Qualia Life Science Review: How Do These Anti-Aging Ingredients Stack Up?

Anti-aging is a hot topic - and has been for millennia. 

Cleopatra, the queen of Ptolemaic Egypt, who courted Julius Caesar, was famous for her 'anti-aging' milk baths (1). The English queen Mary used wine baths to enhance beauty and keep herself young.

Today, most 80-year-olds want to be 60 again. 60-year-olds want to be 40, and 40-year-olds want to be 20.e

And if you're 20?

Well, in that case you'll think you live forever and there's no problem. 

Next to cosmetics and plastic surgery many new tools are offered that may help you look (and even be) younger.

One offering is a supplement called "Qualia Life". Qualia Life is produced by a company called "Neurohacker" and aims to counter the effects of aging at the cellular level.

In this blog post I'm exploring how viable Qualia Life accomplishes its purported anti-aging purpose.

Update 2020: Eternus Is Now Renamed To "Qualia Life"

So if you're on the Neurohacker website and searching for the Eternus product, check out Qualia Life instead!

We've now renamed the product in this extensive review! Keep in mind that the formula hasn't changed with the name change from Eternus to Qualia Life...

Science Review Of Qualia Life's Anti-Aging Ingredients

This review of Qualia Life's ingredients is broken up into two parts. I'll review:

1. The vitamins and minerals in Qualia Life
2. Other ingredients, such as herbs and adaptogens (which help you deal with stress)

I'll then make a verdict whether these ingredients really help you slow down aging. The last section has a big-picture perspective and concludes.

Neurohacker, the company that produces Qualia Life, has also responded to this blog post - their response is readable here.

If you want to buy Qualia Life right away, click HERE (use discount code FERGUS to save 15% on your order).

But first, the next section discusses several theories of aging.  That info helps you understand how and why aging occurs - insofar science has discovered these mechanisms.
The previous Neurohacker Eternus bottle that has now been renamed to Qualia Life!

I do want to give on caveat regarding this Qualia Life's ingredient review:

Laying bare the different biochemical pathways that are affected by a single ingredient in Qualia Life in relation to anti-aging could already take 50 pages of content. Reviewing more than 35 ingredients - which can all affect each others' effects as well, is therefore highly complex. The caveat to this review is that it's only 8,000 words long and oversimplifying at many places. An exhaustive review of the mechanism of each of Qualia Life's ingredients and their interaction would take hundreds of pages and would not be read by most people. I've thus exclusively included what I deem the most important effects that Qualia Life has on the aging process.

Before digging into all the ingredients of the Qualia Life supplement, I'll first consider what aging fundamentally is:

A. Different Theories of Aging

So what is aging actually - and how to understand it?

During the aging process, not just one process in your body breaks down--instead, aging is probably multi-factorial (4; 5).

Biological aging is also called "senescence" - when referring to a whole organism (2; 3). Of course, you'll want to avoid senescence as much as possible.

Examples of processes or structures breaking down during aging are:

• The depletion of stem cells (6). Stem cells are the primordial cells in your body that can differentiate into new cells, such as a nerve or muscle cell. Without sufficient stem cells, it becomes harder for your body to heal itself or create new tissue. For that reason, many people take exogenous stem cells nowadays.
• Decreased telomere length (7; 8). Telomeres are the "caps" at the end of your DNA. When telomere length decreases, DNA can no longer replicate. Fortunately, it has become clear that your lifestyle choices can affect your telomere length. So there's hope!
• Mitochondria function breaks down over time. Mitochondria are the "energy-producing factories" of your cells (9; 10). Mitochondria also carry their own DNA - over time that DNA becomes "heteroplasmic". Heteroplasmic means that your mitochondrial DNA differs more and more over time which causes problems (11; 12). Sleep is one of the most important factors for avoiding DNA replication errors.
• Epigenetic expression - which signifies the activation and de-activation process of cells - can worsen with age (13; 14). Your lifestyle choices, fortunately, also affect what genes are activated and which ones are not. 
• A worsened ability to sense nutrients (15; 16). For nerds: AMPK, mTOR, sirtuins, IGF-1, and related biological mechanisms function less well the older you get. These mechanisms not only concern growth but also the "recycling" of damaged or obsolete cell components.
• Cellular damage because of free radicals. Free radicals are created as a side-effect of energy production in the body. However, free radicals do harm tissues (17; 18).

