Scientists investigate ways to diminish senescent cells in supplementing healthy, slower aging

20 Jun 2022 --- As we age, our bodies accumulate aging and worn out cells, called senescent cells, which contribute to many negative aspects of age-related decline. Neurohacker Collective has debuted Qualia Senolytic, marketed as “the first comprehensive dietary supplement formulated to support the body’s capacity for senescent cell elimination”.

“The capacity for senolytic ingredients to support a better aging process is becoming clear, and their role in supporting senescent cell elimination has captivated our team for years now,” remarks Neurohacker CEO, James Schmachtenberger.

Neurohacker’s chief science officer, Dr. Shawn Ramer, Ph.D. says that the product is based on the “most interesting science of any product” the company has developed to date.

Dr. Ramer worked with Neurohacker’s product formulator and naturopathic physician Dr. Gregory Kelly, along with a credentialed assembly of science and medical advisors on Neurohacker’s extended R&D team, to arrive at the final formula.

“The ingredients in Qualia Senolytic are the ideal therapeutic amounts for my patients,” states MD and integrative medicine author Dr. Hyla Cass. “It’s also taken just two days a month, which is a recommendation that patients and clients can easily follow through on.”

Qualia Senolytic is available throughout North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Slowing the clock
As senescent cells proliferate throughout the aging process, these cells accumulate various forms of damage, including DNA and epigenetic damage, and secrete substances that harm healthy surrounding cells.

In 2015, the Mayo Clinic and Scripps published groundbreaking research on a class of dietary ingredients which appear to support the body's ability to more readily eliminate senescent cells as we age.

This class of ingredients became known as “senolytics”, whose rough Latin translation is “destroying the old”, as in aging cells.

“Senolytic ingredients are on the cusp of greater consumer awareness, much like nootropics and the ketogenic diet became better known over the last decade,” notes Schmachtenberger.

Senolytic supplementation is fast becoming a recommendation in the integrative health community, as well, he adds.

Supplements aside, research has shown that eliminating senescent cells can be achieved through intermittent fasting, also called time-restricted eating or periodic fasting. However, this finding has been contested in separate studies.

By cycling genes between starvation and adequate food, it is said that the body goes from harvesting old cells to growing young cells. This gets rid of senescent cells, which calls on other cells in the body to “act old.”

Tackling the ten root causes of aging
Novos, a supplement brand that markets its solution as “designed to address the ten root causes of aging”, recently announced two new studies evidencing its formula. 

The research supports that the combination of ingredients in its products, Novos Core and Novos Boost, protect against DNA damage and senescence. 

One study found that a combination of the 12 ingredients in Novos Core and the nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) in Novos Boost significantly protects cells against DNA damage over a wide dose range.

The study was done by Ichor Life Sciences, an independent third-party US-based lab specialized in DNA damage, cellular senescence and aging.

In the study, HUVEC cells (human umbilical vein endothelial cells) were treated with the 13-ingredient Novos formulation and then irradiated. Irradiation typically causes pronounced DNA damage.

However, the cells exposed to Novos before irradiation had significantly less DNA damage after being exposed to radiation, as measured via 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG or 8-oxodG) levels. 8-OHdG is a measure of oxidative DNA damage. When DNA gets damaged, 8-OHdG is formed.

Treating cells with Novos was able to reduce DNA damage as measured by 8-OHdG by up to 77% and on average 68% compared to controls.

Researchers demonstrated that the Novos formulation protects against DNA damage over a wide range of doses, an effect mediated by DNA protective effects of multiple Novos ingredients at different doses and synergy between ingredients.

“As a data-centric, science-driven company, these early results are a great step forward for Novos, further contributing to the validation of our formulations that improve human longevity by targeting the biological causes of aging,” says Chris Mirabile, founder and CEO of Novos.

Another study was conducted at the Ageing Research Laboratories at Newcastle University (UK), specialized in cellular senescence and aging. The study found that the combination of multiple Novos ingredients could help the body better deal with senescent cells.

In this study, researchers using cell size as marker for the senescent phenotype found that specific Novos ingredients had a senostatic effect, while not impacting normal, non-senescent cells.

Normal non-senescent cells were not impacted by the Novos formulation, demonstrating that specific NOVOS ingredients used in a synergistic combination can impact senescent cells while not impacting healthy cells – a common pitfall of “senolytic” molecules which seek to destroy senescent cells. 

By Benjamin Ferrer