Short answer: No compound is proven to extend human lifespan. Epitalon has small, older human studies and cell work. Oral NAD+ boosters raise NAD+ in blood but did not improve fitness in one trial. Elamipretide (SS-31) is approved only for Barth syndrome and missed its goals in a larger muscle trial. MOTS-c results come from mice.
| Compound | Best evidence | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Epitalon | Small or early human studies | A 2026 review calls it biologically active but clinically unproven: small human biomarker studies, no adequately powered randomized trial. |
| NAD+ | Small or early human studies | Oral nicotinamide riboside raised blood-cell NAD+ about 60% in a small 6-week trial of older adults but did not change fitness or body composition. We found no trial of injected NAD+ for aging. |
| SS-31 (elamipretide) | Approved for a different use | Approved as Forzinity in 2025 for muscle strength in Barth syndrome, a rare genetic disease. Missed both main goals in a 218-person mitochondrial myopathy trial. |
| MOTS-c | Animal or lab studies only | Improved physical capacity in old mice (2021). FDA says it has found no human exposure data. |
"Animal or lab studies only" means no published human trial for this goal that we could find. Results in rats or cells often do not carry over to people. Compounds that are not FDA-approved have no tested label for dose, purity or safety.
No. We found no compound, peptide or drug shown in a human trial to extend lifespan. Lifespan trials in people would take decades. What exists instead are studies of markers of aging, such as telomere length (the protective caps on chromosomes) or NAD+ levels, plus animal studies. A change in a marker is not the same as living longer.
A four-amino-acid peptide based on a pineal gland extract. A 2026 narrative review found human evidence limited to small biomarker studies and an older study in an eye disease, with no adequately powered randomized trial and too little data on dose and long-term safety. Its conclusion: biologically active but clinically unproven. Telomere findings come from human cell lines in a dish (2025), not from people.
NAD+ is a molecule every cell uses to make energy; levels fall with age. In Martens 2018 (24 completers aged 55 to 79, 6 weeks each arm), oral nicotinamide riboside 1,000 mg a day raised NAD+ in blood cells about 60%. It did not change fitness, motor function, body composition or blood sugar, and blood pressure changes were not significant after correction. Injectable NAD+ is a different route, and we found no published randomized trial of it for aging.
SS-31 targets the inner membrane of mitochondria, the parts of cells that make energy. It received US accelerated approval in September 2025 as Forzinity to improve muscle strength in Barth syndrome patients weighing at least 30 kg. In the MMPOWER-3 trial (218 adults with primary mitochondrial myopathy, 24 weeks), it did not beat placebo on walking distance or fatigue. It has not been tested for aging in healthy people.
A 16-amino-acid peptide coded in mitochondrial DNA. In mice, late-life treatment improved physical capacity (Reynolds 2021) and it prevented diet-induced obesity (Lee 2015). FDA states it has not identified human exposure data. An FDA advisory committee discussed it in July 2026 for possible use in compounding; that is not an approval.
Terms on this page: Peptide · Research use only (RUO) · Cycle (on/off cycling)