New life for aging cells? Pill boosts memory in mice

The products: Age-defying products that target wrinkles or gray hairs are missing one of the real driving forces behind aging. Over the years, cells throughout the body lose mitochondria, tiny powerhouses that provide energy for all sorts of vital functions. This cellular power-outage is one reason older people limp along with a fraction of the zip and pep that they enjoyed in earlier days.

Aging mitochondria may do more than sap energy. In recent years, some scientists have speculated that worn-out power factories in the cells may contribute to a host of age-related problems including memory loss, Parkinson's disease and Type 2 diabetes.

If it were somehow possible to restore mitochondria, they reason, it might also be possible to reclaim some youthful health and vigor. That's the premise behind Juvenon, a widely advertised "anti-aging" supplement that contains alpha lipoic acid (ALA) and acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR), two natural compounds that could -- in theory, at least -- give mitochondria a boost. ALA is a strong antioxidant that may help protect mitochondria from age-related damage, and ALCAR is a molecule that helps deliver fuel into the mitochondrial furnaces.

Animal studies from a few years back provided the first evidence that ALA and ALCAR could bring new life to aging mitochondria. As a researcher noted in a 2002 press release from UC Berkeley, old rats fed the compounds "got up and did the Macarena." (No word on how rats discovered this dance fad or what they'd do now. Maybe crunking.)

Juvenon, sold over the Internet and through phone orders, is not available in stores. Each tablet contains 500 milligrams of ALCAR and 200 milligrams of ALA. Users are instructed to take two tablets each day with food. A bottle of 60 tablets -- a month's supply if you follow the directions -- costs about $34.

Other companies have entered Juvenon's territory. A month's supply of an ALCAR and ALA supplement from GNC costs about $20 per month.

The claims: A magazine ad for Juvenon says the supplement can "recharge the energy in your body's aging cells." The company website says users often enjoy "more energy, sharper and better memory, more restful sleep, healthier blood pressure, shinier hair and younger looking skin."