Scientists have been hunting for a way to stop humans from aging for decades. Some scientists think that we’ll never reverse aging. Others say we’ll have a way to prevent aging in the next 20 years. Such a claim might seem bold, but a new anti-aging supplement shows that we may be closer than you think.

The problem with aging

Dr. Rajagopal Viswanath Sekhar, an associate professor of medicine-endocrinology at Baylor College of Medicine, says that mitochondria can play a vital role in slowing down aging. Dr. Sekhar is a senior author on a new study surrounding an anti-aging supplement that extended the life span of mice by 24 percent.

Dr. Sekhar says that there are two fundamental defects that contribute to aging. The first is a dysfunction of our bodies’ mitochondrial. The second is an increase in oxidative stress. This increased stress causes harm to our body’s mitochondrial and even other components of our cells.

The anti-aging supplement that Dr. Sekhar and his colleagues tested helps mitigate these issues by correcting a decrease in glutathione. Glutathione is a natural antioxidant found in cells. This antioxidant is extremely vital in protecting our bodies from oxidative stress, as well as protection from mercury and other toxic metals.

The levels of glutathione in our bodies decrease as we age. When that happens, our bodies experience more oxidative stress, and our mitochondrial start to function less efficiently. It can also lead to loss of muscle strength, defects in our metabolism, and more.

Each of these issues is considered an important marker of our body’s aging.

So, as we age, our body becomes less efficient at making the critical resources it needs to survive. When that happens, our body begins to experience side effects that have become common signs of aging. But what if we could keep our bodies making those resources just as well when we age? That’s the idea behind this new study.

An anti-aging supplement that can extend human life

Dr. Sekhar and his colleagues found that using a supplement called GlyNAC, they were able to increase the life span of mice by correcting their glutathione deficiency. This also helped reduce oxidate stress and the dysfunction of the critically important mitochondrial.

At its core, GlyNAC is a mixture of glycine, an amino acid, and the medicine N-acetylcysteine (or NAC). When put together the two compounds act as precursors to glutathione. This allowed the scientists to stabilize the correct levels of glutathione in the mice that they tested. Which, has led them to believe this may be a tangible anti-aging supplement.

But, there’s still a long way to go. While Dr. Sekhar and his team have conducted some limited trials with the anti-aging supplement. Overall, he said they saw some promising results. But, there’s still a lot of testing that needs to be done before GlyNAC can properly be petitioned as an answer to slowing aging in humans.