My point?

Many more mechanisms (and theories of mechanisms) for aging exist, some having better scientific evidence than others. 

In essence, aging is extremely complex, not well understood, and its scientific understanding is still developing.

It's highly unlikely though, that one single mechanism can be controlled to slow down, stop, or reverse aging. Hence: you need a multi-factorial approach that (hopefully) affects all of the aforementioned mechanisms.

B. Vitamins And Minerals In Qualia Life

This section will consider all the vitamins and minerals in this product step-by-step. For each vitamin and mineral, I've included the "Daily Value" or DV.

The Daily Value is the "Recommended Daily Allowance" - the minimum amount of a certain nutrient that you need to consume to stay healthy.

A strong case can be made that nutritional deficiencies speed up the aging process because nutritional deficiencies are associated with all kinds of health problems.

Let me explain:

You'd think that in the developed world - with plenty and even excess food availability - such deficiencies no longer exist. However, deficiencies are still widespread, because:

• 15% of people in the US and 40% in Canada have severe vitamin D deficiency (19). The same study shows that 98% of Belgians have sub-optimal levels. For Mexico that number is 55%--even though the country is close to the equator with great sunlight exposure possibilities. Vitamin D is important for the aging process because it has a huge influence on epigenetic expression (223; 224).
• 98% of people living in the US have a potassium deficiency (20). That number is not a typo. Fruits and vegetables are the best potassium sources. Junk food and soda are extremely poor sources and (partially) explain why so many people are deficient.
• Over 40% of athletes have full-blown magnesium deficiency (21). My estimates are that around 80% of people are either severely (uncommon) or slightly (very common) magnesium deficient. Read my blog post about magnesium to learn more.
• Almost everyone (97%) at old age has a vitamin K₂ deficiency -- unless you're consuming lots of grass-fed animal products such as (organ) meats, cheese, and eggs (22). Yes, that grain-fed beef might have a downside...

Conclusion?

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are widespread, in part, because of the low-quality diets many people have. Stressors such as psychological stress or sleep deprivation also increase your need for nutrients.

Hence, Neurohacker's choice to include vitamins and minerals in Qualia Life is a sound one. Let's thus explore these included vitamins and minerals:

1. Vitamin K₂ (Menaquinone-7): 50 micrograms (mcg) (42% of Daily Value (DV)).

Why include this vitamin? Remember: many people are vitamin K₂ deficient. 

Vitamin K₂ is the animal form of vitamin K. The vitamin is mostly found in animal products, but also in fermented soy (natto) (23).

I'd prefer to have seen a vitamin K₂ Menaquinone-4 (MK4) form as this is the form most common in animal foods. I also believe the MK4 form works better precisely because it's absorbed very quickly. 

The dosage of 50 micrograms is good--although some of my favorite supplements such as Thorne K₂ have a 20-fold higher dose per serving.

Vitamin K₂ is necessary to deposit calcium in the right places of the body (24). Disease risk such as diabetes or heart disease also goes down with this vitamin (25; 26). Vitamin K₂ also supports organ functions such as that of your kidneys - although only proven in animal studies (27).

Verdict: MK7's addition is good, but could be improved upon with MK4. The dosage might also be doubled or tripled for better effects - many people are vitamin K₂ deficient.

2. Thiamine (as thiamine HCL): 25 milligrams (mg) (2085% of DV)

Very high dose here of thiamine HCL - or vitamin B₁.

Thiamine is essential for basic metabolic processes, such as breaking down proteins and carbohydrates. As thiamine is a vitamin, you cannot survive nor be healthy without this compound.

