Does alpha-ketoglutarate work against ageing?
In animal research AKG clearly extends lifespan, but solid evidence in humans is still lacking. Wait for the results of the ongoing randomised trial before drawing conclusions or taking supplements.
In animal research, AKG (alpha-ketoglutarate) demonstrably extends lifespan. In roundworms this works by inhibiting an energy-producing organelle in the cell and a growth switch that also influences ageing. In fruit flies lifespan extension was likewise observed, but reproductive output declined in the process. These are real effects in living organisms, but roundworms and fruit flies are far removed from the human situation.
At the cellular level, more recent laboratory research from 2025 shows that AKG inhibits cellular ageing of stem cells from bone marrow, partly by reducing the production of damaged proteins. In old mice, a substance that stimulates AKG production improved cognition, bone density and skin quality. These are interesting indications, but this type of mouse study rarely predicts directly what happens in humans.
In humans the evidence is still very thin. A study in 42 participants without a placebo group reported that the AKG supplement Rejuvant reduced biological age on a DNA methylation clock by an average of 8 years. That sounds impressive, but without a control group you cannot attribute that effect to the supplement. Moreover, the manufacturer was involved in the research. A review article concluded that, up to that point, there were no recent human studies that genuinely demonstrate an anti-ageing effect of AKG.
The study that should settle this question is still ongoing. The ABLE study is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 120 healthy people aged 40 to 60 examining calcium-AKG (1 gram, six months). Recruitment has been completed, but results are not yet available. Only once those results are available can you say anything meaningful about whether AKG does in humans what it does in animals.
Evidence comes from animal research (roundworm, fruit fly, mouse), laboratory studies, review articles and one uncontrolled small human study with commercial involvement. The only randomised trial in humans (ABLE) has not yet published results.
Does quercetin work against ageing and inflammation?
Quercetin shows promising signals in the laboratory and in animals, but in humans there is not yet solid evidence. Taking supplements on the basis of this early-stage research gets too far ahead of the science.
Does taking resveratrol make sense as an anti-ageing strategy?
For humans there is no convincing evidence that resveratrol supplements do anything against ageing; the animal research is interesting but has not yet translated into clinical practice, so hold off on supplements until better human data are available.
What do we really know about metformin and ageing?
Metformin may extend your healthy years by helping to prevent disease, from diabetes to heart and vascular disease. Whether it also slows ageing itself in people without diabetes is for the TAME trial to show, the first large study to test that directly. If you are considering it for that reason, expect stomach and bowel complaints and a falling folate level.
Does gene therapy with klotho or follistatin work against ageing?
Gene therapy with Klotho shows promising results in mice and cells, but there are no human clinical data yet. The available sources say absolutely nothing about follistatin gene therapy in ageing.
Does stem cell therapy work against ageing in humans?
For one specific application, physical frailty in older adults, there is a first randomised trial with a positive result; for all other ageing-related applications it is too early for firm statements, and stem cell therapy cannot yet be considered a proven anti-ageing treatment.
Does hyperbaric oxygen therapy help against ageing?
HBOT shows interesting signals in small, early studies regarding telomere length and cerebral blood flow, but the evidence is too thin and too susceptible to bias to recommend it as an anti-ageing treatment. Wait for larger, independent trials before taking on the considerable costs.