Should the Consumer Population Purchase Juvenon To Slow Down the Aging Process?

Should the Consumer Population Purchase Juvenon To Slow Down the Aging Process?

Miniaci Performing Arts Center

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have conducted a clinical study which claims to slow down the aging process of cells, by restoring proper carnitine acetyltransferase (CAT) function via combining the substrate acetyl L-carnitine (ALCAR) with alpha lipoic acid (LA). CAT is an enzyme involved in the breakdown of food molecules in the mitochondria. One result from this study is the commercially- available health supplement, Juvenon. This "award winning team of scientists" claim thatJuvenon, as advertised in Popular Science magazine promotes healthy brain cell functioning, slows down the clock on your aging cells, sustains energy levels and increases metabolic efficiency. They hypothesize that CAT, becomes damaged due to byproducts of lipid peroxidation which decrease binding affinity (Km) of ALCAR and acetyl CoA in aging cells. This was tested by exposing the CAT to Malondialdehyde (MDA)and 4-hydroxy-nonenal(HNE) which are byproducts of lipid peroxidation. The subjects used during this study were 344 laboratory rats. The methodology of this experiment used two techniques which include Ex Vivo Oxidation and In Vitro Oxidation. The results from both the In vitro and Ex vivo oxidation methods demonstrated that ALCAR alone did not lower the Km , but when it interacted with LA, a decrease in lipid peroxidation did occur. The product, Juvenon as represented in the advertisement was somewhat misleading to the consumer population in that it persuades consumers to believe that the purchase of this product will slow down their own aging process, while the experimental results presented do not support this claim.