A new study provides the first evidence that reversing biological brain age in humans is possible within a practical timeframe of around one year.
The research demonstrated that an individually tailored regimen of nutraceutical supplements significantly reduced brain age, while lifestyle changes were only able to slow down aging.
This offers hope that accessible interventions can help maximize healthspan by rejuvenating the brain.
Key Facts:
- Participants taking nutraceuticals had a brain age 2.83 years younger after 13 months while lifestyle group’s brain age was unchanged.
- At the end of the study, the nutraceuticals group’s brain age was 11.8 years younger than their chronological age.
- The nutraceuticals group also saw a dramatic drop in health complaints while the lifestyle group did not.
- Results suggest nutraceutical compounds can reverse brain aging through epigenetic pathways when tailored to the individual.
Source: Brain Sciences 2023 Mar. 13(3): 520
Why Brain Age Matters
Chronological age is not an accurate reflection of biological aging, which occurs at different rates in different people based on genetics, lifestyle, and environment.
Biological brain age provides a measure of a person’s “true” age by detecting subtle brain changes decades before disease onset.
An older brain age is associated with cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s risk, and mortality.
Slowing brain aging promotes neuroprotective mechanisms while accelerated brain aging raises the incidence of neurodegeneration. As the brain plays a central role in overall health, reducing brain aging could extend healthspan and lifespan.
Measuring Brain Age
Brain age can be measured non-invasively using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG); qEEG provides an indirect measure of brain structure and function by detecting electrical activity along the scalp.
It serves as a proxy for total brain resources, which encompass both brain reserve (hardware) and cognitive reserve (software).
Individuals with higher reserves have a younger brain phenotype while those with fewer reserves have an older brain phenotype.
The Study
The study was retrospective, following two groups over 13 months on average.
The experimental group (42 people) took an individually tailored regimen of nutraceutical supplements including vitamins, minerals, and amino/fatty acids.
The control group (47 people) followed personalized lifestyle recommendations for diet, exercise and sleep. Quantitative EEG was used to estimate brain age at the beginning and end.
Key Results:
- Both groups started with a brain age younger than their chronological age, but the nutraceuticals group saw a significant 2.83 year reduction in brain age.
- The nutraceuticals group finished with a brain age 11.8 years younger than their chronological age versus 8.6 years for lifestyle group.
- While the lifestyle group’s brain age was stabilized, only the nutraceutical group saw a reversal in brain aging.
- The nutraceuticals group also had a large drop in health complaints while the lifestyle group did not.
Which supplements (nutraceuticals) were used?
The study mentioned some of the specific nutraceuticals that were used in the experimental group’s individually tailored regimens:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin A
- B vitamins
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Alpha-lipoic acid
- CoQ10
- Probiotics like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus
The authors suggest that these compounds work synergistically through various mechanisms to optimize nutrient sensing pathways, enhance blood flow and antioxidant capacity, regulate sirtuins and the circadian clock, promote neurogenesis, reduce inflammation, and modulate pathways involved in aging like mTOR and AMPK.
While the exact combinations and dosages were personalized based on each participant’s needs, the overlapping core supplements included vitamins C, D, A, B, omega-3, magnesium, zinc, alpha-lipoic acid, CoQ10, and probiotics.
The key seems to be tailoring the nutraceutical regimen by using different compound combinations timed throughout the day and month to target the circadian rhythm.
This allows the supplements to work together for a greater anti-aging effect.
More research is still needed to determine optimal formulations and dosing strategies to maximize brain rejuvenation.
But this study provides initial evidence that targeted nutraceutical programs may help reverse brain aging, especially when personalized to the individual.
How Nutraceuticals Reverse Brain Aging
Many nutraceutical compounds affect epigenetic regulators involved in aging by turning genes on or off. The study’s authors suggest tailored combinations work synergistically through different mechanisms:
- Optimizing nutrient sensing pathways linked to longevity
- Enhancing blood flow, antioxidant capacity and NAD+ levels
- Regulating sirtuins and the circadian clock
- Promoting neurogenesis
- Reducing inflammation
- Inhibiting mTOR and activating AMPK pathways
- Restoring youthful gene expression patterns
Since brain and body aging share mechanisms, reducing brain age may extend healthspan and lifespan.
Nutraceuticals’ advantages over lifestyle changes include easier compliance and the ability to amplify benefits through combinations and dosing.
Other Key Findings
Females in the nutraceuticals group saw a significant 2.98 year brain age reduction versus a non-significant 0.19 year increase for lifestyle females.
For participants starting with an older brain age, the nutraceuticals group saw a significant 6.77 year reduction versus a non-significant 0.25 year increase for the lifestyle group.
The length of the interventions did not correlate with brain age changes, suggesting effects saturated within 6 months.
Both groups saw significant declines in anxiety and depression scores.
Limitations and Future Research
While promising, the study had a relatively small sample size and lacked a placebo control group.
Participants were not blinded to the interventions.
The results need validation in larger controlled trials.
Research should also examine the durability of brain age reversal after discontinuing interventions.
Testing new compounds and combination dosing may further enhance effects.
Integrating nutraceuticals and lifestyle changes may have additive benefits.
Conclusion
This preliminary study provides proof-of-concept that targeted nutraceutical combinations can rejuvenate the aging brain.
Lifestyle changes helped slow decline but only nutraceuticals reversed brain aging.
Even moderate brain age reductions could significantly extend healthspan if sustained long-term.
The potential for accessible neuro-protective supplements to maximize brain function during aging is a game changer in the quest for healthy longevity.
References
- Study: Turning Back the Clock: A Retrospective Single-Blind Study on Brain Age Change in Response to Nutraceuticals Supplementation vs. Lifestyle Modifications
- Authors: Andrew A. Fingelkurts & Alexander A. Fingelkurts
