Key points from article :
Alpha-ketaglutarate (AKG) is a metabolite produced by the body.
Blood plasma levels of AKG can drop up to 10-fold as we age.
AKG is not found in normal diet.
Middle-aged mice given AKG in their food were healthier as they aged.
Also experienced a dramatically shorter time of disease and disability.
Measures of healthspan increased more than 40 percent.
Average lifespan extension was around 12%.
"Even the mice that died early saw improvements in their health" - Buck professor Gordon Lithgow.
AKG promoted the production of Interleukin 10 (IL-10) which has anti-inflammatory properties.
Fasting and exercise increase the production of AKG.
AKG is involved in many fundamental physiological processes (energy, protein synthesis, stem cell proliferation).
It inhibits the breakdown of protein in muscles, hence a popular supplement with body builders.
Clinical trial involving 45 to 65 year olds is planned at the National University of Singapore.
Research by Buck Institute published in Cell Metabolism.
