Longevity isn’t just for humans. If people are going to live longer, the least we can do is help the loyal animals who accompany us have longer and healthier lives, too. A developer of longevity supplements for humans is planning to team up with a pet food manufacturer to try to extend their products to dogs and maybe other pets (https://longevity.technology/news/longevity-supplements-firm-eyes-pet-longevity/).
The product in question is calcium alpha-ketoglutarate (CaAKG). A company called Rejuvant has been using this molecule as the basis for all its longevity supplements. Evidence suggests that, for humans at least, it may be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis. Other potential benefits include helping maintain protein synthesis, preventing a general age-related increase in frailty, reducing biological age by an average of eight years, and causing a “compression” of morbidity that makes old age healthier.
There’s very little that loving owners won’t do for their pets. They buy them fancy food and the most expensive toys. They take them with them wherever they go. They treat them, as much as possible, as part of the family. It should come as no surprise that they’ll show a high degree of interest in anything that can improve their pet’s quality of life.
Dogs are possibly the most popular pet. They also have a lifespan that’s considerably less than ours. When you take a dog into your home, you know they’re likely to pass long before you. It makes sense that dogs would be the first animal studied. The first tests were pretty basic, but they’re just the start.
We need to determine the most effective ways to calculate the biological age of dogs, just like we do with people. It will start with small samples of average-sized dogs, but researchers will also need to work out how to adjust it for dogs of different sizes.
To do this, Rejuvant is looking to partner with a boutique dog food brand. You may have noticed that pet food is becoming increasingly complex, with more and more specialized labels with more specific health goals. This dog food manufacturer has interests that align with Rejuvant.
If a supplement can be developed for dogs, the next stage will be to try to adapt it for other animals, like cats, with different sizes and biological makeups. It probably won’t be long before pet longevity supplements start appearing on the market.
