Doubt Casts on Science Behind TA-65 Supplement

Carol W. Greider and Elizabeth Blackburn were awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in medicine for their discovery of telomerase in 1984. It was a game changer for the scientific community as it expanded upon theories about why humans age.

Telomeres are found at the end of a strand of DNA. As it is a biological marker of aging, those with short telomeres are advanced in their lifespan while children have long telomeres. It was previously believed that every time cells divide, the telomere is shortened. New research has proven that this is an oversimplification. The body has the ability to use telomerase to repair telomeres but can’t keep up with the overaccumulation of damage. Ultimately it is a losing battle for the telomeres however, at least until science finds a way to increase the activity of telomerase in the body.

Biotech companies specializing in anti-aging research such as T.A. Sciences and Sierra Sciences are attempting to find compounds that most effectively activate telomerase.

To date Sierra Sciences has screened 254, 593 compounds and have found 858 telomerase inducers. Scientists are able to keep up this break-neck speed of testing 4,000 compounds per week by using robots to do the grunt work. It appears Dr. Andrews and his team is looking for a homerun before proceeding with further studies.

Although a different company produces it, Andrews has faith that TA-65 is a supplement worth taking. The problem is that wishful thinking may be blinding his objectivity. Many of us want radical life extension treatment at our fingertips but that doesn’t make it so. Frankly, more testing needs to be done before TA-65 can be accepted into the mainstream.

Enthusiasts taking it now are experimenting on themselves. There’s nothing wrong with that as it is an individual choice. The reward of longer telomeres is great, but the costs may even bigger. Dr. West has raised concerns that TA-65 may work against the body’s natural anticancer program.

Even immortalist and tranhumanist groups aren’t buying into the hype. Some are going as far as to call the Patton Protocol a “scam” (allegedly). First off, the price is far too extravagant for the average wage earner. 6 months supply of TA-65 alone ranges from $1,200 to $4,000 depending on the dose you require. I ‘m guessing older individual are leaned towards the supercharged formula.

That’s TA-65 on the cheap. Get ready for the full course below.

• Initial tests cost $2,890.
• 6 month supply of full Patton Protocol costs $6,225.
• Lab work done by Quest Labs costs up to $890.
• Doctor’s direct consultation fees are an additional $500.
• So, the Total is a mere $10,505.
  

The second issue that raises skepticism concerns the main active ingredient of TA-65. It is a proprietary, patented formula and T.A. Sciences prefers to be vague about the contents in their literature. The problem with this is consumers can’t look up research papers on pubmed.org to confirm or disprove the company’s claims. There are rumours that it is either made from Astragaloside IV or cycloastragenol. Both are extracted from the herb Astragalus, the ladder being the most potent version.

The third and final concern is the potential cancer threat. In a Life Extension Foundation article, Dr. West wrote:

“To overuse the car analogy, in aging we see a highway littered with cars that have run out of gas, so to speak. So the question is can we find a way to fill up the gas tank of the aging cells in our body, to reawaken telomerase just enough to rewind the clock of cellular aging without causing an undue risk of runaway cells and cancer.”

TA-65 may very well be the first effective “youth pill” not to be a total sham. Without conclusive evidence that it does indeed work, parting with $1,200 to $10,505, depending on the extent of the treatment seems imprudent.

If you aren’t a fabulously rich individual with the spirit of a mad scientist, stick with resveratrol. Although its anti-aging powers uncertain as well, at least it has a pile of research papers citing numerous health benefits to back it up.