The Supplement Industry is a Corrosive Presence, Lacking in Integrity
Senolytic therapies selectively destroy senescent cells, an important cause of inflammation and tissue dysfunction in older individuals. Removal of senescent cells via pharmacological means produces impressive demonstrations of rejuvenation in old mice, reversing the progression of many different age-related conditions. An intermittent or one-time high dose of fisetin has been tested as a senolytic in mice, and showed surprisingly good results. Why surprising? Because the similar compound quercetin does not appear to be meaningfully senolytic on its own. Quercetin improves the ability of the senolytic dasatinib to kill senescent cells; the combination of dasatinib and quercetin was the first pharmacological approach to senolytics tested in mice. The surprise is that fisetin on its own does just as well as dasatinib and quercetin at destroying senescent cells in mice, if the one study showing that outcome is to be taken at face value.
Fisetin is not a widely used supplement, relatively speaking, but it has been used for a good number of years, at doses 30-fold lower than the senolytic dose. What are the odds that an ability to produce sizable gains in human health in late life via an existing supplement was overlooked because a much higher dose was needed? We can debate the possible answers to that question, but it is better to wait for the results of an ongoing clinical trial of fisetin at these higher doses. One might also take a look at the Forever Healthy Foundation report that summarizes what is known of fisetin as a senolytic.
The supplement industry, of course, never waits on clinical trials. It is also an industry well practiced in the matter of lying by omission, distorting scientific findings, and selling hope and fraud rather than factual data. As might be expected given that history, one can presently find any number of groups selling "senolytic" supplements bearing small amounts of fisetin. Similarly for quercetin.
I'm going to point out Elysium Health as a particularly egregious example of this sort of thing, as it was founded by noted scientists in the aging research field, and continues to be associated with the Mayo Clinic, an institution presently carrying out clinical trials of senolytic therapies. If one looks at the latest marketing effort from Elysium that capitalizes on the efforts of researchers, in order to extract money from the credulous and the hopeful, you will find that they do not even say how much fisetin is included in their new product. They tout its link to clinical trials while deliberately obscuring the information needed to validate that the protocol offered is the same. Everyone involved in Elysium Health and its relationship with the research community should be ashamed of themselves.
This is a pointed example of the way in which the supplement industry is corrosive of integrity. I am all in favor of more of the safe senolytics being made more accessible to more people, with guidance on how to follow existing clinical trial programs. Even in advance of confirming human data, if a part of the supplement rollout is to produce equivalent data from a population of supplement users. The formal trial process is too slow, and good data can be obtained at less cost and more rapidly via other means. But there is a right way and a wrong way to go about this, and supplement industry companies near always choose the wrong way. This latest Elysium product adds little, and obscures much.
Elysium Health Announces the Launch of FORMAT Advanced Immune Support
Elysium Health, a leading life sciences company developing clinically validated health products based on advancements in aging research, today announced the launch of FORMAT, the first and only immune product to uniquely pair a daily immunomodulatory supplement with an intermittent senolytic complex to combat the effects of immune aging and provide complete immune support. The Senolytic Complex contains a powerful blend of quercetin and fisetin to help the body manage senescent cells, which supports healthy immune function and combats immunosenescence.
We now have access to substances called senolytics that, when administered on an intermittent basis, help to clear these problematic cells, supporting healthy immune function and helping the body respond to immunosenescence. Format incorporates micronutrients - necessary for baseline immune function - and pairs them with powerful senolytic compounds to keep your immune system functioning optimally. The formulation of Format's Senolytic Complex is based on research led by James Kirkland, M.D., Ph.D., Elysium Scientific Advisory Board member and director of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging at Mayo Clinic. This research has shown that senolytics are effective when administered intermittently.