What Is mTOR & Its Possible Link to Longevity?

Do you know what your mTOR is doing? If not, we’d say that makes you fairly normal. You might have come across this word while researching ways to live a longer, healthier life, or you may have a genuine interest in science and know how it plays a role in longevity and accelerated aging.

Whether you are new to mTOR or not, we’ll explain everything you need to know about this protein that is found in the body, explaining what it does and how you can manipulate it to biohack your long-term health and live a longer, healthier life. 

mTOR Basics

mTOR was discovered by a student scientist named Dr. David Sabatini. Discovering mTOR in mammals, he was able to hypothesize that inhibiting the function of mTOR, which stands for mammalian target of rapamycin, could extend the lifespan of worms, yeast, and mice. 

mTOR is a protein that regulates several cellular functions, including the creation of new cells (cell proliferation), cellular autophagy (the process of recycling old cell parts into new ones), and cellular death (apoptosis). mTOR is involved in numerous signaling pathways in the body. 

What Does mTOR Do Inside the Body?

mTOR forms two specific complexes (known as mTOR complex 1 or “mTORC1” and mTOR complex 2 or “mTORC2”). 

• mTORC1 is associated with cell growth factors, nutrient uptake, and cell energy supply. This complex mostly involves cell growth.

• mTORC2 is associated with the creation of new cells.

mTOR is also involved with our cells’ nutrient-sensing pathways, which means if we target it, we can modulate one of the ways that the cells age (deregulated nutrient sensing). 

When mTOR Goes Wrong

Too much mTOR signaling can cause an environment of inflammation and negative health outcomes. In animal studies, a slight increase of mTOR activity was shown to reduce lifespan by up to 20%. While mTOR activity is necessary, an overabundance of mTOR activity accelerates the aging process. 

MTOR is involved with several of the pathways that are used by longevity researchers to explain how we age biologically. Biological aging happens inside our cells through 12 processes, which have been dubbed the 12 hallmarks of aging.

The 12 Hallmarks of Aging

Aging happens both chronologically and biologically. We can’t do anything to change chronological aging or the type of aging that occurs due to the passage of time. We can, however, manipulate the way our body ages biologically. 

Biological aging happens due to: 

• Changes in how our cells communicate with each other. Cells need to be able to communicate with each other to ensure proper homeostasis among important cellular functions (like glucose uptake and body temperature).

• Genomic instability. Biological and chemical changes in our environment can change how our cells proliferate. This is most commonly observed in cancer cells and is associated with aging.

• Telomere attrition. Our chromosomes are protected on the ends by telomeres, but with age, telomeres become shorter, and a portion of vital DNA is lost in this process.

• Epigenetic alterations. This refers to alterations made by our own activities and lifestyle (like our diets, exercise patterns, sleep habits, etc.).

• Loss of proteostasis. Proteostasis refers to the pathways cells use to create vital proteins. The pathway involves the synthesis of the protein to degradation. 

• Deregulated nutrient sensing. Cells need to recognize and effectively use the nutrients we ingest. Over time, our cells lose the ability to recognize how much of which nutrients are needed. 

• Mitochondrial dysfunction. The energy factories inside our cells lose their power as we age. Mitochondrial function begins to decline, and the mitochondria produce less ATP (energy) and more reactive oxygen species (ROS). 

• Cellular senescence. As cells age and lose their function, they should reach a state of apoptosis or cell death. However, with age, our cells stop working before their programmed death. This is called cellular senescence and occurs when these cells do not die but instead remain in the body, creating inflammation and an atmosphere of toxicity.

• Stem cell exhaustion. Stem cells can morph into whatever type of cell the body currently needs. However, with age, stem cells lose their function, too.
  
• Disabled macroautophagy. Autophagy is the body's process of reusing damaged cell parts. Autophagy declines with age, and this reduction plays a role in physiological aging and age-associated disorders.
  

• Chronic inflammation. Higher levels of pro-inflammatory markers are often seen in aging adults and can predict the risk of cardiovascular diseases, frailty, and physical and cognitive function decline.
  

• Dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is a significant change in gut microbiota. A microflora imbalance can cause several diseases and can contribute to aging. The slower intestinal motility of aging can result in changes in nutrient exchange and microbiota composition. 

These 12 processes are all thought to cause our bodies to age biologically, but there’s a catch. Through diet, exercise, and new “biohacks,” we can change how quickly these processes happen and, as a result, slow the biological aging process. 

mTOR is important because it plays a role in many of these functions, which means that to slow the aging process, we need to balance our mTOR function. 

How Do We Balance mTOR?

Now that you know the basics of mTOR function and biological aging, we can combine the two topics and get a better understanding of how modulating mTOR function may help with longevity.

There are several ways we can balance mTOR function.

Diet

Intermittent fasting is one method that may help modulate mTOR function. The process of intermittent fasting is thought to force cells into autophagy, the process of cellular cleanup that helps clear out inflammatory, damaged cell parts and recycle them into usable parts.

