LONGECITY

In February, Sierra Sciences announced that it had found yet another class of substances that activate telomerase. The resulting product, know as Product B, was formulated by Dr. Bill Andrews and the Sierra Science team, in conjunction with John Anderson, founder and formulator of Isagenix International, a billion-dollar nutraceutical company, based in Chandler Arizona. The product will be available for sale in August of 2011.


Reports from field testing show improvements similar to those found with TA-65. Feel free to contact me if you need further info.

I will see what I can find out about what plant(s) it's from, etc.

Regards,

Dr. Nina

I came across this interesting article that mentions their involvement with Sierra Science's new product:

Aging: Why diet and lifestyle matter for telomere length

... and this study referenced by the article:

http://www.ajcn.org/...5/1273.abstract

^{© 2010 American Society for Nutrition}
Associations between diet, lifestyle factors, and telomere length in women

Aedín Cassidy, Immaculata De Vivo, Yan Liu, Jiali Han, Jennifer Prescott, David J Hunter, and Eric B Rimm

From the School of Medicine University of East Anglia Norwich United Kingdom (AC); Channing Laboratory Department of Medicine BrighamWomen's HospitalHarvard Medical School Boston MA (IDV JH JP DJHEBR); the Departments of Epidemiology (IDV JH JP DJHEBR)Nutrition (YLEBR) Harvard School of Public Health Boston MA;the Clinical Research Program Department of Dermatology BrighamWomen's Hospital Boston MA (JH).

Abstract

Background: Leukocyte telomere length is associated with diseases of aging, but there is limited knowledge of diet and lifestyle determinants.

Objective: The objective was to examine cross-sectionally the association between diet, body composition, and lifestyle factors on leukocyte telomere length in women.

Design: Leukocyte telomere length was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 2284 female participants from the Nurses’ Health Study, who were selected as controls for an investigation of biological predictors of cancer. Diet, lifestyle, and anthropometric data were assessed by questionnaire.

Results: After multivariate adjustment, dietary fiber intake was positively associated with telomere length (z score), specifically cereal fiber, with an increase of 0.19 units between the lowest and highest quintiles (P = 0.007, P for trend = 0.03). Although total fat intake was not associated with telomere length, polyunsaturated fatty acid intake (−0.26 units, quintile 5 compared with quintile 1: P = 0.002, P for trend = 0.02), specifically linoleic acid intake, was inversely associated with telomere length after multivariate adjustment (−0.32 units; P = 0.001, P for trend = 0.05). Waist circumference was inversely associated with telomere length [0.15-unit difference in z score in a comparison of the highest (≥32 in, 81.28 cm) with the lowest (≤28 in, 71.12 cm) category (P = 0.01, P for trend = 0.02) in the multivariate model]. We found no association between telomere length and smoking, physical activity, or postmenopausal hormone use.

Conclusion: Although the strength of the associations was modest in this population of middle- and older-age women, our results support the hypothesis that body composition and dietary factors are related to leukocyte telomere length, which is a potential biomarker of chronic disease risk.

Apparently Isagenix is really into investigating all kinds of dietary impacts on telemere length.

Howard

Here's the Supplement Facts panel for Isagenix's Product B. A couple vitamins and a kitchen sink blend of a zillion herbal extracts. Isagenix looks like a Multi-Level-Marketing scheme, at first glance. Well, I'm underwhelmed. I'd like to see some human data on this stuff.
Edited by niner, 15 July 2011 - 09:34 PM.

Here's the Supplement Facts panel for Isagenix's Product B.
A couple vitamins and a kitchen sink blend of a zillion herbal extracts. Isagenix looks like a Multi-Level-Marketing scheme, at first glance.
Well, I'm underwhelmed. I'd like to see some human data on this stuff.

Underwhelmed indeed. The product has the dreaded "proprietary blend" which I avoid like the proverbial plague.

At first glance...

I see "Terminalia Chebula" in the list and assume that this is the super secret ingredient which is probably the one that does the telomerase activation, as we had this one in our product as well.

My main issue is that they added resveratrol, and ... it appears they maybe canceling the telomerase effect out.
I hope they release the scientific data regarding telomerase activation... using the proprietary blend, and not just the super secret ingredient.

Cheers
A

Wasn't there an article recently on Popular Science on Dr. Bill Andrews about telomeres?

Yes neoP,

But it doesnt have the details about the material tested.

I can see that you are pretty new to the forum, and just signed up at the end of last month, so i bid you a big welcome to the forum!