There's no one category of foods that's great for thiamine consumption - many foods contain at least some thiamine.

The question is, should this compound be taken in such a high dose? Well, while more is not better, many people might function better on higher doses. In a condition associated with thiamin deficiency, called "beriberi", doses up to 500 milligrams are used (28).

Adding thiamin might also have benefits for overall mitochondrial function (29). 

Verdict: great addition, although I'm unsure about the necessity of very high doses for otherwise healthy people.

3. Riboflavin: 2 mg (154% of DV)

Riboflavin has been brought into the spotlight because of its effect on MTHFR. MTHFR is related to "methylation" - the metabolism of single-carbons in the body (30). Chris Masterjohn has unified some great research on the relationship between B₂ and MTHFR function.

Why care?

Simple:

Improper methylation is associated with negatively influencing the aging process (31; 32).  Additionally, riboflavin is also used for overall energy metabolism (33). 

You may think: "aren't I getting enough ribovlafin in my diet?!"

Well, liver is almost certainly the best riboflavin food on the planet, and yet, many people aren't eating that food in sufficient amounts. Other organ meats are also great riboflavin sources.

Riboflavin absorption also decreases with age, as more people have riboflavin deficiencies at old age (34). Even with sufficient intake, 25% of men and 20% of women are marginally deficient in this nutrient.

Neurohacker's use of plain old regular riboflavin, and not one of its counterparts, is great.

Verdict: great addition, but, the dosage is proportionally low compared to thiamin.

4. Niacin (As 100 mg niacinamide and 25 mg nicotinic acid (781% of DV).

I've carried out an in-depth review of the different forms of niacin, and their effects on anti-aging, in my previous blog post on Megadosing Nicotinamide Riboside Or Nicotinamide Mononucleotide: Dangerous Or Smart?

In that blog post, I've made the case that higher niacin doses might give you side-effects if not dealt with properly. 

Additionally, I don't favor the "niacinamide" and "nicotinic acid" versions included in this product but prefer the "nicotinamide riboside". Yes, the latter is more expensive, but may have additional benefits over the more regular versions (35).

(Neurohacker doesn't think niacin versions other than "niacinamide" and "nicotinic acid" are necessary, contrary to me.)

Nonetheless, the inclusion of niacin is an anti-aging stack very much warranted.

The reason niacin is so beneficial is that it increases "NAD⁺" levels in your cells. Improving NAD⁺ through niacin increases energy-production especially at old age when NAD⁺ naturally declines (36; 37).

The benefit of higher NAD⁺ levels in old age may also free up more energy for many processes in the body, thereby potentially slowing down the aging process. 

Another anti-aging benefits of niacin are aiding DNA repair - which is one of the fundamental factors of aging (38; 39). One last benefit is that niacin also boosts overall nutrient absorption, which also declines with (40; 41). Simply put, you need niacin to be able to digest food.

Niacin thus affects many of the aging factors that I've treated in the previous section.

Verdict: it's great Neurohacker included niacin into this product, but, as Qualia Life is priced at $160 at their website, nicotinamide riboside should have been included.

5. Vitamin B₆ (as pyridoxal 5'-phosphate) 1.3 mg (76% of DV).

First impression of Neurohacker's use of vitamin B6: great! 

The active form of vitamin B₆ is used, and the dose is not too high. Higher vitamin B₆ doses can cause toxicity, specifically neurological symptoms (42).

Not that many people are actually deficient in this vitamin, so (extremely) high doses are unnecessary - Neurohacker got this right as well.

So how many people are deficient?

Well, about 10% of young Canadian women still have sub-optimal levels (43). Once you get older, moreover, deficiency levels skyrocket to ~50% (45). Including vitamin B₆ is thus a great choice by Neurohacker.

The form of vitamin B6 included here, called "pyridoxal 5'-phosphate" (P5P), is arguably the best form of vitamin B6 on the market today. The case can even be made that commonly-used vitamin B6 supplements are counterproductive (44).

