Maye Musk, Elon’s Mom, Takes $ 100 Anti-Aging Supplement, But Says “Didn’t Notice” If It Works

Maye Musk has a lot of energy, as she puts it, and wants to live to be 98, at the very least.

The 73-year-old model and two-master’s degree registered dietitian – better known as the mother of Tesla CEO Elon Musk – just moved to New York City three months ago, she said. Forbes during a late September breakfast at a luxury hotel in Times Square. We’re reunited in honor of Timeline Nutrition, which sells powder and pills that claim anti-aging properties and for which Musk recently signed on as a spokesperson. The compound is said to have “revitalized the mitochondria” (the cellular workhorses that convert food into energy in humans), but the evidence to support this claim is still preliminary. Although the company has proven to the United States Food and Drug Administration that its products can be ingested as a dietary supplement, more research is needed to support its other claims, as supplement makers do not have to prove. that their products work.

When asked if she felt any difference from her five-month regimen taking Mitopure, the supplement’s brand name from Timeline, Musk replied, “I didn’t notice,” adding, “It’s happening. in the cell. ” She says she follows a “flexitarian” diet, which means she’s a vegetarian at home, watches her alcohol intake, and exercises regularly. “I’m not trying to sell something if I don’t believe in it.” When contacted about whether Musk is receiving any money from her son – the richest person in the world at time of publication – and whether she is a spokesperson for extra income, the relations rep public, Rémi Barbier, declared Forbes: “It has nothing to do with Elon Musk. Maye has her own life and her own career. I do not find this question very appropriate.

With his signature back, white pixie haircut and elegantly dressed in a cream sweater with a matching cape, paired with gray plaid pants with a red side stripe, Musk is the image of aging and health. fashionable. A glossy photo provided by Timeline shows her with a pomegranate, bundles of Mitopure and pulling on a bespoke Lingua Franca cashmere sweater proclaiming “I

Mitopure is the result of what Timeline’s parent company, Swiss company Amazentis, says is over a decade of clinical research that they say demonstrates a link between the supplement and “revitalized mitochondria” and a “boost” muscle function.

Mitopure’s secret ingredient? A compound known as urolithin A, which in some people is naturally created by gut bacteria after eating foods that contain so-called ellagitannins, such as pomegranate. According to the Timeline website, a packet of Mitopure contains six times more urolithin A than what gut bacteria produce after drinking eight ounces of 100% pomegranate juice. When ingested, Timeline states that urolithin A stimulates a process called mitophagy, a fancy scientific term for the renewal of mitochondria, the performance of which has shown scientific research to slow down as a person ages. According to the company, taking Mitopure can “help fight cell decline associated with aging.” While it is true that mitochondrial activity declines with age, it is not yet clear whether urolithin A can slow or even reverse this process, although some studies in mice suggest the possibility.

Research, according to Timeline and parent company Amazentis, is key to demonstrating that its product works as advertised. The company completed five clinical studies, including two directly related to the Timeline website, between 2012 and 2020. “We use science normally used to develop pharmaceuticals and apply it to natural products,” said Chris Rinsch, Managing Director of Amazentis. However, the company’s product does not go through the same rigorous approval process that is required for pharmaceuticals. A study published in 2019 found the compound to be safe to ingest (a secondary result showed an effect on a biomarker of cellular health, but was limited to a duration of four weeks), while a study published in 2021 found that a person would need to consume 6 glasses of pomegranate juice in order to get the same amount of urolithin A in their diet compared to taking the supplement. The company is conducting studies to learn more about the impact of urolithin A on elderly patients.

The first study had 60 participants, while the second had 100 participants. Amy Stephens, a New York-based sports nutritionist who works with Olympic and NCAA athletes, criticized the sample size, saying the company would “need thousands of participants” in order to prove its claims. “I don’t think you can get revitalized mitochondria from a pot,” she said, adding, “People who might take something like this are looking to be healthy, right? But they might neglect healthy eating and exercise.

Timeline Nutrition boasts that the compound “has been favorably reviewed by the FDA” on its website, but Mitopure’s “generally recognized as safe” designation is not the same as FDA approval. The designation is “a bit meaningless,” says Elisabeth Anderson, science communications manager at Michigan State University’s Center for Ingredient Safety Research. “They submit their ingredients and the data around their ingredients to the FDA, and the FDA says ‘yes, that’s for sure.’ It’s not something super special. Anderson says the companies are highlighting the designation of the FDA to help consumers feel more comfortable with products containing scary ingredients. “The FDA does not review the product itself,” she warns. “They look at the ingredients and if what says the company is true. They don’t do any research [on efficacy.]”

Despite the small-scale research, the company’s product has convinced investors, the list of which reads like a who’s who of bigwigs in the pharmaceutical world betting on the company’s prospects: Nestlé Health Sciences, Andre Hoffman of Roche Holding company, Pierre Ladolt of Novartis, and billionaire Hansjoerg Wyss, whose net worth Forbes estimated at $ 5.9 billion. (Hoffmann and Landolt are also co-founders.) It is headed by CEO and third co-founder Rinsch, who holds a doctorate in cell and molecular biology from the University of Switzerland in Lausanne, with Dr. Anuragh Singh, immunologist and former director global network of Nestlé Health Sciences, which is the company’s medical director and oversees the clinical studies of Mitopure.

Rinsch has refused to disclose funds raised to date, citing investor confidentiality, but revealed that Amazonis is seeking $ 43 million for its ongoing Series D fundraiser. The company further claims that Timeline, launched in June 2020, has achieved sales of “millions” of dollars to “thousands” of customers.

Musk says she’s happy to continue taking Mitopure. “I hope to live longer than my mom, and she lived to be 98. If this is to continue to repair my mitochondria, I hope this will be the new anti-aging supplement to take.”

Additional reporting by Katie Jennings.