However myself, like many others would love to see studies on new and innovative products or the materials. Stories and marketing are interesting, but its value is rather limited here in these forums without any papers we can dig into.

Cheers
A

I see "Terminalia Chebula" in the list and assume that this is the super secret ingredient which is probably the one that does the telomerase activation, as we had this one in our product as well.

My main issue is that they added resveratrol, and ... it appears they maybe canceling the telomerase effect out.
I hope they release the scientific data regarding telomerase activation... using the proprietary blend, and not just the super secret ingredient.

Anthony, do you know if there is a requirement to list ingredients in order of largest percentage to smallest, or can they list them in random order. It's conceivable that the 'proprietary mixture' is 98% Terminalia Chebula and only has nanoscopic amounts of everything else to throw off their competitors. It seems odd that Sierra Sciences would attach their name to something that was a scam. What do we know about Terminalia Chebula, anyway? Does it induce telomerase expression?

Hi niner,

as always, very good questions:

Terminalia Chebula was not tested to actually activate telomerase, however it seemed to protect telomeres:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/15478203

The ethanol extract from the fruit of Terminalia chebula (Combretaceae) exhibited significant inhibitory activity on oxidative stress and the age-dependent shortening of the telomeric DNA length. In the peroxidation model using t-BuOOH, the T. chebula extract showed a notable cytoprotective effect on the HEK-N/F cells with 60.5 +/- 3.8% at a concentration of 50 microg/ml. In addition, the T. chebula extract exhibited a significant cytoprotective effect against UVB-induced oxidative damage. The life-span of the HEK-N/F cells was elongated by 40% as a result of the continuous administration of 3 microg/ml of the T. chebula extract compared to that of the control. These observations were attributed to the inhibitory effect of the T. chebula extract on the age-dependent shortening of the telomere, length as shown by the Southern blots of the terminal restriction fragments (TRFs) of DNA extracted from subculture passages.

It is certainly possible it also activates telomerase, but was not tested in the 2004 study.


Niner, the study is now found in the members only section below:
http://www.longecity...tudy-telomeres/

Remember folks, If you are not a member here and simply a registered user, you will not be able to see this item.

Cheers

A
Edited by Anthony_Loera, 17 July 2011 - 04:14 AM.

It seems odd that Sierra Sciences would attach their name to something that was a scam.

No, I don't think that's it.
Sierra Sciences is top notch in my book.

Problem is that the formulator at Isegenix may not know of the stuff that inhibits telomerase, and it could be a basic mistake that may cause the whole product to not work properly, or at all...

I think they really need to release a study on the telomerase activity when using the entire blend, otherwise... I cannot consider it as a good telomerase activator at this time.

A
Edited by Anthony_Loera, 17 July 2011 - 06:15 AM.

...
My main issue is that they added resveratrol, and ... it appears they maybe canceling the telomerase effect out.
...

Looking more closely at the Product B ingredient list, there appears to be a few other things in addition to resveratrol that have been characterized either as telomerase inhibitors or things to avoid taking with telomerase activators in other threads I've read on this site:

Milk Thistle (Silymarin)
Grape Seed Extract (tannis, Procyanidin, Pine Bark Extract, etc)
Tumeric Root (Curcumin)
Ginseng
Blueberry Fruit extract (ptereostibene)
Green Tea extract
Quercetin

Looking at the Isagenix site and all the studies and articles posed there, I got the impression they were more into the telomerase impact of dietary fiber, digestive tract cleansing, and dark chocolate and assumed their contribution would be more along those lines. Makes me wonder if the Product B ingredient list is more the work of Sierra Sciences.

I like the "Terminalia Chebula" ingregient, btw. When Astral Fruit became unavailable I found some by the Chinese herbal name of He Zi. But I only take it in the week I'm taking astragalus related things and not the week I'm taking resveatrol.

Howard

Horny goat weed(epimedium) is apparently also in vitro telomere protecting but not telomerase activating.
http://www.longecity...ium-flavonoids/

And their first listed ingredient: milk thistle(silymarin) protects telomerase activation from rapamycin in vitro. Although I'm not sure whether that means something, or that any antioxidant would have worked for that.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20838231

Silymarin inhibits endothelial progenitor cells' senescence and protects against the antiproliferative activity of rapamycin: preliminary study.
Parzonko A, Naruszewicz M.
Department of Pharmacognosy and Molecular Basis of Phytotherapy, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.

