Calcium Alpha-Ketoglutarate Extended Female Mouse Lifespan by Up to 16.6%. Here's What That Does (and Doesn't) Mean for Humans
A 2020 Cell Metabolism study found that feeding middle-aged mice a 2% calcium alpha-ketoglutarate diet extended female median lifespan by up to 16.6% and reduced frailty. The effect was smaller in the second cohort (10.5%), and male survival gains were not statistically significant. Researchers link the benefit to lower systemic inflammation and a proposed rise in IL-10. But this was a mouse-only study, and it does not establish that AKG extends human lifespan. Here is what the data show, how they differ from supplement marketing, and why CaAKG belongs on a research watchlist rather than in a proven protocol.
GlyNAC Trial: Glycine Plus NAC Reversed Multiple Aging Markers in Older Adults in 16 Weeks, but the Study Is Small
A small randomized trial from Baylor College of Medicine found that 16 weeks of GlyNAC, a combination of glycine and N-acetylcysteine, corrected glutathione deficiency, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation in older adults. Participants also improved on measures of physical function and several aging hallmarks, while a placebo did not. The protocol has used weight-based dosing of roughly 100 mg/kg of each amino acid, which is far above typical supplement doses. But with only 12 people per group and biomarker-focused outcomes, the results are promising rather than definitive. Here is what the study showed, what it means in practice, and where the caveats lie.
Taurine, the Cheap Amino Acid That Stretched Mouse Lifespans by Up to 12%, Falls With Age in Humans
A 2023 Science study found that circulating taurine, a cheap and widely available amino acid, declines with age in mice, monkeys and humans. Supplementing middle-aged mice extended median lifespan by roughly 10-12% and improved healthspan in both rodents and monkeys. The compound appeared to curb cellular senescence, DNA damage, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammaging. Human data remain observational, and the mouse doses scale to several grams a day, so the evidence is far from proof. Here is what the study showed, what doses people have discussed, and why researchers say trials are needed before anyone treats taurine as an anti-aging pill.