Abstract
We recently reported that epicatechin, a bioactive compound, which naturally occurs in various common foods including cocoa, beans, berries, apples, and tea, promoted general health and survival of obese diabetic mice. It remains to be determined whether epicatechin extends health span and delays the process of aging. In the present study, epicatechin or its analog EGCG (0.25% w/v in drinking water) was administrated to 20-month old male C57BL mice fed a standard chow for determining the effects of epicatechin on aging. Results show that supplementation of epicatechin for 37 weeks strikingly increased the survival rate from 39% to 69%, whereas EGCG was inactive. Consistently, epicatechin improved physical activity, delayed skeletal muscle degeneration and shifted the profiles of the serum metabolites in aging mice toward the metabolite profiles observed in young mice. Our analysis found that dietary epicatechin significantly reversed aging-altered mRNA and protein expressions of extracellular matrix (ECM) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pathways in skeletal muscle tissue, and reversed the aging-induced declines of the nicotinate and nicotinamide (NAD) pathway as both serum metabolites and skeletal muscle gene expression. The present study provides novel information on natural compounds and anti-aging research in the manner that epicatechin supplementation was demonstrated to exert anti-aging and anti-sarcopenia effects in normal aging mice by mimicking exercise, as deduced by comparison to exercise intervention data. Results from this study provide direct evidence for one strategy to promote healthy aging and extend lifespan in humans simply by consuming more natural foods having high content of epicatechin.