Rapamycin, an antiproliferative agent used on drug-eluting stents, induces endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) senescence through telomerase inactivation and may impair the reendothelization of an injured arterial wall, leading to thrombosis. We examined whether silymarin, a complex of flavonolignans with hepatoprotective and antioxidative properties, can protect EPCs against rapamycin-induced senescence. Mononuclear cells were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy volunteers. EPCs were cultured in endothelial cell growth medium-2 in the presence or absence of rapamycin (0.1 ng/mL) and/or silymarin (12.5–50 μg/mL). EPCs senescence–associated b-galactosidase activity, telomerase activity, and prolifertive activity were measured. The influence on tubular-like structure formation in vitro was investigated, and colony-forming assay on methylcellulose plates was performed. Silymarin increased telomerase activity 3-fold, reduced the number of senescent cells, and increased EPC proliferative activity (up to 64%) in comparison with cells cultured with rapamycin alone. Moreover, silymarin partially prevented impairment of tubular-like structure formation in Matrigel by rapamycin. These findings suggest that silymarin counteracts the inhibitory effects of rapamycin in EPCs. Silymarin may protect EPCs against the antiproliferative effects of rapamycin and restore their reconstructive ability.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/91/5/1273.abstract
Results: After multivariate adjustment, dietary fiber intake was positively associated with telomere length (z score), specifically cereal fiber, with an increase of 0.19 units between the lowest and highest quintiles (P = 0.007, P for trend = 0.03). Although total fat intake was not associated with telomere length, polyunsaturated fatty acid intake (−0.26 units, quintile 5 compared with quintile 1: P = 0.002, P for trend = 0.02), specifically linoleic acid intake, was inversely associated with telomere length after multivariate adjustment (−0.32 units; P = 0.001, P for trend = 0.05). Waist circumference was inversely associated with telomere length [0.15-unit difference in z score in a comparison of the highest (≥32 in, 81.28 cm) with the lowest (≤28 in, 71.12 cm) category (P = 0.01, P for trend = 0.02) in the multivariate model]. We found no association between telomere length and smoking, physical activity, or postmenopausal hormone use.

I ♥ Confirmation Bias: The bolded part is what interests me, and I haven't seen it highlighted yet. Anyone more knowledgeable on this subject than I am care to comment?
Edited by e Volution, 21 July 2011 - 09:19 AM.

http://www.stayoung....how-to-purchase

Product B is selling at $198 for two months supply. This is much cheaper than the $200/month 5mg TA-65 per day sold by TA Science.

Does that imply it won't be as effective as TA-65???

http://www.ajcn.org/content/91/5/1273.abstract
Results: After multivariate adjustment, dietary fiber intake was positively associated with telomere length (z score), specifically cereal fiber, with an increase of 0.19 units between the lowest and highest quintiles (P = 0.007, P for trend = 0.03). Although total fat intake was not associated with telomere length, polyunsaturated fatty acid intake (−0.26 units, quintile 5 compared with quintile 1: P = 0.002, P for trend = 0.02), specifically linoleic acid intake, was inversely associated with telomere length after multivariate adjustment (−0.32 units; P = 0.001, P for trend = 0.05). Waist circumference was inversely associated with telomere length [0.15-unit difference in z score in a comparison of the highest (≥32 in, 81.28 cm) with the lowest (≤28 in, 71.12 cm) category (P = 0.01, P for trend = 0.02) in the multivariate model]. We found no association between telomere length and smoking, physical activity, or postmenopausal hormone use.

I ♥ Confirmation Bias: The bolded part is what interests me, and I haven't seen it highlighted yet. Anyone more knowledgeable on this subject than I am care to comment?

Yeah, that caught my eye too. Confirmation Bias, or Evidence Continues to Mount...? And hey, no associations for smoking or physical activity! I guess instead of going to the gym I'll get a bacon cheeseburger and a pack of Marlboros.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/91/5/1273.abstract
Results: After multivariate adjustment, dietary fiber intake was positively associated with telomere length (z score), specifically cereal fiber, with an increase of 0.19 units between the lowest and highest quintiles (P = 0.007, P for trend = 0.03). Although total fat intake was not associated with telomere length, polyunsaturated fatty acid intake (−0.26 units, quintile 5 compared with quintile 1: P = 0.002, P for trend = 0.02), specifically linoleic acid intake, was inversely associated with telomere length after multivariate adjustment (−0.32 units; P = 0.001, P for trend = 0.05). Waist circumference was inversely associated with telomere length [0.15-unit difference in z score in a comparison of the highest (≥32 in, 81.28 cm) with the lowest (≤28 in, 71.12 cm) category (P = 0.01, P for trend = 0.02) in the multivariate model]. We found no association between telomere length and smoking, physical activity, or postmenopausal hormone use.

