance and energy metabolism. As organisms age, NAD+ levels drop, which leads to a decrease in mitochondrial health; this in turn leads to age-related health issues. By the age of 70, individuals may have lost as much as 80% of the NAD+ present in their 30s.
The potential long-term health benefits of boosting NAD+ levels have attracted a lot of attention over the last 10 years, led by ingredients like nicotinamide riboside (NR), nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), nicotinic acid (NA) and nicotinamide (NAM).
Nestlé has made strategic investments in the space, investing in ChromaDex (which markets the Niagen-brand of NR) and Amazentis (which markets the Mitopure brand of Urolithin A for mitochondrial health). It also launched the Celltrient product line for cellular aging in 2020 in the U.S., which it has since rebranded as Solgar Cellular Nutrition.
‘Regenerative nutrition’
Two recent studies by Nestlé scientists have explored the mechanisms that impact muscle decline, which may lead to sarcopenia, and reported specific bioactive ingredients that may target these hallmarks of aging.
Collaborating with scientists in France, Iran and Australia, the Nestlé scientists noted that local stem cells, which are necessary for skeletal muscle growth and repair, become less effective over time. Subsequent screening of over 50,000 natural molecules led the scientists to a synergistic combination of nicotinamide and pyridoxine as “an effective therapeutic strategy to stimulate MuSCs [muscle stem cells].”
“Our work in preclinical models, primary human cells and in an observational clinical cohort further establishes [nicotinamide and pyridoxine] as a new translational solution to accelerate skeletal muscle repair and mitigate age-associated regenerative decline by targeting MuSC activation via regenerative nutrition,” the scientists wrote in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
The second study, published in Cell Metabolism found that calcium uptake by the mitochondria is linked to mitochondrial energy production and muscle performance, but this calcium uptake pathway is “chronically impaired during human aging and sarcopenia.”
Extensive screening of natural compounds led the scientists to the olive polyphenol oleuropein.
“Acute consumption of the natural polyphenol oleuropein translates into optimized muscle energy coupling and ergogenic effects on performance and endurance in healthy conditions, while chronic dietary oleuropein reverses mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired muscle mass and muscle performance during sarcopenia,” they wrote.
“Given the history of safe human use of oleuropein and polyphenol-/olive-rich diets, our discovery opens exciting opportunities for translation to clinical trials and applications for the prevention and medical management of sarcopenia and other age-related diseases.”
Trigonelline
Earlier this year, a Nestlé Research-led study showed that dietary supplementation with trigonelline, a compound found in fenugreek seeds and coffee beans, may boost NAD+ levels, enhance muscle strength and prevent fatigue during aging.
As reported by NutraIngredients, levels of trigonelline, a naturally occurring alkaloid and structurally related to nicotinic acid (vitamin B3), were found to be decreased in older people with sarcopenia. Levels of the compound also correlate positively with muscle strength.
In studies with Caenorhabditis elegans, mice and humans, supplementation with the compound was found to boost NAD+ levels, with additional insights from the C. elegans experiments showing that trigonelline may reduce age-related muscle wasting and increase lifespan.
“Our findings expand the current understanding of NAD+ metabolism with the discovery of trigonelline as a novel NAD+ precursor and increase the potential of establishing interventions with NAD+ -producing vitamins for both healthy longevity and age-associated diseases applications,” said Vincenzo Sorrentino, assistant professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and co-author on the study published in the journal Nature Metabolism.
