Beneficial Effects of an Astragalus-Based Supplement on Telomere Length

by | Oct 24, 2024 | 2024, Aging, Botanicals

Written by Harold Oster, MD. Results suggest that an Astragalus-based supplement may increase telomere length in adults.

Astragalus, also known as Huang qi, is a plant commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine1. Various species of astragalus contain astragaloside IV and the related compound cycloastragenol. These compounds may have benefits in age-related diseases, including cancer, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline. The anti-aging effects may be due to the lengthening of telomeres2, repeated DNA sequences (TTGGGG) at the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres are essential for chromosome integrity, preventing damage to DNA during cell replication. On average, telomere length decreases with age, an effect mitigated by the telomerase enzyme. Short telomere length has been associated with age-related diseases, including cancer and heart disease3.

Christophe de Jaeger et al. studied the effect of an astragalus-based supplement on telomere length in middle-aged adults. The authors conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on forty healthy volunteers. The participants were divided into two groups of twenty individuals each. The intervention group took a supplement capsule (ASTCOQ02) twice daily for six months. Each capsule contained 125 mg of total astragalus extract, 20 mg of astragaloside IV, 12.5 mg of cycloastragenol, 7.23 mg of zinc oxide, 80 mg of grape seed extract, 70 mg of olive extract, and 14 mg of the antioxidant hydroxytyrosol4. The other group took a placebo capsule twice daily. Blood tests were drawn at baseline, one month, three months, and six months. Telomere length was measured using the quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (Q-FISH) technique5. The two groups were evaluated for changes in median telomere length and the percentage of short telomeres, defined as a length shorter than three kilobase pairs (kbp). Blood was also tested for a complete blood count, a metabolic panel, liver function tests, and inflammatory markers.

The authors noted the following:

  • The average age of participants was 56.1 years.
  • Twenty-four participants were women.
  • All forty participants completed the study.
  • At baseline, there were no significant differences between the groups in telomere length or other laboratory tests.
  • In the placebo group, the median telomere length did not change significantly during the study. In the supplement group, the median telomere length increased from baseline to the end of the study. (9.805 kbp at baseline, 10.076 kbp at one month, 10.277 kbp at three months, and 10.507 kbp at six months)
  • The percentage of short telomeres did not change significantly in the placebo group. In the intervention group, the percentage of short telomeres decreased over six months. (6.645% at baseline versus 4.87% at six months)
  • No side effects were noted in either group, and none of the clinical parameters changed significantly during the study.

Results suggest that an Astragalus-based supplement may increase telomere length and decrease the percentage of short telomeres. A limitation of the study is the lack of investigation into the effects of each component in the Astragalus supplement.

Source: de Jaeger, Christophe, Saskia Kruiskamp, Elena Voronska, Carla Lamberti, Hani Baramki, Jean Louis Beaudeux, and Patrick Cherin. “A Natural Astragalus-Based Nutritional Supplement Lengthens Telomeres in a Middle-Aged Population: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.” Nutrients 16, no. 17 (2024): 2963.

© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).

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Posted October 24, 2024.

Harold Oster, MD graduated from medical school in Miami, Florida in 1992 and moved to Minnesota in 2004. After more than 25 years of practicing Internal Medicine, he recently retired. Dr. Oster is especially interested in nutrition, weight management, and disease prevention. Visit his website at haroldoster.com.

References:

  1. Zheng Y, Ren W, Zhang L, Zhang Y, Liu D, Liu Y. A Review of the Pharmacological Action of Astragalus Polysaccharide. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:349. doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.00349
  2. Liu P, Zhao H, Luo Y. Anti-Aging Implications of Astragalus Membranaceus (Huangqi): A Well-Known Chinese Tonic. Aging Dis. Dec 2017;8(6):868-886. doi:10.14336/ad.2017.0816
  3. Srinivas N, Rachakonda S, Kumar R. Telomeres and Telomere Length: A General Overview. Cancers (Basel). Feb 28 2020;12(3)doi:10.3390/cancers12030558
  4. Martínez L, Ros G, Nieto G. Hydroxytyrosol: Health Benefits and Use as Functional Ingredient in Meat. Medicines (Basel, Switzerland). Jan 23 2018;5(1)doi:10.3390/medicines5010013
  5. Aida J, Izumiyama-Shimomura N, Nakamura K-i, et al. Determination of telomere length by the quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (Q-FISH) method. American Journal of Analytical Chemistry. 2014;2014

 

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