I ♥ Confirmation Bias: The bolded part is what interests me, and I haven't seen it highlighted yet. Anyone more knowledgeable on this subject than I am care to comment?

I would like to knw what the bolded part means too, in plain english. Anyone?

http://www.ajcn.org/content/91/5/1273.abstract
Results: After multivariate adjustment, dietary fiber intake was positively associated with telomere length (z score), specifically cereal fiber, with an increase of 0.19 units between the lowest and highest quintiles (P = 0.007, P for trend = 0.03). Although total fat intake was not associated with telomere length, polyunsaturated fatty acid intake (−0.26 units, quintile 5 compared with quintile 1: P = 0.002, P for trend = 0.02), specifically linoleic acid intake, was inversely associated with telomere length after multivariate adjustment (−0.32 units; P = 0.001, P for trend = 0.05). Waist circumference was inversely associated with telomere length [0.15-unit difference in z score in a comparison of the highest (≥32 in, 81.28 cm) with the lowest (≤28 in, 71.12 cm) category (P = 0.01, P for trend = 0.02) in the multivariate model]. We found no association between telomere length and smoking, physical activity, or postmenopausal hormone use.

I ♥ Confirmation Bias: The bolded part is what interests me, and I haven't seen it highlighted yet. Anyone more knowledgeable on this subject than I am care to comment?

I would like to knw what the bolded part means too, in plain english. Anyone?

The more linoleic acid (a kind of fatty acid) you eat, the shorter your telomere will be.
Edited by ymc, 08 August 2011 - 02:20 AM.

The more linoleic acid (a kind of fatty acid) you eat, the shorter your telomere will be.

OK thanks, and is that a cause or a correlation?

The more linoleic acid (a kind of fatty acid) you eat, the shorter your telomere will be.

OK thanks, and is that a cause or a correlation?

For now, it is a correlation

This product is only a Telomere Support supplement, not a Telomerase Activator.
It says so right on the supplement facts.

At this time, If you see any Isagenix re-seller trying to say that "Product B" activates telomerase, let me know.
According to a source close to the issue, Isagenix will take them down.

Thanks
A

Could that also support the conclusion that linoleic acid is a telomerase inhibitor? And could the waist circumference correlation similarly be equated with being overweight?

Howard

This product is only a Telomere Support supplement, not a Telomerase Activator.
It says so right on the supplement facts.

At this time, If you see any Isagenix re-seller trying to say that "Product B" activates telomerase, let me know.
According to a source close to the issue, Isagenix will take them down.

Thanks
A

The claim of in vitro activation was already made by Sierra Sciences.

This product is only a Telomere Support supplement, not a Telomerase Activator.
It says so right on the supplement facts.

At this time, If you see any Isagenix re-seller trying to say that "Product B" activates telomerase, let me know.
According to a source close to the issue, Isagenix will take them down.

Thanks
A

The claim of in vitro activation was already made by Sierra Sciences.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves... remember they mention that an ingredient in product b activates telomerase, not that the full formulation has been tested.

Remember that some of the ingredients are considered telomerase inhibitors.
So they can be canceling out any benefits.

Until someone tests the whole product, it's nothing more than hype, because of the telomerase inhibitors that the product also uses. Another thing, I don't think anyone at Isagenix ever mentions that product b has been proven to activate telomerase.


Cheers
A
Edited by Anthony_Loera, 23 August 2011 - 09:24 PM.

...And their first listed ingredient: milk thistle(silymarin) protects telomerase activation from rapamycin in vitro. Although I'm not sure whether that means something, or that any antioxidant would have worked for that.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20838231

Silymarin inhibits endothelial progenitor cells' senescence and protects against the antiproliferative activity of rapamycin: preliminary study.
Parzonko A, Naruszewicz M., Department of Pharmacognosy and Molecular Basis of Phytotherapy, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.