Why include vitamin B6 in an anti-aging supplement? 

Simple: the older you get, the greater the (apparent) deficiency risk. 

This vitamin is essential for creating certain neurotransmitters, such as "GABA" (involved in relaxation) and "serotonin" (happiness) (46; 47). Without proper neurotransmitter functioning your sleep deteriorates - serotonin converts into melatonin at night, for instance, which helps you sleep deeper.

Consistent poor sleep quality speeds up the aging process as well, of course.

And there's more: gene expression is also affected by vitamin B₆ (48). Once again, this vitamin affects several of the aging factors I've treated before.

Of course, the central question is whether you could not get this nutrient from food - the answer is "yes". Grains and meats are the best vitamin B₆ sources.

Verdict: vitamin B₆ is supplied in the correct form and dose, and is likely (indirectly) beneficial for anti-aging purposes. 

6. Folate (as 100mcg calcium L-5'-methyltetrahydrofolate and 100 mcg of calcium folinate), (76% of DV)

Great: two types of "folate", also known as vitamin B₉. 

The calcium L-5'-methyltetrahydrofolate is a derivative from folic acid - a vitamin B₉ form that's not always optimal (49; 50).

The "calcium folinate" addition is great and well-absorbed. I would have preferred to see 200 micrograms of calcium folinate instead of the other version. Neurohacker's reasoning for including both is probably that some studies show an advantage of using both versions together (51).

Fortunately, the potentially damaging "folic acid" was not included (52; 53).

The central question is whether you should supplement with vitamin B₉ though...

Why?

Well, many people already have high intakes of the inferior "folic acid" version due to its use in the food fortification program. All grains in the US and other developed countries, for instance, have folic acid added to them (54; 55).

And yet, most older people do have folate deficiencies (56).

Folate deficiency, in turn, is associated with higher "homocysteine" levels. High homocysteine levels are a sign your methylation cycle - the single carbon metabolism of your body - is working improperly.

Homocysteine is related to increased risk for heart disease, Alzheimer's, and cancer, for instance (60; 61; 62). You thus want to keep your homocysteine levels low.

Nonetheless, excess folate intake is not necessarily safe either (63). Hence, personalized supplementation would be better than Qualia Life's one-size-fits-all approach -- but such critique can be level upon all supplement stacks.

Qualia Life's B₉ dose is not extremely high so it's almost certainly safe as well...

Want to get B₉ from food? A wide variety of plants contain vitamin B₉ - liver is the animal food highest in this vitamin.

Verdict: vitamin B₉ is included in the correct dose and forms. If you're vitamin B₉ deficient, this supplement will exhibit direct anti-aging effects.

7. Vitamin B₁₂ (as 100 mcg methylcobalamin and 100 mcg adenosylcobalamin), (8330% of DV).

Two types of vitamin B12 - a choice that is justifiable once again. Both forms are high-quality vitamin B12 as well (64).

The dose of vitamin B12 that's used is extremely high and perhaps halving the dose is warranted. Some (albeit lower quality) studies show side-effects from vitamin B₁₂ megadoses (65; 66; 67; 68).

(Neurohacker also assumes that people take both Qualia Life's and their Qualia nootropic supplement - in that case, the B₁₂ dose would be far higher.)

The flip side is that as an elder you've regularly got impaired vitamin B₁₂ absorption due to decreases of stomach acid or other gut problems (71; 72). Hence, some people need higher B₁₂ doses.

So, how does vitamin B₁₂ relate to the aging process?

First of all, this vitamin is necessary for the creation of DNA (69; 70). Recall that impairments of DNA creation or structure is one of the leading cause of aging.

Secondly, B₁₂ is necessary to keep your nervous system healthy and for the proper maintenance of basic metabolic processes (72; 73; 74).

There's thus lots of merit for including this ingredient...

