The awards were given to researchers from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea, where ingredients such as postbiotic, polyphenol, omega-3, vitamin D, trigonelline and CoQ10 are being studied
Topics of the research ranged from cellular energy, inflammation, physical function and body composition
Each group has 18 months to complete their studies
dsm-firmenich will also provide the ingredients studied in the winning submissions, since one of the criteria for taking part in the grant is to consider bioactives relevant to healthy longevity and are within the company’s portfolio
The award winners were announced last Tuesday during the ‘Age Slower, Age Better: Advancing Healthy Longevity Across Asia Pacific’ scientific symposium held at Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore
The winners
Dr. David Barry, National Ageing Research Institute, Australia
Effect of Postbiotic Supplementation on Inflammation and Physical Function in Pre-Frail Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial
Prof. Hamid Sohrabi, Murdoch University, Australia
Synergistic Effects of Polyphenol- and Omega-3–Rich Dietary Patterns on Mitochondrial Health and Biological Ageing: Translational Insights from the AU-ARROW Cohort
Dr. Jiyun Ahn, Korea Food Research Institute, Republic of Korea
Healthspan Signals in Muscle: Tissue-Resolved Aging Clocks and Vitamin D Associations in Older Adults
Prof. Katherine Black, University of Otago, New Zealand
Omega-3 Supplementation to Support Lean Mass, Body Composition, and Healthy Longevity in Perimenopausal Women: A Randomised Control Trial
Asst. Prof. Vincenzo Sorrentino, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Promoting Cellular Energy Production for Slower Aging Combining Trigonelline and CoQ10
The awards were given as part of dsm-firmenich’s Asia-for-Asia Nutrition Research Grant Program, with the first edition of the grant held two years ago. The previous grant focused on gut health and the microbiome across the human lifespan
“The study of healthy longevity is particularly important in the Asia Pacific region, where populations are aging at an unprecedented pace due to longer life expectancy,” said Tina Low, Senior Vice President APAC, Health, Nutrition & Care (HNC), dsm-firmenich. “More worryingly, we see a widening gap between life span – how long we live – and health span – how long we remain healthy, with the average person spending the last 10 years of their lives in ill health.”
The supplementation of functional ingredients such as vitamin D and algal omega-3, in combination with a home exercise program, has been shown to slow biological aging by as much as 3.8 months in three years, based on findings of the DO-HEALTH studyconducted in five European countries
“Today, we know it’s possible to slow down the progression of aging with nutritional interventions,” said Anneleen Spooren, senior vice president, Innovation, R&D & Regulatory, HNC, dsm-firmenich, citing the DO-HEALTH study
The five winners were selected by four evaluators, including two of dsm-firmenich’s internal global experts and two external subject-matter experts, namely Professor Johan Gunnar Eriksson, executive director and programme director for Human Development at A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP) and Professor Ji-Yeon Kim from the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology at the Seoul National University of Science and Technology
A 10-step criterion was referred to when evaluating the submissions, including feasibility of the study, level of innovation, thought process behind the study and whether there is sufficient evidence to support that the proposal could potentially work
A total of 54 entries from 13 countries were received for this year’s research grant. Over half had proposed to conduct clinical controlled trials
Winners of the 2024 research grantalso presented their preliminary findings at the symposium, and plans are in place to publish some of these findings in scientific journals