Rapamycin, an antiproliferative agent used on drug-eluting stents, induces endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) senescence through telomerase inactivation and may impair the reendothelization of an injured arterial wall, leading to thrombosis. We examined whether silymarin, a complex of flavonolignans with hepatoprotective and antioxidative properties, can protect EPCs against rapamycin-induced senescence. Mononuclear cells were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy volunteers. EPCs were cultured in endothelial cell growth medium-2 in the presence or absence of rapamycin (0.1 ng/mL) and/or silymarin (12.5–50 μg/mL). EPCs senescence–associated b-galactosidase activity, telomerase activity, and prolifertive activity were measured. The influence on tubular-like structure formation in vitro was investigated, and colony-forming assay on methylcellulose plates was performed. Silymarin increased telomerase activity 3-fold, reduced the number of senescent cells, and increased EPC proliferative activity (up to 64%) in comparison with cells cultured with rapamycin alone. Moreover, silymarin partially prevented impairment of tubular-like structure formation in Matrigel by rapamycin. These findings suggest that silymarin counteracts the inhibitory effects of rapamycin in EPCs. Silymarin may protect EPCs against the antiproliferative effects of rapamycin and restore their reconstructive ability.

Here's a different study that concludes that silibinin, the main component of silymarin, inhibits telomerase activity in prostate cancer cells:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/15076315

Inhibition of telomerase activity and secretion of prostate specific antigen by silibinin in prostate cancer cells.
Thelen P, Wuttke W, Jarry H, Grzmil M, Ringert RH., Department of Urology, Institute of Human Genetics, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany.

...
CONCLUSIONS:
The down-regulation of PSA by silibinin and its counteraction on DHT effects indicate that this compound can interact with the expression of genes that are regulated through the androgen receptor. Silibinin can also inhibit the telomerase activity that mediates cell immortality and carcinogenesis. The 2 effects underline the possible therapeutic use of silibinin as an antiproliferative agent in intervention for prostate cancer.

PMID: 15076315

Makes me wonder if Silymarin might be the best of all worlds... protecting telomerase activation for normal cells while being a telomerase inhibitor for cancer cells.

Howard
Edited by hav, 24 August 2011 - 08:22 PM.

Hi Howard,

I just got Product B from Isagenix, and I am forwarding it to the California lab to have it tested, since Sierra Sciences may not produce data for the full formulation.



Cheers
A

Thanks so much for doing that. You're a shining light in a sometimes murky industry.

Howard

Another thing, I don't think anyone at Isagenix ever mentions that product b has been proven to activate telomerase.


Cheers
A

Not exactly. However, in one of their brochures on Product B they state that certain ingredients (plural) have been shown to induce telomerase in vitro. Of course, the question still remains: what does the entire formulation do for telomerase?

Not exactly. However, in one of their brochures on Product B they state that certain ingredients (plural) have been shown to induce telomerase in vitro. Of course, the question still remains: what does the entire formulation do for telomerase?

Yes, that is the real question. In the pharmaceutical industry, they typically have hundreds or even thousands of compounds that show an effect in vitro. The fraction of those that will work in humans is extremely small. The fact that something has an effect in vitro is pretty slim evidence.

At first glance...

I see "Terminalia Chebula" in the list and assume that this is the super secret ingredient which is probably the one that does the telomerase activation, as we had this one in our product as well.

My main issue is that they added resveratrol, and ... it appears they maybe canceling the telomerase effect out.
I hope they release the scientific data regarding telomerase activation... using the proprietary blend, and not just the super secret ingredient.

Cheers
A

It seems odd that Sierra Sciences would attach their name to something that was a scam.

No, I don't think that's it.
Sierra Sciences is top notch in my book.

Problem is that the formulator at Isegenix may not know of the stuff that inhibits telomerase, and it could be a basic mistake that may cause the whole product to not work properly, or at all...

I think they really need to release a study on the telomerase activity when using the entire blend, otherwise... I cannot consider it as a good telomerase activator at this time.

A

RESULTS:
Resveratrol dose-dependently inhibited the onset of EPC senescence in culture. Resveratrol also significantly increased telomerase activity. Interestingly, quantitative real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that resveratrol dose-dependently increased the expression of the catalytic subunit, hTERT, an effect that was significantly inhibited by pharmacological phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) blockers (wortmannin). The expression of hTERT is regulated by the PI3-K/Akt pathway; therefore, we examined the effect of resveratrol on Akt activity in EPCs. Immunoblotting analysis revealed that resveratrol led to dose-dependent phosphorylation and activation of Akt in EPCs.-Resveratrol-induced augmentation of telomerase activity delays senescence of endothelial progenitor cells.,nih pubmed

P.S In mice resveratrol extends the lifespan of 1.) obese mice, 2.) mitochondrially induced genetic dysfunctional mice, 3.)Alzheimer's like pathology induced mice,4.) Senescence accelerated mice.

Can't seem to edit the previous should say genetically induced mitochondrial dysfunction instead of "mitochondrially induced genetic dysfunctional mice"