GlyNAC Study of the Week

Introducing our colleagues at lifespan.io

There have been a number of basic science (e.g. mouse) studies and some human studies prior to the controlled trial in humans at Baylor we discussed last week. So many studies, and so little time! In an effort to catch you up, this week I'm going to reference the nonprofit site, lifespan.io, and their recent report on GlyNAC aging research in mice. (If you have a pet mouse, you and your mouse are definitely in luck!) You can see some wider context about the underlying biology by reviewing their work and be sure to click through to the interesting work the NIH is supporting on aging.

From: https://www.lifespan.io/news/glutathione-extends-lifespan-in-mice-by-24/

"In all the other key areas, mitochondrial function, mitophagy, nutrient sensing (measured by SIRT3 levels), and genomic stability (measured by phosphorylated histone protein H2AX), the results were equally impressive: the markers bounced back almost to the levels observed in young mice. Such wall-to-wall positive results are rarely seen in a study."

Something I'm pondering: Every illness is unique; every recovery is similar. Any chronic illness, regardless of age, has common features of impaired tissue renewal shared with aging itself.

What's Wrong with Medicine: This section will list some interesting reading for those who wonder how us doctors became product salesman for poorly effective products from the pharmaceutical companies. The best answer I've found is a concept called "institutional corruption" pioneered by Lawrence Lessig. I found this idea- that the academy and the guild gets confused under financial influence- comforting and enlightening. Here's a sample from PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24088149/.

A much larger study on the psychiatric industry can be found in the excellent book Psychiatry Under the Influence https://www.amazon.com/Psychiatry-Under-Influence-Institutional-Prescriptions/dp/113750692X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2Q3O7PBG9N1NV&keywords=psychiatry+under+the+influence&qid=1663603452&sprefix=psychiatry+under+the+influe%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-1. You should read this if you take an antidepressant- or, really, a pill for any chronic illness.

Deep Dive: What is it that ages? It's not one thing, like epigenetic gene alteration or telomere shortening; it's hardening, leaking, stiffening, scarring, thickening, restricting... in a word, it's the network. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_theory_of_aging#:~:text=The network theory of aging,theories and predicting specific mechanisms. Keeping levels of glutathione at youthful levels with GlyNAC is a close fit for this idea.

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Disclaimer and conflict statement: The contents of this newsletter are my opinions. They are not medical recommendations for you personally (you must receive medical advice through your own health care source). I have no conflicts of interest to report.

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Easy Recipe:

Life Extension Brand N-Acetyl Cysteine ("NAC") 4 capsules with two teaspoons Bulk Supplements glycine powder in juice before sleep.

It is likely in my opinion that this is sufficient to replenish glutathione levels for most people. The Baylor study can be more closely replicated by doing this twice daily, morning and night, which will give you a little less cysteine and more glycine than that study. My guess is, for specific chronic conditions, higher doses as used in the Baylor study, or more frequent doses, may be helpful but may not be needed for more than three months (dosing and timing and especially for specific conditions are under active study).

Fun

Ascribed to Woody Allen:

"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying."

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