Friday June 20, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- A report published in the May 14, 2014 issue of Experimental Gerontology suggests taking glycerol supplements may have the same effect of calorie restriction which is known to extend the lifespans of low animals.

Many people would find it hard to practice calorie restriction and research has been conducted to seek alternative ways to extend humans' lifespan.  Glycerol is a dietary supplement that renders the same life-extending effect as calorie restriction does.

The life-extending effect of glycerol is realized by shifting metabolism away from glycolysis and towards oxidative phosphorylation," according to the report authored by T.W. Snell and R. K. Johnston at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

In addition to lifespan extension, glycerol supplementation is said to provide other benefits including improving stress resistance, enhancing locomotory and mitochondria activity.

The authors tested in rotifers, commonly called wheel animals, a glycerol supplement in a dose of 150 to 300 mM and found the supplement extended mean lifespan by 40 to 50 percent.  The level of glycerol used was only three times higher than the baseline concentration in rotifer tissues, the authors reported. This means that the amount of glycerol needed is too high to manage.

In this experiment, glycerol supplementation reduced rotifer reliance on glycolysis and decreased the pro-aging effects of glucose, mitigated damage induced by protein aggregation, improved rotifer swimming performance in the older animals, and maintained more mitochondrial activity.

Glycerol supplement also "increased resistance to starvation, heat, oxidation, and osmotic stress, but not UV stress," the authors reported.

Even better, the lifespan extending effect of glycerol was able to be enhanced when the supplement was used along with the hexokinase inhibitor 2-deoxyglucose.  This combinational supplementation allows use of lower yet efficacious doses which induce less toxic side effects. (David Liu, PHD)

Snell TW, Johnston RK.  Glycerol extends lifespan of Brachionus manjavacas (Rotifera) and protects against stressors.  Experimental Gerontology. 2014 May 14.