Like the arms race with its catastrophic downside finding the omnipotent ageing reversal elixir has spawned equally feverish exploration often times undergirded by commercial intent. Alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) found in meat, fish and dairy and also taken as a supplement, located at the centre of the below diagram might be an example of such an enterprise. In worms and mice it can increase lifespan and in a study on humans taking 1000mg of a product containing 1000mg of calcium alpha-ketoglutarate for an average of seven months reduced biological age by a hefty eight years, an impressive outcome after such a short period. The problem is this was a study without a placebo arm.
For anyone seduced by its promise this might be sobering information.
