Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is a vital lipid for proper cellular “membrane” integrity/structure and it has been known for many years that its levels robustly decline with aging. However, that findings has been described as an effect, rather than a cause, of aging. As it often happens with such observations (other examples being high lactate in cancer, decline of the “youth” hormones, decline of metabolic rate, etc) the effects is also a cause, thus forming a cycle. As such, correcting the deficiency or excess of specific biomarker of aging often has beneficial effects on the entire aging process. The study below confirms once again that PC levels are very low in aged cells, but also “surprisingly” finds that restoring those levels back to youthful levels reverses many of the biochemical hallmarks of aging. In a few interviews, Ray discussed supplementing PC as an anti-aging strategy, but emphasized that the PC must be of the saturated kind. Virtually all PC supplements on the market use the PUFA-linked choline variety, and as such are probably not only ineffective for reversing aging but may contribute to it but increasing the rates of lipid peroxidation a cell’s “membrane”.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42000749/
“…A new study published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications , led by scientists at the Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) ( Germany ), has clarified the mechanism by which mitochondria – the organelles often referred to as the “power plants” of cells – slow down over time. By analyzing human worm, tissue, and cell models, the research team discovered that the concentration of a particular lipid molecule called phosphatidylcholine gradually decreases with age. Notably, their experiments also indicated that restoring these fat levels through diet could “revive” weakened mitochondria. “Our research shows that the decrease in phosphatidylcholine synthesis is a conservative evolutionary factor contributing to the natural aging of mitochondria—a factor that has been undervalued before,” the authors said. “However, this condition is entirely reversible with dietary supplements.”
