Senolytics - A Promising Anti-Aging Therapy, But Not There Yet

Senolytics are a new and emerging therapy that target aging cells known as senescent cells. Senescent cells, also referred to as ‘zombie cells,’ accumulate with aging, release pro-inflammatory markers, and are resistant to apoptosis, the process that shuts down/kills a cell. Senolytics aim to reduce the number of these cells, and thus impair the processes that lead to adverse conditions associated with aging, such as frailty, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more.

Not surprisingly, many companies that offer supplements and herbal therapies have jumped on this prematurely and are offering over the counter senolytics marketed as a cure all anti-aging miracle. While there is a lot of interest in senolytics, there are only a handful of clinical trials currently underway. These all tend to look at the role of senolytics in a particular disease state, such as osteoarthritis or diabetes, as opposed to aging prevention. Generally, it is far too early to demonstrate the benefit of these therapies, and still even too soon to comfortably describe long term risks and side effects.

Therefore, I do not recommend any over the counter use of senolytics, nor any off label prescribing of these therapies as of yet. It’s an exciting area of research and one that I will certainly pay attention to, but evidence is lacking on their exact benefit and safety profiles. So for now, keep to the practices that we know to be safe and beneficial for staying young and healthy - exercising with a cardio goal of 150 minutes per week, a diet high in vegetables, fruit, lean proteins, and whole grains, stress management strategies, adequate sleep, sun protection, smoking avoidance, alcohol moderation and so on!