Understanding Cellular Senescence & Its Role in Longevity

How are your cells? That’s probably not a question you are asked very often, but maybe it should be. 

Considering that every system, organ, and tissue in our bodies is made up of cells, it is very important that our cells are, in fact, doing well. As we age, it is possible for our cells to lose function, leaving us more susceptible to illness and disease.

One way cells malfunction is by becoming senescent. Senescent cells are dangerous because they’ve lost functionality, but haven’t been eliminated by the body. 

These cells can underlie many age-related illnesses and even accelerate aging. Targeting senescent cells can help support our longevity and our health span. 

What Are Senescent Cells?

Think zombies, but inside your body on a cellular level. Senescent cells are cells that have lost function but have not actually died. Instead, they lurk around inside you, taking up valuable real estate. 

Cells have a programmed lifespan. Through proliferation, cells that have become damaged or unstable reach apoptosis, or cell death. AMPK, your body’s clean-up molecule, is then activated and clears the damaged cells.

With senescent cells, the above process malfunctions at apoptosis. Instead of dying, these cells lose the ability to replicate but never die, and are never cleared from the body. They simply exist within you on permanent vacation. 

Not All Senescent Cells Are Bad

A small caveat is that some senescent cells are actually beneficial. In embryos, a particular type of senescent cell called a short-term or “acute” senescent cell helps with early development by clearing out unnecessary cells (think: the webbing between toes and fingers). 

However, these cells are eventually eliminated by the body. For purposes of longevity and aging, we’ll stick to a discussion about senescent cells that are not beneficial to the body. 

How Senescent Cells Affect Longevity

Senescent cells don’t just stick around, not harming other cells. Instead, they take up new hobbies in their retirement, like producing chemicals that are toxic to the body. 

They also continue to produce reactive-oxygen species, or ROS, which directly damage good, healthy cells. The result is a toxic, inflammatory environment inside your body. 

Having a collection of inflammatory cells in the body is great when it is needed. When the body is injured or ill, inflammation is a sign of healing. However, chronic, low-level inflammation happens when there is no immediate danger (like an illness or wound) and inflammatory cells are still present. 

This inflammation caused by senescent cells has been linked to numerous age-related illnesses, like type 2 diabetes, cancer, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and osteoarthritis. Thus, if we can arrest the levels of senescent cells we have in the body, researchers believe we can reduce our risk of developing these illnesses and improve our biomarkers for biological aging. 

Can You Test for Senescent Cells?

That’s a scary thought. How can you know if you have senescent cells, and if you do, how can you know if your levels are too high? Luckily, there’s a test to find out. 

A blood test administered by a healthcare provider can measure your levels of senescent cells to find out if you have a higher-than-normal level. If you do, don’t panic and head out with a torch and crossbow to fend off the zombies. Instead, take a few simple, actionable steps to help your body both reduce the levels of senescent cells you produce and clear away the existing ones you have. 

Reducing Senescent Cells

If you want to protect your healthspan or the ability to live healthfully, reducing your senescent cells should be at the top of your list. Some of the easiest ways to support healthy cells and improve longevity are pretty straightforward and include eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding a sedentary lifestyle, and prioritizing sleep. 

The gold standard for combating senescent cells? Taking fatty15 once per day.

Fatty15 vs. Senescent Cells

Fatty15 is a once-per-day supplement that contains the sustainable, vegan-friendly version of pentadecanoic acid, or C15:0 for short. This fatty acid was recently discovered by a team of doctors and scientists from the US Navy studying healthy aging and longevity in bottlenose dolphins. 

Dolphins with higher levels of C15:0 in their diets had a reduced risk of age-related illness compared to populations whose circulating levels of this fatty acid were lower. These scientists took their research further, and after 10 years of additional studies, confirmed that the same health benefits found in dolphins were available to humans, too. 

C15 and Human Cells

Since their initial discovery, there are now over 100 peer-reviewed publications establishing C15:0 as essential (which means we need it to thrive but have to get it from diet or supplements) fatty acid with broad benefits for our long-term health and wellness. 

Fatty15, the pure C15:0 supplement that has been shown to:

• Strengthen cell membranes by up to 80%, even after they’ve experienced age-related breakdown. As we age, cell membranes wear out, leaving our cells vulnerable and unable to maintain their function because they cannot maintain their shape. C15:0 integrates into cell membranes to strengthen our cells.
  
  
• Rescuing mitochondria. The mitochondria in our cells wear out and slow down with age. They produce less ATP (energy) and more ROS (free radicals). Fatty15 restores mitochondrial function by amping up their energy production and reducing ROS output. In one study, C15:0 improved ATP levels by 350%. Improved mitochondrial function means improved cellular function and more energy throughout the cell.
  
  
• Activating PPARɑ and PPARẟ receptors. By activating these receptors, C15:0 has been shown in peer-reviewed studies to support metabolic, immune, heart, and liver health in relevant models. These receptors also help to improve mood and deepen sleep.
  
  
• Restoring homeostasis. C15:0 helps restore homeostasis by activating AMPK, which plays a role in glucose uptake and immunity.

