Summary: According to researchers, a complex dietary supplement has shows anti-aging properties that appear to prevent, and even reverse brain cell loss.
Source: McMaster University.
A dietary supplement containing a blend of thirty vitamins and minerals, all natural ingredients widely available in health food stores, has shown remarkable anti-aging properties that can prevent and even reverse massive brain cell loss, according to new research from McMaster University.
It’s a mixture scientists believe could someday slow the progress of catastrophic neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS and Parkinson’s.
“The findings are dramatic,” says Jennifer Lemon, research associate in the Department of Biology and a lead author of the study. “Our hope is that this supplement could offset some very serious illnesses and ultimately improve quality of life.”
The formula, which contains common ingredients such as vitamins B, C and D, folic acid, green tea extract, cod liver oil and other nutraceuticals, was first designed by scientists in McMaster’s Department of Biology in 2000.
A series of studies published over the last decade and a half have shown its benefits in mice, in both normal mice and those specifically bred for such research because they age rapidly, experiencing dramatic declines in cognitive and motor function in a matter of months.
The mice used in this study had widespread loss of more than half of their brain cells, severely impacting multiple regions of the brain by one year of age, the human equivalent of severe Alzheimer’s disease.
The mice were fed the supplement on small pieces of bagel each day over the course of several months. Over time, researchers found that it completely eliminated the severe brain cell loss and abolished cognitive decline.
“The research suggests that there is tremendous potential with this supplement to help people who are suffering from some catastrophic neurological diseases,” says Lemon, who conducted the work with co-author Vadim Aksenov, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Biology at McMaster.
“We know this because mice experience the same basic cell mechanisms that contribute to neurodegeneration that humans do. All species, in fact. There is a commonality among us all.”
In addition to looking at the major markers of aging, they also discovered that the mice on the supplements experienced enhancement in vision and most remarkably in the sense of smell–the loss of which is often associated with neurological disease–improved balance and motor activity.
The next step in the research is to test the supplement on humans, likely within the next two years, and target those who are dealing with neurodegenerative diseases.
Funding: Funded by National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Bruce Power and the CBRN Research and Technology Initiative.
Source: Michelle Donovan – McMaster University
Image Source: This NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Abstract for “A multi-ingredient dietary supplement abolishes large-scale brain cell loss, improves sensory function, and prevents neuronal atrophy in aging mice” by J.A. Lemon, V. Aksenov, R. Samigullina, S. Aksenov, W.H. Rodgers, C.D. Rollo and D.R. Boreham in Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis. Published online May 20 2026 doi:10.1002/em.22019
[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]McMaster University. “Dietary Supplement May Prevent and Reverse Damage to Aging Brain.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 2 June 2026.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/aging-supplement-damage-reversal-4363/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]McMaster University. (2026, June 2). Dietary Supplement May Prevent and Reverse Damage to Aging Brain. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved June 2, 2026 from https://neurosciencenews.com/aging-supplement-damage-reversal-4363/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]McMaster University. “Dietary Supplement May Prevent and Reverse Damage to Aging Brain.” https://neurosciencenews.com/aging-supplement-damage-reversal-4363/ (accessed June 2, 2026).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]
Abstract
A multi-ingredient dietary supplement abolishes large-scale brain cell loss, improves sensory function, and prevents neuronal atrophy in aging mice
Transgenic growth hormone mice (TGM) are a recognized model of accelerated aging with characteristics including chronic oxidative stress, reduced longevity, mitochondrial dysfunction, insulin resistance, muscle wasting, and elevated inflammatory processes. Growth hormone/IGF-1 activate the Target of Rapamycin known to promote aging. TGM particularly express severe cognitive decline. We previously reported that a multi-ingredient dietary supplement (MDS) designed to offset five mechanisms associated with aging extended longevity, ameliorated cognitive deterioration and significantly reduced age-related physical deterioration in both normal mice and TGM. Here we report that TGM lose more than 50% of cells in midbrain regions, including the cerebellum and olfactory bulb. This is comparable to severe Alzheimer’s disease and likely explains their striking age-related cognitive impairment. We also demonstrate that the MDS completely abrogates this severe brain cell loss, reverses cognitive decline and augments sensory and motor function in aged mice. Additionally, histological examination of retinal structure revealed markers consistent with higher numbers of photoreceptor cells in aging and supplemented mice. We know of no other treatment with such efficacy, highlighting the potential for prevention or amelioration of human neuropathologies that are similarly associated with oxidative stress, inflammation and cellular dysfunction.
“A multi-ingredient dietary supplement abolishes large-scale brain cell loss, improves sensory function, and prevents neuronal atrophy in aging mice” by J.A. Lemon, V. Aksenov, R. Samigullina, S. Aksenov, W.H. Rodgers, C.D. Rollo and D.R. Boreham in Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis. Published online May 20 2026 doi:10.1002/em.22019
