Wakunaga of America (Mission Viejo, CA) announced a groundbreaking study published in Cell Metabolism that reveals a specific metabolite found in aged garlic extract (AGE) can significantly counteract skeletal muscle aging and improve age-related health conditions.
Researchers discovered that S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine (S1PC) stimulates an inter-organ communication pathway between fat tissue and the brain to enhance muscle strength in aged subjects.
When researchers administered long-term S1PC treatments to aged mice, it enhanced brain-to-muscle signaling and resulted in significant anti-aging effects such as significantly increased skeletal muscle force, restored body temperatures to youthful levels and substantially reduced overall frailty index scores.
According to researchers, the study indicates that benefits of S1PC are highly translatable to humans. In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial involving healthy middle-aged individuals, a single oral dose of S1PC-enriched garlic powder successfully increased circulating eNAMPT—a key enzyme that declines with age—in subjects who maintained healthy body fat mass.
“These observations could be a game changer for millions of American seniors, particularly since research consistently links sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) to increased all-cause and cause-specific mortality,” said Ryuichi Sakamoto, MBA, president of Wakunaga. “Many see muscle retention as the currency of aging. The findings that this novel bioactive compound, which is also found in Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract (AGE), could help prevent muscle depletion and the resulting frailty associated with aging can be of significant importance to healthspan.”
“While significant progress has been made in understanding the biology of aging, most current research and clinical interventions focus on improving lifespan rather than directly extending healthspan. In particular, the lack of widely established pharmacological treatments for sarcopenia highlights the need for sustainable, non-pharmaceutical approaches to support healthy aging,” added Dr. Hiroshi Jikihara, director of research and development at Wakunaga. “Since sarcopenia affects approximately 16 percent of seniors, these findings suggest that the simple inclusion of an S1PC-based nutraceutical as part of their daily supplement routine could help older Americans live a healthier, more active and independent life well into their golden years.”
For more information, visit www.kyolic.com or contact [email protected].