C15:0 has been shown to calm overactive immune systems and lower proinflammatory cytokines, key drivers of aging. By activating AMPK, C15:0 effectively clears away senescent cells and helps regulate our immune response. 

Additionally, C15:0 lowers ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, improves liver enzymes, and improves the gut microbiome. 

Even More Good News for Cells

First, the bad news. If you don’t have enough C15:0, you can actually develop a C15:0 nutritional deficiency known as Cellular Fragility Syndrome. 

Cellular Fragility Syndrome has been associated with ferroptosis, a newly discovered type of cell death that has been shown to accelerate aging and be detrimental to our long-term metabolic, heart, liver, and cognitive health. 

There had been no explanation as to why ferroptosis was happening until now. A recent publication provided evidence that explained how nutritional C15:0 deficiencies cause cellular fragility and ferroptosis. 

Most people today have C15:0 levels around 0.2% of total fatty acids. While studies support that people need to maintain circulating C15:0 levels between 0.2% and 0.4% to protect against Cellular Fragility Syndrome, there is evidence that higher C15:0 levels can further support longevity and long-term heart health. 

Interestingly, people living in Blue Zones, areas of the world where residents consistently live to be over 100 years of age, have C15:0 levels that are much higher than the global average. Their levels typically range around 0.6% of their total fatty acids. 

How Do You Know How Much C15:0 You Have?

Not sure where you stand? You can find out where your C15:0 levels are by clicking here and ordering an easy-to-use, at-home test kit. 

This kit requires a simple finger-prick blood test that is then sent to a lab for testing. Once you know your levels, you can start optimizing your C15:0 levels and decrease your number of senescent cells. Thankfully, fixing Cellular Fragility Syndrome and combating senescent cells is easy with fatty15. 

Increasing C15:0 Levels: Why a Supplement Makes Sense

Increasing your C15:0 levels with food isn’t always the best solution for several reasons. First, C15:0 is only found in trace amounts in full-fat dairy products like whole milk and the heads and skin of some fish. In whole milk and full-fat butter, you’ll get a little C15:0, but a lot more of the pro-inflammatory, ‘bad’ fatty acids. 

Absorption Issues

In milk (and other foods), C15:0 is attached to branches of lipids called triacylglycerides, aka triglycerides. That means our gut has to use digestive enzymes to break down these triacylglycerides to release C15:0 as a free fatty acid. Once C15:0 is released, it is ready to be absorbed. 

These multiple steps can make our absorption of C15:0 from foods less efficient. In contrast, FA15 (the sole ingredient) in fatty15 is a pure powder C15:0 ingredient that is already in its most absorbable free fatty acid form. Less work for the gut, more good C15:0 for our bodies.

Other Fats

While the good C15:0 fatty acids are present in whole-fat dairy products in trace levels, there are much higher levels of 'bad' even-chain, proinflammatory saturated fatty acids that continue to be associated with poorer health. 

That is probably why studies evaluating the effects of milk on our health are mixed (some say dairy fat is bad for us, while others say it is good for us). Fatty15 provides just the good fat without the bad fats.

Excessive Calories

Whole-fat dairy products provide a wallop of calories, including sugars (aka lactose). The calories in whole-fat milk likely explain why a large-scale recent study showed that adults who drink more cow milk are more likely to have a higher body weight. 

Think of it this way: are you ready to add a few glasses of whole milk to your daily diet at a whopping 150 calories per glass? Most of us don’t want those extra calories affecting our waistlines. 

Animal Involvement

The movement to more plant-based milk and meat replacements is driven by a desire for more animal-free products, veering away from cows and cattle because of concerns around methane production and ethics. Interestingly, plant-based milk replacements lack C15:0 altogether. 

Fatty15 offers a vegan-friendly C15:0, with only one calorie per dose. The clear choice for preventing Cellular Fragility Syndrome and taking care of senescent cells is fatty15. 

Marked Safe From Zombie Cells

Zombie cells (aka senescent cells) can rob us of our health and our longevity. We can fight back with lifestyle changes and the help of fatty15. Taking once daily fatty15 is one of the smartest decisions you can make to protect your long-term health and improve your longevity. 

Sources:

The role of cellular senescence in metabolic diseases and the potential for senotherapeutic interventions | PMC

Efficacy of dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acid pentadecanoic acid parallels broad associated health benefits in humans: could it be essential? | Scientific Reports

A review of odd-chain fatty acid metabolism and the role of pentadecanoic Acid (c15:0) and heptadecanoic Acid (c17:0) in health and disease

The Cellular Stability Hypothesis: Evidence of Ferroptosis and Accelerated Aging-Associated Diseases as Newly Identified Nutritional Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0) Deficiency Syndrome

Effect of an Asian-adapted Mediterranean diet and pentadecanoic acid on fatty liver disease: the TANGO randomized controlled trial | ScienceDirect

Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0), an Essential Fatty Acid, Shares Clinically Relevant Cell-Based Activities with Leading Longevity-Enhancing Compounds