Protein Cocktail the Latest 'Elixir of Life' Contender

(Oct. 6) -- A combination of amino acids -- the key components of proteins -- might one day offer a significant longevity boost for humans, especially the elderly and the ailing.

And the mixture is already available for sale: known as BCAA nutritional supplements, they're a common go-to for athletes and body builders.

An Italian research team, studying middle-aged male mice, found that an elixir of three amino acids -- valine, leucine and isoleucine -- increased the animals' lifespan by 12 percent.

For the mice, that amounted to about 100 days. The same difference in humans, relative to average American lifespans, would equate to nearly an extra decade.

The mice receiving the cocktail, which was prepared in a water mixture, also had improved muscle coordination and superior stamina compared to the control group.

At a biological level, cells of the mice pumped up their production of mitochondria -- so-called "energy storehouses" for the body's myriad functions -- in heart and muscle cells. They also benefited from a reduction of cellular damage caused by free radicals.

Writing in the journal Cell Metabolism, the team members said their findings might one day apply to humans.

"Our study offers a rationale for deeply exploring the role of amino acids in prevention and control of age-related disorders in humans," the study reads.

Of course, this is only the latest in an ongoing series of studies, discoveries and lifestyles touted as an antidote to aging. Most of those, from human growth hormone supplements to DHEA, have fallen short of success after subsequent investigation.

Resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, is the most recently buzzed-about anti-aging breakthrough. But while initial studies suggested that the substance could boost cellular lifespan, the findings were largely debunked in a paper published last year.

And whether or not subsequent studies confirm the effectiveness of BCAA supplements in humans, other research is making rapid strides in uncovering the role of genetics in lifespan.

Those findings could one day lead to personalized longevity medicine that allows doctors to make lifestyle recommendations for longer life based on a patient's own genome.