Written by Jessica Patella, ND. Mice supplemented with branched chain amino acids had a 12% increase in life span.
The phrase “ anti-aging ” is defined by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine as the application of advanced biomedical technologies focused on the early detection, prevention, and treatment of aging-related disease (1). What does that mean? If research can determine what causes aging on the cellular level or genetic level in humans, it is possible to test when aging is occurring and possibly provide treatment options.
Recent research shows that branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) may play a role in anti-aging medicine in the future (2).
It was recently discovered that the BCAAs leucine, isoleucine and valine extended the life span of yeast (3). The next step is to determine if the same results would occur in animals. A recent study included nine-month-old male mice divided into either a control group, which did not receive treatment (n=10 animals) or a treatment group, which was supplemented with BCAA (1.5mg/g body weight in drinking water, 6 kcal/kg/day, n=10 animals) (2). The average natural live span was 774 days for all of the untreated control mice. The mice supplemented with BCAA had a significant increase (p=0.0043) in life span, with and average of 869 days (12% increase). The body weight, fat levels and food intake of the BCAA supplemented and untreated control mice were not statistically different.
Mitochondria is an organelle found inside most cells that are important for cell metabolism and making energy. On the cellular level, it has been shown that when mitochondria start to malfunction, less energy is produced and this plays a role in the natural aging process (2). The current research also looked at the effects of BCAA on mitochondria and found increased mitochondria mass (size) in heart and skeletal muscle of sedentary and trained mice following BCAA supplementation (2). Compared to heart muscle mass (scaroplasmic volume), the mitochondrial mass was significantly (p<0.05) higher in mice supplemented with BCAA vs. untreated mice (n=3). The same was true when comparing mitochondrial mass to soleus muscle mass (a muscle in the lower leg); the mice supplemented with BCAA had significantly (p<0.01) higher mitochondrial mass compared to untreated mice (n=3) (2).
In conclusion, oral supplementation of BCAA increased the average life span of male mice (2). Mice supplemented with BCAA also had increased mitochondrial size and function in heart and skeletal muscles (2). It is likely that the increase in average life span in the male mice was due to the increase in mitochondrial function and mitochondrial mass in heart and skeletal muscles (2). The study is one of the first to explore the role of amino acids in prevention of age-related disorders (2) and it lays the groundwork for future studies.
Source: D’Antona, Giuseppe, et al. “Branched-chain amino acid supplementation promotes survival and supports cardiac and skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis in middle-aged mice.” Cell metabolism 12.4 (2010): 362-372.
© 2010 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors
Posted December 7, 2010.
References:
- Introduction of Anti-Aging Medicine. See the World Health website.
- D’Antona G, et al. Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation Promotes Survival and Supports Cardiac and Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Biogenesis in Middle-Aged Mice. 2010. Cell Press. DOI 10.1016/j.met.2010.08.016
- Alvers et al. Autopagy and amino acid homeostasis are required for chronological longevity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 2009. Aging Cell 8, 353-369.
