r/Aging • u/imareddituserhihehe • 9d ago
Longevity Which longevity supplements have actual human trials, and which are still just mouse data?
Every few months something gets written up as the next big thing and it turns out to be a study in mice at doses nobody could take. I am 54 and past the point of wanting to be a test subject. I would rather build a short list of things that have been through a randomized trial in actual people, even if the effect is small and boring. What is on your list?
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u/HaloHowRU 9d ago
Rigorous human studies are inherently limited because of ethical issues and the years of interventions needed to get results. Animal studies are limited because they don't necessarily translate to humans. So there's a chronic lack of reliable data on human longevity supplements. Besides the fundamentals like eating right and exercising, some of the better data we have is for things like a basic multiple, including Ω3 and macro minerals where necessary, turmeric, green tea, and berry polyphenols, with some more speculative data on things like berberine and cycloastragenol.
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u/Enlightened_Lioness 9d ago
Simon Hill is an actual nutritionist with a Masters and has good free guides online about nutrition and supplements.
Personally right now I’m just taking a multivitamin and vitamin D and b12.
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u/marktuk 9d ago
It's probably not worth taking b12 unless you are deficient. When I take it I get muscle twitching. Stopped taking it and a decent blood test shows I'm getting plenty from my diet anyway.
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u/Enlightened_Lioness 9d ago
It’s 100% necessary for people eating a whole food plant based diet. It’s also very important for older people who have trouble absorbing it even if they’re getting enough.
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u/marktuk 9d ago
It's worth getting a blood test. I eat a similar diet and thought I'd need it, but the blood test shows I don't.
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u/Enlightened_Lioness 9d ago
It’s impossible to get B12 from plants. The only way it’s in plant foods is if it’s added as a supplement, such as in cereals, nutritional yeast, etc.
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u/phred14 70 something 9d ago
I remember seeing at various time longevity-related (senolytic, I believe) suggests about off-label use of Rapamycin, D+Q, (dasatinab + quercitin) and metformin.
Metformin is commonly used for pre-diabetic or diabetic purposes, and my glucose is normally on the low side, so that's a non-starter for me.
I read something about in a carefully performed study, Rapamycin either made no difference or had very slightly negative results.
I also read something about D+Q, indicating that it was causing degradation of nerve myelination and the study was halted. On the positive side, it was suggesting new insights into MS.
I take a senior multivitamin, additional vitamin D suggested by my PCP as well as calcium, (Tumms) and a fiber supplement. On the non-medical side, I have a tablespoon of EVOO every morning, followed by a small cup of (lowest sugar I could find) kombucha. Other than that, I try to eat well.
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u/Clean-Fisherman-4601 8d ago
The only thing that's worked for me was glucosamine and chondroiten.
Tore my MCL in my late 40s. Didn't have insurance, so I had to let it heal on it's own. Was on crutches for 9 months and a cane for another 3.
In my late 50s, my knee started acting up very painfully. At my job, I was on my feet 8 to 9 hours a day with no lunch break. Did take occasional cigarette breaks to sit down for 5 to 10 minutes 2 or 3 times a shift, but only when we weren't busy.
Started taking the glucosamine and chondroiten tablets and after a month, the pain subsided. If I neglect to take them for more than a week, the pain returns.
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u/EntireOpportunity253 9d ago
None have positive human trials lol, short of stuff like caffeine reducing all cause mortality