Humans have been on a quest to find the ever-elusive “fountain of youth” since the beginning of time. From fad diets to expensive creams and from cold therapy to anti-aging pills – it’s clear that our species is on the hunt for ways to extend our lifespan and fight the inevitable effects of time.
But could there really be a secret to improving our longevity and maintaining vibrant health?
Scientists and doctors are finding mounting evidence that might get us one step closer to finding the key to a longer healthier life. What is this secret you ask? A little molecule known as oxaloacetate.
Today we’re going to explore one of the primary underlying causes of chronic disease and the negative effects sometimes associated with aging. Then we’ll dive into exactly what oxaloacetate is, how this miracle molecule can combat these effects, and how you can best tap into its incredible benefits. Let’s dive in.
What Is the Cell Danger Response?
Your body is made up of trillions of microscopic cells – all with their own complex structure and function. Your cells can potentially face a barrage of threats that can endanger or even kill them. Some of these dangers include:
- Microbes like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites
- Physical threats like temperature changes, salt, UV radiation, or pH shock
- Chemicals like heavy metals, plastics, pesticides, and other toxic compounds
- Psychological and emotional trauma and stressors
When your cell encounters a threat, it triggers a protective mechanism known as the cell danger response. The cell danger response is a complex cascade of metabolic changes within the cell. These changes ramp up in response to danger and ramp down when the threat has passed.
But if the cell danger response persists – essentially getting stuck on the “on” position – this altered metabolism can have some serious consequences. These metabolic changes can permeate throughout your entire body and gut microbiome resulting in impaired performance and chronic disease.
This systemic, chronic cell danger response is in part driven by a tiny organelle within your cell known as the mitochondria.1
Mitochondria and the Cell Danger Response
Mitochondria are known as the “powerhouse” of your cells. They’re responsible for ATP production via the Krebb’s cycle. When there’s threatening stimuli outside of the cell, the mitochondria interprets and stores the signals. From there the mitochondria communicate with the nucleus (the “brain” of your cell) which then triggers the cell danger response.1
These mitochondria with the “stored memory” of the threat subsequently alter the internal structure and function of the cell. And as these altered mitochondria and cells replicate, they repeatedly pass on this stored memory and the triggered cell danger response.
This magnifies the cell danger response and makes it systemic. Impaired mitochondrial function as seen in prolonged cell danger response is the root cause of countless chronic conditions, including:1
- Autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis
- Neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
- Psychological conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette’s syndrome, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Metabolic conditions like diabetes and heart disease
But there’s mounting evidence that there may be a compound capable of combating this chronic, systemic cell danger response, mitochondrial malfunction, and the health implications that go along with it. This compound comes in the form of a molecule called oxaloacetate.
What Is Oxaloacetate?
Oxaloacetate (OAA) – sometimes also referred to as oxaloacetic acid – is a small molecule naturally found and produced in every cell in your body. This little molecule plays an irreplaceable role in numerous cellular reactions and life-sustaining biochemical processes including:2,3
- Gluconeogenesis: Oxaloacetate is a critical intermediate in the gluconeogenesis pathway – a metabolic cycle that generates glucose from noncarbohydrate sources.
- Anaerobic respiration: This is a cellular process that allows cells to break down sugars to generate energy.
- The Krebs cycle: Also known as the citric acid cycle, the Kreb’s cycle is a sequence of chemical reactions within your mitochondria that manufactures the main source of cellular energy in the form of energy-rich ATP.
- Mitochondrial biogenesis: This is the process of new mitochondria formation within your cells.
- Aspartate biosynthesis: Aspartate is a precursor for a number of essential amino acids.
- Degradation of glutamate: Glutamate is an essential amino acid and neurotransmitter. But levels must be tightly regulated, as an excess of this compound can cause cellular degeneration and even death.
With so many critical functions, it’s no surprise that upping your oxaloacetate levels can have some remarkable benefits, let’s take a little deeper look at these.
Oxaloacetate Benefits: Reversing the Cell Danger Response
Oxaloacetate is quickly gaining traction as a powerful supplement when it comes to human longevity and overall health. One of the reasons oxaloacetate is showing such promise is thanks to its ability to mitigate and reverse the effects seen in the cell danger response.
In a nutshell, oxaloacetic acid reverses the cell danger response by boosting cellular health, promoting mitochondrial function, and enhancing cellular longevity.
Let’s take a little deeper look at exactly how oxaloacetate reverses the cell danger response and the specific benefits this mighty molecule can provide.
Oxaloacetate for Increased Energy
Oxaloacetate plays an intricate role in the production of ATP and overall mitochondrial health. This dual-action of bolstering mitochondrial function while fueling cellular energy production is what makes oxaloacetate such a potent energy booster.
Oxaloacetate can also improve your energy levels by elevating your mood thanks to its remarkable effects on your brain.
Neuroprotective Qualities of Oxaloacetic Acid
Oxaloacetate has been found to have a powerful effect on two important chemicals in your brain known as GABA and glutamate. Glutamate is an important neurotransmitter that must maintain a delicate balance – if left unchecked an accumulation of glutamate can overstimulate your brain cells and cause permanent damage or even cell death.
