- Urolithin A supplements are gaining popularity among longevity investors and influencers.
- Research shows this plant compound may recharge old cells, strengthen muscles, and boost immune health.
- Nestlé and L’Oréal have invested in Timeline, a urolithin A supplement company.
In late September, a select group of people gathered in the upscale ski town of Gstaad in the Swiss Alps for the 5th Longevity Investor Conference. Researchers and founders demoed new products, venture capitalists and CEOs discovered new partnerships.
Would-be investors were primarily looking for short-term wins, not distant moonshots. They want products that can be realistically used in the coming years, such as at-home red light therapy panels and scalable blood tests that can measure markers of aging.
This year, conversation quickly turned to the supplement du jour, urolithin A, a compound that has attracted investment from both Nestlé and L’Oréal.
Derived from the most abundant antioxidants in pomegranates, they are what gastroenterologists call “postbiotics,” which the intestines produce in small amounts after digesting foods such as berries, walnuts, and pecans. It contains bioactive compounds called ellagitannins. recent the study It has been suggested that very few of us have a microbiome (40% at most) that produces large amounts of urolithin A from diet alone.
Short-term studies have found that urolithin A supplements can help extend the lifespan of worms, help mice run longer, and increase physical fitness in humans. There is also reason to believe that topical creams and serums can have similar effects and can increase skin firmness and restore youthful elasticity.
This is a saturated market. There is no shortage of supplement companies launching unique compounds, conducting research, and trying to attract the attention of wealthy investors.
Urolithin A, especially the supplement company Timeline, is gaining ground on the fray by focusing solely on the expensive, patented form of this compound.
The company’s magic sauce combines smart branding, compelling data from well-controlled clinical trials, and evidence that its compounds appear to be effective across a variety of products, from skin care to smoothie powders. I am. Timeline research has also opened new avenues for anti-aging development pharmaceuticals.
Discovering compounds with big business potential
Timeline started in 2020 with a single supplement powder for smoothies and yogurt, but has expanded to offer capsules and a skincare range. Hilary Brooke, Business Insider
Urolithin A is a promising anti-aging compound because it promotes ‘mitophagy’, a purification process that keeps cells healthy and youthful. Helps refresh mitochondria and revitalize cells.
Timeline co-founder and president Chris Rinsch devoted himself to researching urolithin A in the early 2000s. Rinsch, a molecular biologist and former biotech VC, was impressed by early laboratory studies that demonstrated pomegranates’ effects on cell rejuvenation. He had a hunch that this postbiotic had great potential as a health product.
Starting in 2008, Rinch’s supplement company, Amazentis, has funded more than a dozen products. the study This includes relatively large, placebo-controlled trials in humans, which is rare in supplement research.
“The intention was to really bring the rigorous science that comes from the biotech industry into the nutrition field, because we felt there was potential for really important innovations to occur, especially in this area of longevity,” Rinsch said. told Business Insider.
In-house and independent researchers were immediately impressed with the nutritional supplement’s effectiveness.
“This was a dream compound,” said Johan Orwerks, one of the first independent consultants to work on Urolithin A with Amazentis.
Auwerx, who currently serves as a consultant for Timeline (and several pharmaceutical companies), is an academic researcher who studies metabolism and mitochondria. He has previously worked on industry-disrupting anti-aging supplements, including resveratrol and the NAD+ booster, a hot new supplement taken by elite biohackers and celebrities for longevity.
He found evidence that urolithin A not only extends lifespan and improves physical fitness in animal models, but can also improve physical fitness in adults between the ages of 40 and 90. This is unusual because what works in animals rarely translates so smoothly to humans.
It was good enough to run with. In early 2020, Rinsch launched the supplement brand Timeline. Davos. The company started with a powdered supplement meant to be added to yogurt or smoothies. Timeline has since added oral capsules (about $100 for a month’s supply), face cream ($250 for a bottle of day cream), and serum ($280 for a bottle).
Rinsch said the company’s sales increased 100% last year. It is predicted to double again by the end of 2024.
Dr. Mark Hyman is one of several longevity influencers promoting timelines. Getty Images
Longevity researchers are quietly impressed but urge caution
Much of Timeline’s success can be attributed to marketing. Among America’s most popular longevity influencers, including Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, longevity guru Dr. Mark Hyman, and Will Cole, Gwyneth Paltrow’s functional medicine coach. It has become popular in
Urolithin A has also attracted the attention of longevity researchers, who are generally skeptical of products that promise rejuvenation. The timeline was a topic of discussion at this year’s ARDD, the annual longevity research conference held in Copenhagen in August.
Dr. Dominik Denk, a cancer researcher at Frankfurt University Hospital in Germany, told Business Insider on the sidelines of ARDD that he believes “almost all nutritional supplements are ineffective.” But urolithin A surprised him. He studied how urolithin A affected cancer treatment in mice and was so impressed by the positive results that he conducted a follow-up study to test the effect of urolithin A on aging in healthy humans. I did.
“People just say they feel more alert, feel refreshed, and feel less short of breath,” Denk says.
Soon, he began taking Timeline himself to keep his muscles healthy and strong and avoid the chronic inflammation that is a hallmark of many age-related illnesses, from cancer to the flu.
He cautioned: “We’re not going to recommend that people on every continent just consume that stuff.” Timeline’s human studies of urolithin A have been conducted primarily in a wealthy white population in Switzerland, so researchers don’t know exactly how effective it is for everyone. do not have. Most trials lasted only a few months.
A lack of long-term data has left some researchers unsure about the true benefits of this topical supplement.
Andrea Meyer, a leading longevity supplement researcher and physician, has nothing to do with timelines, but does not know what the optimal dose, duration, or long-term effects (negative and positive) of urolithin A are. He said it was not clear. She believes the supplement has anti-aging potential and is “very safe,” but wants more research.
“I can’t say too much,” said Meyer, a professor at the National University of Singapore who also runs two longevity clinics. “To me, it’s not suitable for clinical use or for real consumer use, and it’s not ready for prime time.”
Owerks doesn’t take Timeline supplements and agrees more research is needed, but if she’s older and not as strong or sharp as she is now, He said he could also imagine trying line supplements.
Why are skincare and food giants interested in this compound?
Getty Images
It’s an unusual business model for a supplement company to focus on just one compound, but Timeline has attracted investment from Nestlé and L’Oreal, two of the world’s biggest food and cosmetics brands.
The companies are seeking to build product lines for the growing number of longevity-minded people who are prepared to spend big in the coming years in hopes of improving their health and preventing age-related decline. There is.
Orwerks said this speaks to the supplement’s rare versatility.
“Any tissue in which mitochondria are important would have potential applications for urolithins,” Orwerks said. “But it should be tested.”
Correction — October 25, 2024: An earlier version of this article misstated Chris Rinsch’s current title in the timeline. Since 2023, he has served as co-founder and president. He was previously the founding CEO.
