Baylor College of Medicine scientists found that GlyNAC supplements slowed aging cognitive decline in mice. Study published in the journal antioxidants.
The scientists worked with three groups of mice. The two groups survived under the same conditions to 90 weeks of age, which corresponds to 70 years in humans. At 90 weeks, both groups took mental tests: they needed to remember the correct path to food in the maze.
Their results were compared with those of young mice in the third group. Then one group of elderly mice went on a diet supplemented with GlyNAC, while the other group lived as usual. GlyNAC is a combination of glycine and N-acetylcysteine, a precursor to the antioxidant glutathione.
Compared with young mice, older mice had multiple brain abnormalities, including cognitive impairment and glutathione deficiency and associated severe oxidative stress. This resulted in impaired cellular energy production in mitochondria and increased inflammation. Previous studies have shown that these factors lead to an increased risk of memory problems.
GlyNAC supplementation corrected brain glutathione deficiency, improved brain glucose transport and improved energy production in brain cells. This resulted in improved cognitive performance in rats.
The results are consistent with improvements seen with GlyNAC supplementation in the elderly, as reported in the authors’ pilot study in 2021. Therefore, the new results are likely to apply to humans. The scientists noted that human studies only allow for measurements at the whole body level. A study in rats investigated the effect of supplementation directly on the aging brain.