Antioxidants That Made Old Rats Younger

Antioxidants That Made Old Rats Younger

Apr 24, 2017

Scientists have discovered that teamwork between Alpha lipoic acid and Acetyl L-carnitine can increase energy in muscle cells allowing to lead a more active lifestyle. According to a study conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, Research Institute Alpha lipoic acid together with Acetyl L-carnitine were able to impose a huge energising and rejuvenating effect on ageing rats, and might do the same for ageing humans. A team of scientists led by Bruce N.

Ames, professor of molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley, supplemented old rats with ALA and Acetyl-L-carnitine. As a result, not only the memory of the rats was significantly improved, but they also had much more energy. According to Professor Ames, "With the two supplements together, these old rats got up and did the Macarena. The brain looked better, they were full of energy - everything we looked at looks more like a young animal!” 

Also another scientist associated with the same study, Professor Tory M. Hagen, suggested that they actually observed "a reversal in loss of memory” and “a dual-track improvement which was significant and unique that is really starting to explode and move out of the realm of basic research into people. We significantly reversed the decline in overall activity typical of aged rats to what you see in a middle-aged to young adult rat. This is equivalent to making an 80-year-old individual act as middle-aged person!"

 

 

Both chemicals are normally used in mitochondria, which is regarded as the "weak link in ageing”, because deterioration of mitochondria, triggered mainly by free radicals, is an important cause of ageing, fatigue and impaired cognitive functions of the brain. The study, however, demonstrated that the two chemicals are able tofix the energy-producing mitochondria and greatly improve its function thus increasing the efficiency of mitochondria in empowering all cells, including brain cells. Ageing is caused by oxidizing certain proteins in mitochondria causing them to lose their activity. Supplementation with ALA and Acetyl L-carnitine, however, can reduce or even reverse the process to certain extent, because Acetyl L-carnitine at higher concentrations can even enable them to work again, while ALA does not allow radicals to damage them. It means each antioxidant solves a different problem and therefore when they are used together they produce better results than either one alone.

In another experiment the same group of scientists fed old rats a similar diet with the two supplements and looked at memory function. They found that supplementation improved both spatial and temporal memory, and reduced the amount of oxidative damage to RNA in the brain's hippocampus, an area important in memory. In electron microscope pictures of cells from the hippocampus and mitochondria showed less structural decay in old rats that had received the two supplements.

 

Related Articles

 

Reference

 

Any information or product suggested on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition. Never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Consult your primary healthcare physician before using any supplements or making any changes to your regime.

More Articles