Does taurine work against ageing?
Taurine supplements as a means of slowing ageing have not yet been proven in people. The results from animal studies are promising and sound plausible, but research in people is still entirely lacking.
Taurine (a substance that occurs naturally in your body) measurably declines as you get older. That is true in people, mice, and monkeys alike. Does that mean you should do something about it? When it comes to slowing ageing, the current answer is: no.
Animal studies are impressive: mice lived longer and in better health, and monkeys had a longer period of good health. Several ageing processes were slowed down. But mice are not people, and the researchers themselves say that studies in people are still needed.
In people, all available data come from observing groups over time: people with lower taurine levels more often have age-related conditions, but it has not been proven that low taurine actually causes this. On top of that, older adults with chronic conditions actually had higher taurine production, and that was linked to worse mental performance. This most likely points to the body trying to compensate, but it shows that the relationship in people is more complicated than in animals.
Interestingly, exercise temporarily raises your taurine level, which may partly explain why physical activity is good for you. No established amount or duration has been set for people. If you are considering taurine to slow ageing, you are doing so on the basis of animal data, not on proven effects in people.
All claims come from one central research article, supplemented by studies tracking groups of people over time and studies examining biological mechanisms. No studies in people are available that have examined ageing or lifespan as a primary goal. The evidence for people is therefore based solely on associations.
Does spermidine actually do anything against ageing?
Spermidine has a well-supported mechanism of action and promising results in animal research, but evidence that a supplement actually works in humans is still lacking. Getting more spermidine through food, such as legumes and wholegrain cereals, is a safe and sensible choice.
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.
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 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.
What do we really know about metformin and ageing?
In people with diabetes, metformin shows clear health benefits. Whether it also slows ageing in healthy people is being investigated by an ongoing study.
Do multivitamins help with healthy ageing?
Daily multivitamins appear to offer some protection for the memory of older adults, but for most other aspects of healthy ageing the effect is small or absent. If you have a confirmed deficiency in vitamins or minerals, supplementing is certainly worthwhile; do not regard it as a miracle remedy.