Youth potion to become novel food ingredient?

By 14. March 2014Blog, Nutrition, Taste

News this week from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website that they want your views on allowing cycloastragenol as a novel food ingredient.

Cycloawhat? I expect you are thinking. Well, it is a compound extracted from a plant in the pea and legume family, so we are not talking about an artificial additive.

There have been a number of studies that suggest it is able to activate telomerase. Basically we have short repeating bits of DNA in our cells called telomeres that get shorter as we get older. Telomerase should counter this effect leaving us with longer telomeres and therefore “younger”.

The application is on behalf of a company called Telomerase Activation Science Inc. Anyone interested in submitting their views has until the 31st March to do so.

The call for views can be read on the FSA website.