Urolithin A + High Protein: ‘There’s No Shake Like it on the Market,’ says Amazentis
“We believe Mitopure and high protein are synergistic and complimentary. That is why we just launched the first product in the world to combine Mitopure and high protein,” Federico Luna, Chief Marketing Officer at Amazentis, told NutraIngredients-USA.
“This 2-in-1 proprietary formula in the Time-line protein powder combines 500mg Mitopure with 20g high protein in each daily serving. There’s no protein shake like it on the market.”
In demand
In the last few weeks, the first sports nutrition product to contain Mitopure sold out quickly, said Luna. The pre-sale campaign for Mitopure in a soft gel form was also a hit.
Mitopure was previously only positioned for older adults because it showed anti-aging benefits like muscle strength improvement, but the new sports nutrition product has caught the eye of athletes like professional basketball player Joel Embiid who has been taking the product for months and had said that he has never felt stronger.
“It’s much broader than just elite athletes. We want to support health strivers who are looking to improve their sports performance, recovery and cellular health overall,” said Luna. “We have a strong innovation roadmap to expand the applications of Mitopure and offer its benefits to more people around the world.”
Urolithin A
Urolithin A is a compound generated by gut microflora from ellagitannins found in food such as pomegranate. The compounds are hydrolyzed in the stomach into ellagic acid, which is subsequently converted by the gut microflora into urolithin A. However, not everyone has the right microflora to be able to make the metabolite.
As reported previously by NutraIngredients-USA, Amazentis has developed a method to deliver finely calibrated doses of urolithin A.
Urolithin A initiates mitophagy, a process where damaged mitochondria are recycled and renewed. The compound upregulated mitochondrial gene expression in elderly skeletal muscle tissue and decreased plasma acylcarnitine metabolites, which has been linked to skeletal muscle insulin resistance and lipid-induced mitochondrial stress.
Amazentis’ randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial (NCT03464500) in healthy middle-aged participants (40 to 65 years old) showed that 4 months of daily consumption of 500 mg Mitopure led to a significant improvement in leg muscle strength.
In a second – yet separate – randomized clinical trial (NCT04160312), 500mg of Mitopure led to urolithin A levels six times higher than consumption of 8oz (240mL) of 100% pomegranate juice. This study was performed in healthy adults (18-80 years old) in the USA.
“Our scientific evidence to date, coupled with real life feedback we’ve received from athletes who have been taking Mitopure, were a catalyst for us launching this new program and the first clinical trial in top athletes,” said Luna.
Amazentis is currently working with the Australian Catholic University in a clinical trial (NCT04783207) to understand the effects of Mitopure on skeletal muscle function, iron metabolism and endurance performance in athletes. It is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study enrolling 16 elite and 20 sub-elite trained male endurance runners who are 18-40 years of age.
The athletes will be given the Mitopure supplement through an oral daily dose for 4-weeks. The study will be looking for biomarkers of muscle damage and recovery, a change in plasma levels over time of creatine kinase and a change in race performance time during a 3000 meter track race for the elite runners.
The study aims to be completed this year but due to the Olympic Games coming up and the uncertainties around Covid-19, it is difficult to predict when the results will be given, said Luna.
