An oral supplement intended to stimulate a natural body process appears to promote muscle endurance and mitochondrial health in humans. New research suggests that the supplement, urolithin A, may help improve or prolong muscle activity in people who are aging or who have diseases that make exercise difficult.
The paper was published in JAMA Network Open.
“This is relevant both to people with chronic diseases and people who want to be more active later in life,” said the lead author, David Marcinek, a professor of radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. His research has focused on the role of mitochondria in aging and chronic disease.
Urolithin A is a byproduct of a person’s gut bacteria and a diet comprising polyphenols found in pomegranates, berries and nuts. Because diet, age, genetics and disease affect the makeup of the gut microbiome, people produce urolithin A at variable rates. The compound also is produced and sold by dietary supplement companies.
Supplemental urolithin A has been shown in animal tests and molecular studies of humans to stimulate mitophagy, a process that Marcinek explained as “mitochondrial quality control.”
