TA-65
TA-65 is a proprietary, purified extract enriched in cycloastragenol, from Astragalus membranaceus. T.A. Sciences markets it (under license from Geron), and sells it to you as a telomerase-activating dietary supplement. The human data are sparse. Salvador et al. (Rejuvenation Research, 2016) ran a 1-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 117 CMV-positive adults, with modest effects on telomere length. A later 500-subject Geriatrics trial reported a small drop in senescent CD8+CD28- T-cells. But no rigorous RCT shows a benefit on hard healthspan endpoints (frailty, death, dementia, or cardiovascular events). In 2018, the FTC issued a complaint and a final consent order against its marketing claims. In the US, TA-65 is regulated as a dietary supplement under DSHEA, not as an approved drug. And the EU treats astragalus extracts as food supplements.
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Sources
- Salvador L, Singaravelu G, Harley CB, et al. (2016). A Natural Product Telomerase Activator Lengthens Telomeres in Humans: A Randomized, Double Blind, and Placebo Controlled Study. Rejuvenation Researchdoi:10.1089/rej.2015.1793
- Singaravelu G, Harley CB, Raffaele JM, Sudhakaran P, Suram A. (2021). Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial Demonstrates Telomerase Activator TA-65 Decreases Immunosenescent CD8+CD28− T Cells in Humans. OBM Geriatricsdoi:10.21926/obm.geriatr.2102168
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission. (2018). FTC Complaint and Stipulated Order against Telomerase Activation Sciences (TA-65 marketing claims)