⚠️ STRONG DISCLAIMER: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Supplements can interact with medications and have side effects. Many compounds discussed here are prescription drugs or research chemicals. Never self-prescribe. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.

🦠 NEW: The Microbiome Runs the Show

Your gut bacteria control inflammation, brain health, and how you age — and every supplement you take talks to them. Read our deep dive into the science.

Every supplement page below now includes a "What This Means for Your Microbiome" section.

🥈 Selenium

The essential mineral where both too little and too much increase mortality — a U-shaped curve that makes testing before supplementing mandatory.

🥇 Rapamycin

The most robustly validated longevity drug in existence. Extends lifespan in every species tested — yeast, worms, flies, and mice.

🥇 Metformin

The people's longevity drug. 60-year safety record, costs pennies. The TAME trial is testing whether aging itself can be treated.

🥈 Spermidine

Fasting's secret weapon. Triggers autophagy — your cells' internal cleanup crew. Levels drop by half as you age.

🥈 NMN

The NAD⁺ precursor at the center of the longevity debate. Restores a molecule your body loses with age — but the FDA pulled it from shelves.

🥈 Fisetin

The strawberry flavonoid that clears zombie cells. Strong results in mice — human trials are still catching up.

🥈 Ashwagandha

Ancient herb, modern evidence. 12 clinical trials show it reliably lowers stress and improves sleep. Better data than most supplements.

🥈 Hydroxyapatite

The mineral your bones and teeth are made of. Great in toothpaste — more complicated as a supplement. Know the difference.

🥈 Hyaluronic Acid

The sugar molecule that gives naked mole rats cancer resistance and 30-year lifespans — oral HA shows solid evidence for skin hydration and joint pain.

🥈 Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

Essential brain vitamin that declines with age. Correcting deficiency protects cognition, lowers homocysteine, and maintains myelin — one of the safest, most overlooked longevity moves.

🥈 Choline

The essential nutrient for brain aging — a 137,000-person study found adequate intake (465 mg/day) was linked to 32% lower dementia risk. Supports cell membranes, methylation, and acetylcholine production.

🥈 Cycloastragenol (TA-65)

The Astragalus-derived telomerase activator that lengthens telomeres in human trials — but the functional benefits remain uncertain. Best evidence in immune aging after heart attack, with 62% lower inflammation in one RCT.

🥈 Astragalus

The ancient tonic root behind TA-65. It lengthens telomeres in human trials and helps heart-failure patients, but the telomere gains haven't yet translated into measurable functional benefit.

🥈 Rosmarinic Acid

Natural polyphenol from rosemary and sage that activates AMPK, fights oxidative stress, and shows promise for metabolic health — though poor absorption limits its current utility.

🥈 SAMe (S-Adenosylmethionine)

Your body's universal methyl donor — fuels the epigenetic machinery that controls gene expression. SAMe supplementation delayed ovarian aging in mice and has decades of human safety data for depression and joint health.

🥈 Creatine

The most-studied sports supplement is also a muscle-preserving ally against sarcopenia — +0.37 kg lean mass and +7.5 kg strength in postmenopausal women when paired with resistance training, per 2026 meta-analysis.

🥈 Magnesium

Essential mineral powering 300+ reactions — low levels linked to 52% higher mortality and 33% higher dementia risk.

🥈 Glutathione

The body's master antioxidant — levels drop 30-40% with age. Boosting glutathione via precursors (GlyNAC, NAC) improves mitochondrial function, reduces inflammation, and reverses key aging hallmarks.

🥈 PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone)

A redox cofactor that promotes new mitochondria and antioxidant defenses — human trials show cognitive gains, and a 2026 mouse study found reduced midlife mortality.

🥈 Taurine

An amino acid that drops ~80% with age in multiple species. Supplementation extended lifespan in mice by 10-12% and improved health markers in monkeys. Human trials are underway.

