Longevity Labs CEO talks biohacking and cell renewal research amid first US retail sales partnership

17 Aug 2021 --- Austria-based healthy aging company Longevity Labs is joining forces with US biohacking facility Upgrade Labs in its first retail sales partnership in the US. 

The collaboration will promote Longevity Labs’ dietary supplement spermidineLIFE at Upgrade Labs’ brick-and-mortar retail locations. 

The active ingredient in spermidineLIFE is spermidine, an aliphatic polyamine compound found in ribosomes and living tissue and considered key to maintaining youthful cell function.

“While awareness of spermidine and spermidineLIFE in the US is just beginning, we have found excellent reception with ‘biohackers’ and cutting-edge health and wellness advocates,” Daniel Dietz, CEO of Longevity Labs, tells NutritionInsight.

Sales for spermidineLIFE have grown significantly since spermidineLIFE’s US product launch last August. This was before its 2019 debut in Europe. “Demand has quickly grown, with over 500,000 packages sold within the first two years,” Dietz asserts.

Biohacking for the better?
Dietz reports spermidineLIFE has attracted “biohackers’” attention due to the supplements’ ability to trigger the body’s cell renewal process and autophagy, which has “very promising implications” for maintaining youthfulness into older age.

Biohacking refers to various forms of “do-it-yourself” biology, or biological experimentation done to improve the qualities or capabilities of living organisms, especially outside a traditional medical or scientific research environment.

This can include maintaining cognitive function, cardiovascular and immune system health into the later years of life. In the nutrition industry, some examples of biohacking have ranged from beverage NPD to telehealth apps.

“As of yet, no new products are planned to be developed as a result of the partnership, but Longevity Labs is excited that spermidineLIFE is available in one of the premier consumer-facing biohacking and longevity-focused retail operations in the world,” says Dietz.

Dietz reports spermidineLIFE has attracted “biohackers’” attention due to the supplements ability to trigger the body’s cell renewal process.“Longevity-enhancing” claims approvals
Measuring impact on longevity remains one of the most challenging aspects of the longevity market, which broadly taps into the healthy aging scene. Consequently, branding a supplement as “longevity enhancing” poses challenges from both a messaging and regulatory standpoint.

“The product claims of spermidineLIFE are structure-function claims, as allowed for the dietary supplements category in the US. For spermidineLIFE, this primarily revolves around the autophagy-enhancing benefits of spermidine supplementation, supporting normal cellular function through the cellular renewal process of autophagy,” says Dietz.

Often, “biomarkers” of certain physiological processes are tested on an intermittent basis through blood or urine samples to track and monitor progress. However, because research on autophagy is in its early stages, a conclusive biomarker of autophagy is yet to be determined, Dietz explains. 

Daniel Dietz, CEO of Longevity Labs.“But research groups worldwide are investigating potentials,” he notes. He refers to the large-scale Bruneck and SAPHIR diet studies, which investigated 146 different nutrients contained in foods eaten by the participants. 

“Out of all the nutrients studied, spermidine intake in foods was found to have the largest inverse relationship with all-cause mortality. In other words, increased spermidine intake through the diet was correlated with a 5.7-year increase in lifespan,” says Dietz. 

He expects future research to expand allowable claims to immune health, cardiovascular health, cognitive function and cosmetic indications.

Cellular health helps with aging well
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven older consumers in particular to reassess their health needs. According to an Innova Nutrition & Health Survey 2020, 68 percent of senior consumers reported feeling concerned about their personal health in light of COVID-19. 

As a result, global growth in F&B launches with an aging well claim has risen by 32 percent between 2017 and 2020. Innova Market Insights reports top ingredients in the healthy aging space as magnesium, resveratrol and vitamin C.

Other notable ingredients have ranged from Sturgeon black caviar to nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide (NAD+). Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is another prominent name in this sector, featured in NPD launches from ProHealth Longevity and Seneque. 

By Anni Schleicher