Oxaloacetate acts as a glutamate scavenger – removing excess glutamate floating around in your blood and brain. Minimizing glutamate levels is important in preventing degeneration of your neurological system – giving oxaloacetate remarkable neuroprotective qualities.5
Oxaloacetate also increases GABA levels in the brain. GABA is a neurotransmitter that works as a relaxant – lowering stress levels and promoting a sense of calm. This alteration in your glutamate and GABA levels is what gives oxaloacetate its significant mood-boosting and neuroprotective properties.6
Oxaloacetate for Weight Management
Oxaloacetate can also help when it comes to weight management and blood glucose regulation. You see, oxaloacetate can help your liver convert fats and ketones from your diet into maximum usable energy. In fact, studies have found that oxaloacetate supplementation can increase muscular endurance by a whopping 10%, simply by providing surplus energy to your cells.7
In addition, oxaloacetate can help stabilize blood sugars and combat carbohydrate and sugar cravings. It accomplishes this by upregulating and activating your genes – known as FOXO genes – that are responsible for maintaining blood glucose homeostasis.
Oxaloacetate for Healthy Aging and Longevity
Oxaloacetate’s combined ability to boost energy, promote mitochondrial functioning, enhance brain health, scavenge for harmful compounds, and balance blood sugars makes this compound a powerful tool in promoting healthy aging. But these impressive benefits aren’t the only way oxaloacetate can help you age gracefully and live longer.
Oxaloacetate also reduces overall inflammation and prolongs cellular life by activating anti-aging genes and increasing your NAD+/NADH ratio. Oxaloacetate’s anti-aging benefits are so powerful that studies have found oxaloacetate supplementation may increase cellular lifespan by up to an incredible 25%!8,9
With all of these impressive benefits, you’re probably wondering how exactly you can get more oxaloacetate in your life.
How Can I Get More Oxaloacetate?
While you can get oxaloacetate through some foods, it’s typically not present in high enough levels to have an impact on your health. Oxaloacetate in food sources is also not readily absorbed and degrades rather rapidly – making your diet an ineffective and unreliable source of oxaloacetate.
But the good news is, increasing your levels of this health-boosting compound is simple with an easy-to-take oxaloacetate supplement.
What Is the Best Oxaloacetate Supplement?
When it comes to oxaloacetate supplementation, there’s one company that is leading the way in research and quality. BenaGene has created and patented the only thermally stabilized oxaloacetate supplement scientifically proven to:
- Amplify cellular energy as a mitochondrial metabolite
- Slow cellular aging
- Promote brain health
- Balance blood sugar levels
BenaGene’s oxaloacetate supplements are manufactured in state-of-the-art facilities with only the highest-quality non-toxic ingredients. Their easy-to-take capsules and lozenges are keto-friendly, gluten-free, and hormone-free.
To learn more about Benagene’s patented technology and how you can tap into oxaloacetate’s health-boosting benefits, you can visit their website by clicking right here.
Oxaloacetate: Is It Really All It’s Cracked up to Be?
The proof is in the pudding – oxaloacetate truly has some spectacular health-boosting effects. But with that being said, it certainly isn’t a quick fix or magic pill that’s going to drastically improve your health or extend your longevity in one fell swoop.
The truth is, there’s no amount of supplementation that can do what an overall healthy lifestyle can. Supplements like oxaloacetate are like icing on the cake – a tool to amplify the outcomes of your overall health. So yes, oxaloacetate is an excellent supplement to add to your routine. However, the daily choices you make about how you eat, move, think, and sleep are the true foundation of optimizing your well-being.
If you enjoyed this article and are looking for ways to optimize your health without feeling overwhelmed, I encourage you to head over and check out my blog. It’s full of hundreds of articles just like this to help you prioritize your health. And if you want to take it to the next level, you can sign up for my weekly newsletter to get my best content delivered straight to your inbox. Just enter your name and email address in the form below.
Now it’s time to hear from you. Were you surprised to hear about the impressive benefits of oxaloacetate? Have you tried this incredible supplement yet – and if so, we’d love to hear about your results. Leave your questions and thoughts in the comments below!
References:
- Metabolic features of the cell danger response – ScienceDirect
- [PDF] Oxaloacetic Acid Supplementation as a Mimic of Calorie Restriction | Semantic Scholar
- Oxaloacetate review, function, benefits, food sources, dosage & side effects (healthjade.net)
- The Citric Acid Cycle Is a Source of Biosynthetic Precursors – Biochemistry – NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)
- Oxaloacetate: a novel neuroprotective for acute ischemic stroke – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Oxaloacetate Supplementation for Emotional PMS – Full Text View – ClinicalTrials.gov
- About benaGene – benaGene
- Oxaloacetate extends lifespan – Anti-ageing – Nutranews
- Oxaloacetate supplementation increases lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans through an AMPK/FOXO-dependent pathway (nih.gov)
