Are Elysium’s Anti Aging Pills For Real?
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It’s a strange society that we live in where we’re now willing to discuss just about anything out in the open, yet the topic of death is still a taboo one. We spend ridiculous amounts of money to try and delay the onset of aging and there is no price we won’t pay to maintain our health. Even then, global life expectancy forecasts aren’t that great to be honest:
Anti-aging is actually being explored by Google with their startup Calico. Another startup by Craig Venter called Human Longevity is also pursuing the same goals. While these startups go through over $1 billion in funding trying to solve the number one leading cause of death, the rest of us are trying to do what we can to be healthy by tiptoeing through our lives so we can safely arrive at death’s door. We’re creating artificial life forms now so it’s about time we had some pills we can take that help prevent aging right? There has been no shortage of snake oil salesmen selling this dream to mankind throughout recorded history, but one company that’s targeting this space today with some real intellectual firepower is Elysium.
About Elysium Health
Founded in 2014, New York startup Elysium Health has taken in an undisclosed amount of funding to develop “advanced natural health products that are novel and validated by science“. The Company is being advised by no less than six Novel prize laureates (who all look like they could use some anti-aging pills themselves) along with “30 of the world’s top scientists” on staff. The founders are a former Sequoia partner (Eric Marcotulli), a former JP Morgan VP (Dan Alminana) and an MIT professor who is renowned for his work in the area of anti-aging (Leonard Guarente). Strangely enough, the name “Elysium” actually refers to a concept of the afterlife so we assume that the reason they picked this name is because it sounds really cool.
Elysium’s first supplement called “Basis” works on metabolic repair and optimization with the following promise:
Subtle changes in overall feeling of well-being, sleep quality, energy consistency, cognitive function, and skin health are often reported within 4-16 weeks of starting. Note that cellular health may not always manifest results at the surface.
The impact to your wallet is subtle as well, with a subscription to this supplement setting you back just $50 a month. Elysium is careful about using the term “anti-aging” when they describe their Basis supplement, though it’s certainly what everyone is thinking. We’re pretty sure that the “tens of thousands” of people taking the pills aren’t doing so because they’ve always felt a strong desire to optimize their NAD+ levels and sirtuin function in their cells. Elysium is in the process of recruiting volunteers for a human trial and has 5 more products that are currently in the testing phase as well. The obvious problem with proving that something has “anti-aging” qualities is that you’ll need centuries to actually prove without a doubt that it works.
In a world where we’re now editing genes to create synthetic life, the idea of taking anti-aging supplements to increase your lifespan or “smart pills” to make you more intelligent should be the norm, not the exception. When you come across companies trying to sell you anti-aging pills, or any supplements with bold claims, always take a look at the pedigree of the people who developed the supplements. They should be “eating their own dogfood” so how is that working out for them? You don’t get a haircut from the guy who has a bad haircut himself right? Here’s a look at the 3 guys behind Elysium:
We’re going to put a reminder in our calendar for 10 years from now to take a look at some recent pictures of these guys. If they haven’t aged, we’ll know that their anti-aging supplements are for real.
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“Note that cellular health may not always manifest results at the surface.” Hmm, so no use in looking at them in 10 years, huh? They’ve already gotten ahead of you, lol.
Hi Andrew,
We’d actually like to try their pills even though we are just a bit skeptical. We’d be more concerned about possible side effects that haven’t been noted yet. As you are implying, if they actually help decrease the effects of aging then waiting does no good.
Are you taking them? The reviews we read mostly have people saying there is a positive effect and that IF it is a placebo effect, they are happy to continue paying for it!
I’ve been taking Basis since early 2015. I have no idea if it’s working, especially because I take a host of supplements and am only in my 30’s.
It’s an expensive gamble, but not a dangerous one, from my experience. I’ve noticed no ill effects.
Daily regimen: Turmeric with Black pepper extract, Shilajit (this stuff is truly amazing. It’s the only supplement that I’ve noticed drastic effects from), Basis, Vitamin D.
Elysium just released its first trial results from 120 people ages 60 to 80 taking 1) Basis 2) double dose Basis or 3) a placebo in a double blind trial over an 8 week period.
Basis (250 mg of NR and 50 mg of pterostilbine) raised NAD+ levels 40% while the double does of 500mg of NR and 100 mg of pterostilbine raised NAD+ levels 90%.
They say the details will be published in a peer reviewed scientific journal:
blood pressure
lipid profile
serum glucose levels
6 minute walking test
a chair standing test
a physiological questionnaire
Thank you for the update Cider. Looks like they landed another $20 million in funding to coincide with the below announcement you mentioned.