Key points from article :
Alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) is used by cells during growth and in healing from injuries.
Researchers gave mice and rats two different concentrations of AKG by adding it to their drinking water.
Bone mass, thickness and bone volume were measured.
Treating the rodents with AKG increased both bone mass and bone density.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) demonstrated more osteogenic potential and greater expression of osteogenic genes.
AKG-treated mice (several months) lost less bone mass and older rats exhibited improved bone healing ability.
AKG extends lifespan and compresses morbidity in aging mice.
"Calcium AKG supplementation can delay the onset of frailty and even reverse certain hallmarks of aging, such as greying of hair, in mammals” Thomas Weldon, founder and CEO, Ponce de Leon Health.
Research into AKG is continuing, with a clinical trial currently underway at Indiana University School of Medicine.
Research by Sichuan University published in Nature communications.
