New research by scientists in Switzerland shows supplementation with urolithin A had exercise-like effects on muscle strength, improving it by 12% after 4 months.
Amazentis, a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute (EPFL) pioneering scientific breakthroughs in cellular health and nutrition, announced today that the peer-reviewed clinical and translational journal Cell Reports Medicine has published new clinical results showing the muscle health benefits of the gut microbiome postbiotic urolithin A.
Longevity.Technology: Age-associated muscle decline can start as early as 40 years old and there are currently no effective interventions to counteract it other than exercise.
This milestone study showed that daily intake of Amazentis’ proprietary urolithin A, Mitopure, significantly improved muscle strength by 12% after four months [1]. According to the company, these findings further validate Mitopure’s benefits for muscle and mitochondrial health and show it is safe and well tolerated.
Mitopure works by supporting cells’ ability to renew their powerhouses, the mitochondria, during the aging process. As muscles have a high demand for energy there are a very large number of mitochondria in muscle cells.
Previous research showed that Mitopure improved muscle endurance, reduced inflammation, and resulted in healthier mitochondrial function in older adults 65 to 90 years old [2]. This new double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in middle-aged adults 40 to 64 years old (n=88) was conducted in London, Ontario, Canada following approvals from Health Canada and an independent IRB. Participants were randomised to receive daily supplementation with either 500mg, 1000 mg of Mitopure or placebo for 4 months.
What did the results show?
Muscle strength, exercise performance tests and biomarkers of healthy mitochondrial function and inflammation in skeletal muscle biopsies and blood plasma were assessed at baseline, 2 months and 4 months.
- Two measures of skeletal muscle strength were improved in the supplemented groups compared to the placebo group. Muscle strength in the hamstring skeletal muscle was significantly increased in both 500mg (+12%) and 1,000mg groups (+9.8%). Muscle strength during knee flexion was also significantly improved at both 500mg (+10.6%) and 1,000mg doses (+10.5%)
- Clinically meaningful improvements on aerobic endurance (+ 10% in peak oxygen consumption [VO2]), physical performance (+ 33 meters on the 6 min walk test), and power output (+5%) were observed in the 1,000mg group, though not statistically significant
- The blood tests and biopsies showed a significant improvement in biomarkers of healthy mitochondrial function and reduced inflammation
“These results are exciting because this is the first in human demonstration that Urolithin A repairs the mitochondria via mitophagy and can translate to meaningful physiological benefits. Furthermore, the improvement in strength and exercise-performance occurred in the absence of any changes to participants exercise routine,” explained Johan Auwerx, MD, PhD, co-author and Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology EPFL.
READ MORE: Taking Mitopure urolithin A supplements for faster muscle recovery.
An important scientific discovery
This is an important discovery in longevity and muscle health research. Aging is associated with a decline in mitochondrial function, which can lead to reduced exercise capacity, muscle endurance and strength. Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the hallmarks of aging, and the process of mitophagy serves as a mitochondrial quality control mechanism, enabling the clean up of damaged and dysfunctional mitochondria, and helping to restore cellular homeostasis.
Mitophagy usually occurs due to potentially harmful conditions, such as oxidative stress, hypoxia, mitochondrial transmembrane potential loss, the accumulation of unfolded proteins and iron loss [3], but being able to trigger mitophagy, without a pre-existing harmful state, could boost the amount of energy available to the body for repair and growth.
Urolithin A can activate mitophagy [4 ] and has now been clinically shown to improve muscle function via this process [1]. By activating this important biological pathway, Mitopure seeks to promote healthy aging and improved muscle health and performance.
“This study further validates the role of mitochondrial health as an important pillar of vitality and shows Mitopure is a first in class nutrient that meaningfully impacts muscle health. We are proud to offer this proprietary form of Urolithin A in our Timeline® brand and inside Nestlé Health Science products,” said Chris Rinsch, CEO and Co-Founder of Amazentis. “We remain committed to pioneering clinically validated products that optimize cellular health with the mission of keeping millions of people healthier for longer.”
In addition, Amazentis also announced that Dr Eric Verdin has joined the Amazentis scientific advisory board. Dr Verdin is the president and chief executive officer of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and he has dedicated his career to studying longevity with the goal of transforming everyone into healthy centenarians.
“Mitochondrial decline is a key hallmark of aging and poor metabolic health. This study is an important milestone and shows that Urolithin A could be a gamechanger in our field.” said Verdin.
READ MORE: Protect mitochondria and muscle health with Mitopure.
[1] https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(22)00158-6
[2] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2788244
[3] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2020.00200/full
[4] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11894-2