🥈 Astaxanthin

Nature's most powerful antioxidant — crosses the blood-brain barrier, reduces exercise-induced muscle damage, and fights oxidative stress at the cellular level.

🥈 Berberine

The AMPK-activating alkaloid that lowers cholesterol and blood sugar — with an evidence base rivaling some prescription drugs.

🥈 Resveratrol

The original longevity polyphenol — activates SIRT1 and AMPK to fight inflammation and vascular aging, but limited by notoriously poor oral bioavailability and a surprising 2026 discovery of age-dependent bidirectional effects.

🥈 Quercetin

Natural senolytic flavonoid that lowers blood pressure, reduces inflammation, and may help clear zombie cells that drive aging.

🥈 CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10)

Essential mitochondrial fuel that declines with age. Strong clinical evidence for heart failure and statin-related muscle pain.

🥈 Curcumin

Turmeric's active compound — reduces inflammation and supports brain health, but only with bioavailable formulations. Multiple meta-analyses confirm cognitive and joint benefits.

🥈 Glycine

The simplest amino acid — GlyNAC combo extended mouse lifespan by 24%, and human RCTs show improved glutathione, mitochondrial function, and physical performance in older adults.

🥈 Sulforaphane

Potent Nrf2 activator found in broccoli sprouts — turns on your body's master antioxidant switch, with evidence for brain aging, muscle preservation, and reducing cellular senescence.

🥈 Vitamin D

Steroid hormone from sunlight that reduces cancer death by 16% in meta-analyses — but only helps if you are actually deficient.

🥈 EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate)

Green tea's most active catechin — activates AMPK, SIRT1, and Nrf2 simultaneously while suppressing NF-κB and mTOR, with a 2026 meta-analysis confirming anti-cancer activity across 63 animal studies.

🥇 Zinc

The second most abundant trace metal in your body — low zinc consistently predicts higher mortality, more infections, and worse cardiovascular outcomes across multiple 2026 cohort studies totaling 300,000+ patients.

🥇 L-Theanine

Green tea's calming amino acid — improves attention, sleep quality, and stress resilience without sedation. Backed by 31 RCTs and multiple meta-analyses.

🥈 Carnosine

The anti-glycation dipeptide that blocks sugar-driven protein damage — emerging human evidence for brain aging and metabolic protection.

🥈 TMG (Trimethylglycine)

The methyl donor from beets that lowers homocysteine by 10–20%, protects the liver from fatty infiltration, and supports methylation — a process that declines with age.

🥈 Rhodiola Rosea

The adaptogenic golden root with centuries of traditional use — modern RCTs confirm it reduces fatigue and improves stress resilience by modulating cortisol, protecting mitochondria, and activating AMPK.

🥈 Lithium (Low-Dose)

The trace mineral hiding in drinking water — with a 2026 nationwide US study linking higher lithium levels to lower dementia rates, and a mechanism (GSK-3β inhibition) that targets multiple hallmarks of brain aging.

🥈 Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

Essential for collagen and now shown to reverse bone marrow aging in primates — but kidney stone risk rises above 1,000 mg/day.

🥈 Black Seed Oil (Nigella sativa)

The ancient remedy with a modern mechanism — thymoquinone activates AMPK, Nrf2, and suppresses NF-κB simultaneously, with a 2026 mouse study showing direct attenuation of premature aging markers.

🥈 Probiotics

Live beneficial bacteria that strengthen the gut barrier, reduce inflammaging, and improve immune function — with a 2026 RCT showing enhanced vaccine response in adults 65+.

🥈 Niacin (Vitamin B3)

The only oral agent that lowers lipoprotein(a) — plus potent HDL-raising effects and NAD+ boosting via the Preiss-Handler pathway, though modern statin-era trials showed no added cardiovascular benefit.

🥈 Ergothioneine

Mushroom-derived "longevity vitamin" with a dedicated body transporter — 2026 metabolomics shows 5 anti-aging interventions converge on it.