Exercise

Some mTOR activity is beneficial. Strength training, for instance, is one way to activate mTOR activity and help build muscle. mTOR is activated when the muscles are used and help create new cells to build new muscle tissue. 

Activating AMPK

AMPK is a molecule that regulates numerous metabolic functions in the body. When AMPK is activated, mTOR is deactivated. Strategically activating AMPK helps regulate mTOR function and restore total body homeostasis. 

MTOR Inhibiting Medications

Several medications are available which are typically prescribed to patients that need higher levels of mTOR inhibiting function. These medications are used in the treatment of tumors to help decrease and prevent tumor growth. No one should take these medications unless prescribed by a doctor. 

If you are already on the intermittent fasting train and exercising regularly, there’s another way you can target mTOR function and improve your health span and longevity: by taking a C15:0 supplement like fatty15. 

What Is Fatty15?

Fatty15 is the first and only supplement that contains the pure, vegan-friendly version of C15:0. C15:0 is an odd-chain, saturated fatty acid that is essential, meaning our bodies need it to thrive but cannot readily make it on their own. 

Discovered by scientists researching longevity in dolphins, this powerful fatty acid has the ability to address six out of the 12 hallmarks of aging, resulting in this molecule being recognized as The Longevity Nutrient. 

How Does It Work?

C15:0 works by integrating into our cells and improving the way they function, repairing and restoring them, and supporting balance in numerous processes throughout the body.

Inside our cells, C15:0:

• Keeps cell membranes strong; up to 80% stronger, according to research.
  
  
• Restoring mitochondrial function by increasing ATP levels and reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS).
  
  
• Activating AMPK, the molecule that helps modulate mTOR and improves total body homeostasis.
  
  
• Activating PPAR receptors that control functions like mood, sleep, and appetite to help restore balance.
  
  
• Helping trigger cell cleanup and lowering levels of proinflammatory cytokines, a key driver in aging.
  
  
• C15:0 has also been shown to improve liver enzymes, encourage a healthier gut microbiome, and lower “bad” LDL cholesterol. 

What Happens If I Don’t Get Enough C15:0?

C15:0 is so essential for our long-term health that not having enough of it in the body leads to a deficiency known as Cellular Fragility Syndrome. This syndrome results in our cells becoming weak and ultimately dying through a process called ferroptosis, which is a type of cell death that accelerates the aging process and can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (now called MASLD), cardiovascular decline, and cognitive issues. 

Thankfully, improving your C15:0 levels is not only easy but also helps fix Cellular Fragility Syndrome. Optimal levels of C15:0 are between 0.2% and 0.4% of a person’s total fatty acid count. One fatty15 capsule per day contains pure C15:0 and is normally enough to elevate our C15:0 levels, prevent Cellular Fragility Syndrome, and improve our metabolic, liver, immune, red blood cell, and cognitive health.

Can’t I Just Get C15:0 From Food?

C15:0 is primarly found in full-fat dairy products like whole milk and full-fat butter. Increasing your intake of these foods would be problematic for a few reasons.

1. It’s mixed with bad fats. Although whole milk (and butter) contain the essential C15:0 you need, they contain more uneven, “bad” saturated fat you don’t. This type of fat is consistently associated with negative health outcomes.
   
   
2. It’s packed with calories. The reason you probably drink skim milk or plant-based milk might be to avoid the massive amount of calories that are packed inside whole milk. Just one cup is about 150 calories and contains sugar from lactose. Just so you know, plant-based milks are completely void of C15:0.
   
   
3. Absorbency isn’t as efficient. The body has to break down the C15:0 from branches of triglycerides in whole milk before it can use it, making the process less efficient.
   
   
4. It involves cows. If you are vegan or avoiding animal products, whole milk and butter aren’t options. 

Fatty15 is already in its most bioavailable free fatty acid form, contains only the good fat you need, and none of the other pro-inflammatory fats that you don’t. It is just one calorie and helps strengthen your cells and improve your long-term metabolic, liver, immune, red blood cell, and cognitive health.

Live Long and Healthy

A longer, healthier life is possible by optimizing your diet, exercise routine, and supplement stack. Fatty15 helps balance your body, target the hallmarks of aging, and is an easy way to invest in your future. 

Balancing your mTOR and cellular health is possible when you understand how these concepts work to keep your body healthy. Consider fatty15 as your ultimate biohacking supplement to protect your cells against aging.

Sources:

mTOR signaling pathway and mTOR inhibitors in cancer: progress and challenges | Cell & Bioscience | Full Text

Hallmarks of aging: An expanding universe | PubMed

Aging speeds up and lifetime shortens in animals whose cells ‘believe’ to have too many nutrients, despite following a normal diet | CNIO

Cardiometabolic Medications That Inhibit mTOR Might Help Prevent or Treat Cancer

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

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

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

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