Aged ‘Black’ Garlic Could Help To Slow Muscle Ageing

“It’s important to recognise your more annoying traits, and mine is that I keep banging on about sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss.

In my defence, the process, which begins as early as your 30s, has been linked to a higher risk of falls, dementia, and even a shorter lifespan. It’s part of the reason strength training is so important as we age.

We’re expected to lose half of our muscle mass by 80 if we don’t work to keep the tissue healthy. But a recent study found that a chemical made by old garlic might be a useful addition to your workout routine.

This study looked specifically at aged, or “black”, garlic.

S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine, or S1PC, which is a compound found in aged garlic, seems to improve communication between mice’s fat cells and their brains. That communication appears to improve muscle strength over time.

This research found that SIPC activated liver kinase B1 (LKB1), which leads to the secretion of extracellular nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (eNAMPT).

eNAMPT is key to creating NAD+, a coenzyme crucial for cell health and metabolism. Greater NAD+ levels have been linked to better ageing.

And eNAMPT can also travel through the bloodstream to reach an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. Once there, it seems to improve muscle function.

This study showed that humans who were given aged garlic-derived S1PC had greater amounts of eNAMPT in their blood. And mice given the same compound saw reduced frailty across 31 health markers.

“We anticipate that S1PC is likely to have a broader anti-ageing effect that warrants detailed investigation,” said study author Dr Shin-ichiro Imai.

Another study author, Dr Kiyoshi Yoshioka, said: “During my clinical experience as a physical therapist, I was often frustrated to see older adults lose physical function and vitality simply because they had no specific disease requiring medical treatment. This gap in proactive care has driven my research.

“We hope our findings will help improve fitness and muscle strength in older individuals by the simple inclusion of a nutraceutical as part of the daily diet.”

But the journey isn’t expected to end there.

“We have succeeded in expanding the current understanding of how different organs coordinate responses during ageing. Further research is needed to determine improvements in muscle function in humans and to evaluate the long-term effects of S1PC,” said Dr Imai.

“The presence and possible role of LKB1 in the brain also needs evaluation.”