🥈 L-Citrulline

The amino acid that keeps blood vessels young — lowers blood pressure 4-7 mmHg by boosting nitric oxide. Safer and more effective than L-arginine.

🥈 Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR)

The mitochondrial compound that partially reversed age-related brain decline in rats — with real but modest human evidence for memory and mood.

🥈 Nattokinase

The fermented-soy enzyme that reliably lowers blood pressure and mildly thins the blood — but the “unclogs your arteries” claim outruns the evidence.

🥈 Kaempferol

The kale-and-tea flavonol that reverses immune aging in aged mice and extends lifespan in worms and flies — the most underrated member of the senolytic family.

🥈 Luteolin

The celery-and-parsley flavonoid that clears senescent cells and protects the aging brain in mice, but is poorly absorbed with almost no human trials.

🥈 Nicotinamide Riboside (NR)

The NAD+ booster that reliably raises NAD levels in humans, though the long-term longevity payoff is still unproven.

🥈 NAC (N-Acetylcysteine)

The cysteine supplement that rebuilds glutathione, your master antioxidant that drops about 40% with age — real human trials, but a lingering cancer question.

🥈 Niacinamide

The flush-free form of vitamin B3 that cut new skin cancers by 23% in a landmark trial while feeding the NAD+ pathway.

🥈 Tocotrienols

The underappreciated half of vitamin E with human trials showing it improves fatty liver, cholesterol, and memory — but its biggest brain trial failed.

🥈 MitoQ (Mitoquinone)

The mitochondria-targeted CoQ10 that improved blood-vessel function ~42% in healthy older adults — real human trials, but no lifespan evidence.

🥈 Folate (Vitamin B9)

Methylation's essential B vitamin — gold-standard for birth-defect prevention, but large trials found no heart benefit; correct a deficiency, don't megadose.

🥈 Calcium Alpha-Ketoglutarate (CaAKG)

The energy-cycle metabolite that extended lifespan and compressed frailty in mice, and tracked with 1.8 years lower biological age in a 2026 human study — but no randomized trial yet.

🥈 Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

The B vitamin that powers 140+ enzymes — low levels track with inflammation, weaker immunity, and cognitive decline, but megadosing can damage your nerves.

🥇 Lutein & Zeaxanthin

The two eye-and-brain carotenoids behind AREDS2 — gold-standard trial evidence they slow macular degeneration, with promising but less certain brain benefits.

🥈 Panax Ginseng

The ancient "all-heal" root — its ginsenosides activate SIRT1 and AMPK, and human trials back fatigue, blood-sugar and immune benefits, though the lifespan claim still rests mostly on worms and mice.

🥈 Grape Seed Extract

The winemaking byproduct rich in proanthocyanidins — meta-analyses of 16 and 19 trials back modest blood-pressure and blood-vessel benefits, with a pristine safety record.

🥈 HMB (Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate)

The leucine metabolite that helps hold onto muscle as you age — meta-analyses back muscle-mass and strength gains in older adults, and one 652-person trial found it roughly halved 90-day mortality in malnourished hospital patients.

🥈 Epicatechin (Cocoa Flavanol)

The compound behind chocolate’s heart-health claims — a 21,442-person trial found a 27% lower risk of cardiovascular death (though its main goal missed), and the only human aging-clock test came back null.

🥈 Icariin (Horny Goat Weed)

The compound behind horny goat weed — a genuine PDE5 inhibitor (the same enzyme Viagra targets) with Gold-tier bone evidence in two long human trials, but its "anti-aging" and senolytic claims are still stuck in mice.

🥈 Lycopene

The tomato carotenoid with real human-trial data for lowering LDL and blood pressure and shielding skin from UV — but the evidence favors food over pills.

🥈 Saffron

The world's most expensive spice — meta-analyses show 30 mg/day rivals antidepressants for mood, and randomized trials back it for vision and mild cognitive decline.

