What makes cells age? Wear and tear, yes. But biologically, says, Dr. David Sinclair, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, it’s lack of oxygen that signals cells that it’s their time to go. Without oxygen, the energy engines known as the mitochondria become less efficient at turning physiological fuel like glucose into the energy that the cells need to function. Eventually, they shut down. But in a paper published in the journal Cell, Sinclair and his colleagues describe for the first time a compound naturally made by young cells that was able to revive older cells and make them energetic and youthful again. In an experiment in mice, the team found that giving older mice a chemical called NAD for just one week made 2-year-old-mice tissue resemble that of 6-month-old mice (in human years, that would be akin to a 60-year-old’s cells becoming more like those belonging to a 20-year-old). As mammals age, says Sinclair, levels of NAD drop by 50%; with less of the compound, the communication between the cell and its mitochondrial energy source also falters, and the cell becomes vulnerable to common aging assaults — inflammation, muscle wasting and slower metabolism.
By tricking the cell into thinking it’s young again, with adequate amounts of NAD, aging can theoretically be reversed. “When we give the molecule, the cells think oxygen levels are normal and everything revs back up again,” Sinclair says. While NAD may be a key to the fountain of youth, Sinclair, who also investigated the anti-aging effects of the red-wine compound resveratrol, isn’t ready to say that the chemical could lead to immortal cells. “I wouldn’t take it that far,” he says. “What makes reversing aging interesting is that it could buy more time than we are currently looking at.” His next step is to put NAD in the drinking water of his mice, and see if they take longer to develop the typical chronic diseases linked to aging, such as inflammation, muscle wasting, cancer and diabetes. The pathway may become an important target for cancer researchers as well, since tumors typically grow in low-oxygen conditions and are more common in older patients. Because NAD is a naturally occurring compound that simply declines with age, Sinclair is optimistic that boosting its levels in people won’t have as many significant adverse effects as introducing an entirely new compound might.
“If a body is slowly falling apart and losing the ability to regulate itself effectively, we can get it back on track to what it was in its 20s and 30s,” he says. At least that’s the hope.FollowHMSStay informed via email on the latest news, research, and media from Harvard Medical School.Elysium Health is an anti-aging supplement manufacturer which recently released a pill called BASIS. BASIS claims to turn back the signs of aging by literally repairing your DNA. Normally, this is the part where people click away, thinking Elysium Health is another anti-aging supplement scam. But it’s not: Elysium Health is a legitimate company founded by one of the world’s leading anti-aging researchers. Oh, and he’s being advised by five Nobel Prize winners. Yes, Elysium Health’s BASIS is an anti-aging supplement based on real science from legitimate researchers. Find out how this new anti-aging company works today in our Elysium Health BASIS review. Click Here To See The #1 Rated Skin Care Supplement
At the official Elysium Health website, the company describes itself as having one mission: “To help people access, understand and benefit from scientific breakthroughs in health.” To back up that goal, the company supports four distinct values: Transparency, Access, Progress, and Validation. Basically, Elysium Health wants to give average people like you and me an honest glimpse into modern anti-aging technology with no hype, no fads, and no shady ingredients. Of course, even the shady supplement companies say stuff like this, so here’s more validation for you: the company was created in Silicon Valley by two gym buddies who saw an emerging opportunity in anti-aging supplements. Those two gym buddies – cofounders Eric Marcotulli and Dan Alminana – knew that they didn’t have the scientific background to build such a company. They were tech investors, not biologists. So they started calling anti-aging researchers across the United States. That’s when MIT biologist Leonard Guarente picked up the phone and expressed interest.
And he wasn’t alone: five Nobel Prize winners also jumped on as advisors along with over 20 other top researchers in their fields. That’s why people are paying attention to what Elysium Health is selling. Elysium Health just released its first product. It’s called BASIS – or BASIS in the official marketing. It’s a simple softgel tablet which costs $60 for a one month supply (or $50 per month on the subscription program). Each package contains 60 capsules. You take two capsules per day to achieve the full benefits. This new supplement is based on work that was pioneered in Guarente’s lab. Specifically, Guarente studied sirtuins, a group of enzymes which play a critical role in cell metabolism and energy production. All living organisms have these sirtuins inside their body. Here’s the interesting thing about sirtuins: scientists have shown that by boosting the activity of sirtuins, they can extend the lifespans of worms, mice, yeasts, and other living creatures.
For the past two decades, scientists have been trying to develop drugs that elevate sirtuins. There are also two known natural compounds which boost sirtuins activity: resveratrol – found in red wine and sold as a dietary supplement – and NAD. NAD stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and it’s one of the biggest anti-aging discoveries of the last decade. Research has shown that NAD levels are directly correlated to aging: an old man will have about half the NAD levels as his body did when he was young – regardless of exercise, healthy eating, or disease. You may have already heard about NAD. In December 2013, Harvard researchers published a study describing how they made the cells of 2 year old mice look like the cells of 6 month old mice simply by “administering a molecule naturally produced by the human body”. That molecule was NAD. Whew, so given all that information, how exactly does BASIS work? BASIS contains two building blocks for NAD: it gives your body the tools it needs to produce NAD on its own.
Yes, there are just two ingredients needed to stimulate NAD levels in the body. — Nicotinamide Riboside (250mg) These two ingredients are absorbed by the body and ultimately transform into NAD. Then, that NAD goes to work performing critical tasks throughout the body, including: All of these functions lead to powerful anti-aging, health-boosting benefits. Up above, I mentioned that there were two active ingredients in BASIS. In addition to nicotinamide riboside and Pterostilbene, there are a number of other ingredients. Here’s the complete ingredient list as posted on the Elysium Health website: The funny thing about Elysium Health BASIS is that it’s not calling itself an anti-aging supplement manufacturer. Despite enlisting the nation’s top anti-aging researchers as advisors, Elysium Health is calling itself a dietary supplement company. In a recent interview, Elysium Health cofounder Marcotulli said, “We have no interest in being an anti-aging company and extending lifespan.
For us this is about increasing healthspan, not lifespan.”The founders wanted to avoid the “charlatan feel” of the countless other anti-aging supplements on the market today. Too many low-quality manufacturers claim they’ve found the secret to turning back the clock and reverse the effects of aging – despite having no scientific evidence to back it up. Elysium Health wanted to stay far, far away from the problematic reputations of these companies. That’s why it’s advertising itself as more of a health and wellness company than an anti-aging company. Elysium Health has ambitious plans for the future. America’s population is getting older – as are the populations of most developed countries. That’s why the opportunity for future products is just going to get larger. Here are some of the products and targeted areas Elysium Health has suggested may be in its future lineup: These new products are expected to tap into the network of “more than 30 scientific advisors” currently signed on to the company.
Elysium Health doesn’t plan on releasing its products anywhere but the official website. Once again, this is a strategic decision by the company designed to protect the Elysium Health brand: you can walk into Whole Foods and see dozens of faceless pharmaceutical companies selling their own anti-aging tonic. Elysium doesn’t want to be like that. Ordering from Elysium Health is easy (especially since they only have one product, BASIS, in their current online store). There are two ways to buy BASIS: — One Time ($60) Both of those prices include shipping. If you buy the monthly subscription of BASIS, you’ll receive a shipment of BASIS in your mailbox along with a $50 charge on your credit card every month. BASIS comes in packages of 60 softgel tablets. Each “serving” includes 2 softgels. Elysium Health recommends taking two softgel tablets per day or as recommended by your health care professional. It only recommends BASIS for healthy adults 18 years of age or older.