Supplement Claims To Make Cells Young Again
For centuries, different products have promised to provide a 'fountain of youth' to stop the aging process.
Now, a new supplement claims to make your cells young again. But does it really work?
CBS 2's Kate Sullivan set out to find out.
Billy Turon has been taking the pill, called TA-65.
"Basically, you went from being having eyes equivalent to the age of a 66-year-old, to a 40-year-old," endocrinologist Dr. Florence Comite, told him.
Besides seeing better, the 66-year-old heart attack survivor says he feels great.
"You can feel the difference, like running up or running down the stairs," Turon said. "I mean, I don't hesitate to run up the stairs."
TA-65 claims to boost energy, improve the immune system, improve your sex life, and make skin more radiant.
Dr. Comite has been taking TA-65 herself for about eight months.
"I stopped using reading glasses over the past year, and that was a complete shock," she said.
The pill works on the premise that our chromosome ends, or telomeres, become shortened and frayed with age.
The hope is that you can tap into the fountain of youth by preserving the telomeres. Proponents claim people might also be less vulnerable to diseases linked to aging, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
"Instead of waiting for disease to happen, I am a strong believer in figuring out what's emerging and trying to prevent it," Dr. Comite said.
TA-65 comes from the astralagus plant, which is used as an immune enhancer in traditional Chinese medicine.
But not everyone is a TA-65 supporter.
"We have no large trials for this new supplement to measure what it says it's doing," said Dr. Roberta Lee, an expert in botanical medicine.
Dr. Lee instead recommends fighting the clock by eating antioxidant-rich foods, getting enough sleep, and reducing stress.
"All of those things put together is probably ten times more powerful than this new supplement, if not more," she said.
But many people we spoke with said they'd give it a try.
However, be warned that it's not cheap. TA-65 can cost as much as $200 a month depending on the dosage.