🥈 Boron

The underrated trace mineral for bone, joint, and hormone health — controlled studies show 3 mg/day cuts calcium loss and raises estrogen and testosterone, and a rheumatoid-arthritis RCT improved disease scores.

🥈 Caffeine & Coffee

The world’s most-consumed drug — linked to lower all-cause mortality, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and dementia risk across dozens of large studies. Keep it unsweetened, filtered, and before the afternoon.

🥉 Trehalose

The autophagy-boosting "resurrection sugar" that extends worm lifespan and protects neurons in Huntington's and ALS mice — but it's still sugar, and human anti-aging evidence is zero.

🥈 Ursolic Acid

Apple peel’s “exercise mimetic” that builds muscle and fights fat in animals — with a solid mechanism, but human muscle trials so far have come up empty.

🥈 Genistein

The soy isoflavone that gently mimics estrogen — strong human trials for bone, metabolic, and cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women, but no lifespan data in mammals yet.

🥉 Benfotiamine

The fat-soluble vitamin B1 that blocks AGE formation and extended lifespan in Alzheimer’s-model mice — but the big human trials have not delivered yet.

🥇 Shilajit

The Himalayan "mountain resin" — double-blind human trials show it raises testosterone, preserves bone density, and supports mitochondria. Use only purified, standardized extracts.

🥈 Ginkgo Biloba

The world’s most-studied brain herb — large trials show it does NOT prevent dementia, but it may modestly help existing dementia symptoms and vertigo. Watch the bleeding risk.

🥉 Xanthohumol

The hops flavonoid that activates Nrf2, AMPK, and SIRT1 all at once — extended fruit-fly lifespan 14.9%, but human proof is still missing. Mind the phytoestrogen caveat.

🥈 L-Carnitine

The mitochondrial fatty-acid shuttle with a 27% mortality reduction in heart-attack trials and solid male-fertility evidence — but mind the TMAO caveat if you eat lots of red meat.

🥈 Cinnamon

The kitchen spice that modestly lowers fasting blood sugar across three meta-analyses — but choose low-coumarin Ceylon over cassia if you take it daily.

🥈 Aged Garlic Extract

The odorless, aged form of garlic with strong human evidence for lowering blood pressure and slowing arterial calcification — and an emerging (preclinical) NAD+ muscle-aging mechanism.

🥈 Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)

The "mushroom of immortality" — real human evidence for immune support and lower inflammation, but Cochrane reviews found no benefit for blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, or cancer.

🥈 C15:0 (Pentadecanoic Acid)

The "longevity fatty acid" in dairy — large studies link higher C15:0 to lower diabetes and heart disease, but the "essential" claim is industry-linked and lifespan benefits are unproven.

🥈 Indole-3-Propionic Acid (IPA)

The gut bacteria-made "postbiotic" linked to lower diabetes risk that extended fly lifespan and rebuilt muscle and bone in aged mice.

🥈 Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

The mitochondrial B-vitamin with RCT evidence for migraine prevention and a gene-specific blood-pressure benefit in MTHFR TT carriers.

🥈 MCT Oil

The ketone-boosting fat that gives the aging brain a backup fuel — real RCT signal for early memory decline, but only in people without the APOE4 gene variant.

🥈 Vitamin A (Retinol)

Essential but double-edged — proven to reverse skin aging topically, yet oral beta-carotene megadoses raised lung cancer in smokers.

🥉 Vitamin E

The world’s most famous antioxidant — and longevity’s biggest cautionary tale. Large trials found no heart, cancer, or lifespan benefit, and 400+ IU/day may raise risk; it only shines for fatty liver.

🥉 Cordyceps

The caterpillar fungus whose cordycepin flips the AMPK energy switch — real lifespan gains in worms and sirtuin activation in cells, but human evidence is for kidney and recovery, not longevity.