Verdict: vitamin B₁₂ is supplied in the correct form, but perhaps not in the correct dose. I recommend reducing the dose by at least half - especially if people also take Neurhacker's other Qualia supplement. The same can be said for other B-vitamins as well.

8. Biotin: 30 mcg (100% of DV).

Nice addition.

Biotin is frequently called "vitamin B₇" and thus fits well into this ingredient list. Biotin deficiencies are rare though - especially if you're following a good diet - and the link to anti-aging is once again related to metabolic purposes (75; 76).

The (potential) effect of biotin on the aging process has not been investigated in great detail yet.

Nonetheless, gene expression may also be affected by biotin, for instance (233; 234). Biotin is also well known for influencing hair, nail, and skin health.

Additionally, it's hard to go wrong with low doses of this compound so it's inclusion is nice. 

Verdict: good addition, but nothing special. Arguably adding biotin is unnecessary.

9. Pantothenic Acid (as calcium pantothenate), 5 mcg (100% of DV).

Pantothenic Acid is also known as vitamin B₅.

As this vitamin is included in many different foods, deficiency is difficult to develop (77; 78). This vitamin has almost no risk for overdose so its addition has no downside. 

You need the vitamin for mental well-being, energy production, skin health, and more (80).

Verdict: once again, good the ingredient is added but nothing special.

10. Magnesium (as 400 mg magnesium glycinate), 48 mg (11% of DV).

Great!

Many people need more magnesium. In fact, depending on the outcome you like to see on the gold standard "red blood cell" magnesium test, about 80% of people are mildly deficient and 40% severely deficient (81; 82; 83).

Many people thus have a magnesium problem.

Yes, that problem exists even in the developed world. I quote from once source that does not fully share the severity of my own interpretation of the data:

"It is currently estimated that 60% of adults do not achieve the average dietary intake (ADI) and 45% of Americans are magnesium deficient" (83).

Yikes!

And yet, various reasons also exist why you'd want to include magnesium in an anti-aging product:

• You'll have higher levels of inflammation with magnesium deficiency (84). Chronic inflammation is associated with many modern diseases and not good for you.
• The mineral is required for basic metabolic processes (89). For instance, your mitochondria, the "energy-producing factories" of your cells, require magnesium for proper functioning (90; 91).
• Magnesium helps you regulate blood sugar - and is even essential for that purpose. Out of whack blood sugar sets you up for disease and disaster (85; 86).
• Overall increased "all-cause mortality" - your risk of dying independent of any disease (87; 88). The more this number drops, the longer you'll theoretically survive. If you've got a disease such as kidney problems, magnesium also helps you survive longer.
• Magnesium affects stem cell functioning (92). Being deficient in magnesium also causes "oxidative stress" which speeds up aging (93; 94). 
   

Great, so Neurohacker did a great job adding magnesium to this supplement, right?

Well, not so quick...

Merely 48 milligrams of elemental magnesium are supplied in this product. For recovering from magnesium deficiency, I recommend 200 milligrams as a rock-bottom level. Many of my clients need 400 and sometimes even 800 milligrams of elemental magnesium to recover adequately levels.

The limitation that Neurohacker has is that if they'd include 200 milligrams of elemental magnesium, perhaps up to 2 grams of extra pills would be needed. A correct form of magnesium does therefore not fit into one or two pills.

And yet, by taking a pill approach for supplementation, instead of sachets or another dosing mechanism, Neurohacker is limiting themselves in achieving the anti-aging goal their product has.

Could you supplement with more magnesium yourself to make up for the deficiency in Qualia Life?

Sure!

But for $160 you'd expect an adequate product in the first place (note, you can get your first bottle of Qualia Life for $68 if you use discount code FERGUS and purchase a subscription)

Verdict: great that magnesium is added - as magnesium has great merit for anti-aging purpsoes. Een the correct "magnesium glycinate" form is supplied. The big downside is that the dose is far too low for optimal anti-aging effects for most people.

