Plasmalogens from sea squirts reversed aging in mice — SkimNews
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- Researchers from Stanford University, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences found that dietary plasmalogens derived from sea squirts reversed multiple signs of aging in aged mice, including graying hair and cognitive decline.
- Aged mice receiving plasmalogen supplements reached the hidden platform significantly faster on the Morris water maze test after five days of training compared to untreated aged mice, behaving more like younger animals.
- Treated mice showed more synapses in better condition and substantially reduced brain inflammation compared to control mice eating a normal diet.
- Professor Lei Fu, the corresponding author, said his team found plasmalogens significantly increase molecules that aid neuron and synapse growth, and may increase synaptic membrane fluidity affecting nerve impulse transmission—possibly through the gut-brain axis.
- Sea squirts (Ascidiacea), eaten raw in Korea as meongge and in Japan as hoya, contain high levels of plasmalogens—lipids that form cell membranes and decline naturally with age.
- Reduced plasmalogen levels have been observed in patients with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, prompting researchers to investigate whether dietary restoration could protect the aging brain.
- Professor Fu personally takes a plasmalogen supplement every day and calls oral intake a "feasible therapeutic strategy" for cognitive function in older people, while acknowledging human efficacy remains unproven.
Why it matters: For Alzheimer's and Parkinson's researchers—where reduced plasmalogen levels are documented in patients—the finding opens a dietary intervention pathway beyond cosmetic anti-aging. With Professor Fu now taking the supplement based on mouse data alone, the gap between animal results and proven human efficacy makes the next clinical trial critical.
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