New study validates C15:0, a dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acid, as third-ever discovered essential fatty nutrient
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Seraphina Therapeutics, what started as a mission to continually improve healthy aging among older Navy dolphins resulted in the discovery of C15:0 (pentadecanoic acid) as the first essential fatty acid to be found in nearly a century. This discovery, initially reported in 2020 by Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson et al., has now been validated by multiple independent researchers, including a recent peer-reviewed study using the gold-standard method of identifying essential vitamins and fatty acids.
This latest study, published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, showed that female rodents fed a C15:0-deficient diet before, during and after pregnancy resulted in pups with C15:0 deficiencies and poor body growth. Further, C15:0 supplementation restored healthy growth in pups, especially during the most important juvenile period of development. The health effects of C15:0 equally matched that of linoleic acid, the first essential fatty acid discovered in 1930.
Essential fatty acids are nutrients that our bodies must have to maintain baseline physiological health. Since our bodies cannot make adequate amounts of these fatty acids, we must obtain them through our diet or supplementation. Recently, additional studies have independently reconfirmed that C15:0 meets the criteria of an essential fatty acid. Further, human studies have shown that pregnant women with lower C15:0 levels are more likely to have babies with poor body growth and children with poor cognitive development.
"The repeated science demonstrating C15:0 as a critical nutrient, across all mammals and across all life stages, has been an important part of validating our initial discovery," said Dr. Venn-Watson, a veterinary epidemiologist, co-founder, and CEO of Seraphina Therapeutics. "These studies and others continue to increase the urgency of properly identifying nutritional C15:0 deficiencies and fixing a chronic syndrome present in as many as 1 in 3 people globally."
Dr. Venn-Watson recently reported the first nutritional deficiency syndrome to be found in 75 years, called Cellular Fragility Syndrome. Specifically, her and others' work over the past decade have culminated in the characterization of the long-term negative impact of C15:0 deficiencies. Cellular Fragility Syndrome starts with low C15:0 levels, which results in fragile cell membranes that are susceptible to lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis, a newly discovered form of cell death. While over 10,000 peer-reviewed papers have been published on ferroptosis, which accelerates aging and the onset and progression of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cognitive decline and fatty liver disease, no one had been able to explain how ferroptosis showed up in the first place, until now.
Initially observing this same syndrome in a subset of Navy dolphins, Dr. Venn-Watson and others have since shown that nutritional C15:0 deficiencies cause ferroptosis, and more importantly, that C15:0 supplementation reverses all components of ferroptosis, including strengthening cell membranes, lowering lipid peroxidation, stopping abnormal iron metabolism, and repairing mitochondrial function. Aligned with these studies, two clinical trials have shown that C15:0 supplementation successfully raises C15:0 levels, resulting in lower LDL-cholesterol levels, improved gut microbiome, improved liver function, and improved red blood cell health within 12 weeks.
"The good news is that not only are C15:0 deficiencies readily fixable, but optimized and pure C15:0 has demonstrated multiple longevity-enhancing benefits," shared Dr. Venn-Watson. She and others have shown that the pure C15:0 ingredient in a supplement named fatty15 has multiple longevity-extending mechanisms, including activating AMPK, inhibiting mTOR, and reversing six hallmarks of aging (including repairing mitochondrial function and lowering 18+ proinflammatory cytokines that drive inflammaging). In an independently run, robust, and industry-standard panel that tested fatty15 head-to-head against three leading longevity molecules (rapamycin, metformin, and acarbose), fatty15 had 36 cell-based longevity-enhancing activities - more than the other candidates.
The story behind Dr. Venn-Watson's surprising discovery of C15:0's role as an essential fatty acid in long-lived mammals has been supported by 100+ peer-reviewed studies, is a TEDx talk and will be shared in an upcoming Simon & Schuster book authored by Dr. Venn-Watson, called The Longevity Nutrient.
Seraphina Therapeutics, Inc. is a health and wellness company dedicated to advancing global health through the discovery of essential fatty acids and micronutrient therapeutics. Through rigorous breakthrough science, the company develops fatty acid supplements, food fortifiers, and nutritional interventions to strengthen cells, keep mitochondria working, and advance cellular homeostasis to counter age-related breakdown. With its team of industry-leading scientists, Seraphina Therapeutics challenges long-held approaches to nutrition, enabling the creation of novel health products designed to support quality of life. For more information, please visit DiscoverC15.com and fatty15.com.
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