Five Nobel Prize Winners Back Longevity Pill

Five Nobel Prize winners are throwing the weight of their scientific achievements behind a longevity pill by Elysium Health, according to Gian Volpicelli from Motherboard.

It’s called the Basis pill and it’s being marketed as a dietary supplement and anti-aging product, tugging at humanity’s desire to find an easy way to prolong life. The company’s goal is to move beyond Botox and anti-aging creams, as those are only quick, temporary fixes — surface-level stuff. Elysium says it’s much more interested in a solution that acts on a cellular level.

Entrepreneur Peter H. Diamandis discusses his work with Human Longevity Inc., which seeks to extend the healthy human lifespan.

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By tapping into the body’s metabolic functions, the company hopes it can slow the aging process, and it believes it has found the right concoction to give the body what it needs to repair and rejuvenate itself. Researchers have focused on a way to boost the activity in the sirtuins enzymes, which are involved in cell metabolism and energy production. Past studies have found boosting this enzyme through calorie-restrictive diets has helped extend the lifespans of mice, but it hasn’t exactly been tested out on humans. Elysium has found another way to boost this activity — through NAD (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). As we get older, we have less and less of it in our bodies. The company claims that Basis contains the building blocks to maintain NAD levels as we get older.

No doubt, this kind of boastful talk about a dietary supplement would give anyone pause, especially after the New York State attorney general’s office accused several national retailers of putting unlisted (and sometimes harmful) ingredients in their vitamins. Elysium’s pill contains nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene, according to the back label. However, Volpicelli points out that these ingredients can be found in milk and blueberries. But it’s hard to ignore that five Nobel Winners are willing to put their reputations on the line for this dietary supplement — even if they’re only there in advisory roles.

The company has plans for the pill go through human trials, however it could take years before any conclusive data is released. Even with some animal testing and some anecdotal evidence from older folks already taking the pill, it’s difficult to believe.

What do you think about this pill? Would you pay $60 to try it for yourself?

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Natalie Shoemaker has been writing professionally for 6 years. After graduating from Ithaca College with a degree in Feature Writing, she snagged a job at PCMag.com where she had the opportunity to review all the latest consumer gadgets. Since then she has become a writer for hire, freelancing for various websites. In her spare time, you may find her riding her motorcycle, reading YA novels, hiking, or playing video games. Follow her on Twitter: @nat_schumaker