11. Potassium (as 200 mg tripotassium citrate monohydrate), 72 mg (1.5%).

An under-dosed product once again.

Remember that in the beginning of this blog post I argued that "98% of people living in the US have a potassium deficiency (20)"?

Well, to achieve adequate levels you need several grams of potassium per day. Fruits and vegetables are by far the best potassium sources because they contain many milligrams of potassium per calorie. 

Meats or grains are also reasonable potassium sources, except for the fact that you're increasing your calorie intake dramatically if you rely on these foods to get your potassium needs met.

(Keep in mind that I'm not fully a proponent of the calories in - calories out model).

How might potassium affect aging? Potassium:

• Helps regulate your blood sugar (235; 236; 237).
• Has a dramatic impact on your blood pressure (238; 239; 240).
• Supports healthy levels of hormones, such as the way stress hormones such as cortisol work in your body (241; 242).

And more...

Verdict: including potassium is great, but due to its dose, it's inclusion is almost redundant. You cannot supplement potassium in adequate dosages through a pill form. 

So that's it - all the vitamins and minerals in Qualia Life covered. The implications? Let's find out:

Section conclusion:

There's merit to all of these ingredients listed in this section.

The problem, however, is that if you're following a healthy lifestyle, your risk for vitamin and mineral deficiencies will be dramatically lower.

Hence, the biggest value add does not come from the vitamins and minerals in Qualia Life.

Another big problem is that all of the ingredients can be bought for pennies on the dollar by taking a high-quality B-vitamin supplement. The magnesium ingredient, moreover, can be easily supplied by taking magnesium glycinate. Potassium is dosed so low that its effect is negligible. 

Keep in mind that Qualia Life is a $160 supplement, as advertised by the Neurohacker website.  Though you can get your first bottle of Qualia Life for $68 if you use discount code FERGUS and purchase a subscription.

60 B-vitamin pills only cost you $15. Magnesium glycinate is also very inexpensive (and can be dosed correctly with a proper product.

Overall verdict?

The bottom line is that the inclusion of these B-vitamins and minerals certainly has merit, but it's nothing special. The anti-aging benefits from Qualia Life thus need to derive from the additional ingredients that are included. Let's look at hte other ingredients included:

C. Other Ingredients.

Nex to some B-vitamins and minerals, Qualia Life contains a host of other ingredients.

Let's look at whether these ingredients make Qualia Life shine as an anti-aging supplement:

1. Tri-creatine Malate, 1000 mg

Creatine monohydrate - a great ingredient that helps many people. For more info on creatine, check out my very comprehensive blog on the topic and 19 reasons why you should supplement with creatine.

The reason for supplementing with creatine? Well, first of all, many people don't ingest as much creatine as they should. Creatine is mainly found in raw animal foods, especially muscle meats. Cooking destroys creatine and thus decreases your intake.

Thus: in my previous blogs, I've concluded that supplementing with at least a few grams of creatine is best for most people.

But creatine for anti-aging purposes?

Yes: 

First of all, evidence exists that creatine reduces oxidative damage and protects your DNA (95; 96).

Secondly, while the conclusion is premature, creatine supplementation may improve the functioning of your methylation system (97; 98; 99).

Thirdly, some science suggests that creatine can protect mitochondrial integrity (and function) (100; 101).

Hence, sound reasons exist to include creatine in an anti-aging supplement.

The problem?

Only 1 gram of creatine is provided in this supplement. Almost all people need more, and most studies show the best effects with 5 grams of creatine per day, and up to 10 grams.

Verdict: adding creatine is almost certainly beneficial for anti-aging purposes. Bravo to Neurohacker! For the best effects, however, more than 1,000 milligrams need to provided.

2. Calcium β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate monohydrate, 500 mg.

"β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate monohydrate" is also called "HMB" and is a supplement that's around for more than 2 decades.

Some evidence exists that HMB increases your hormonal response to resistance training, specifically the "IGF-1" and "growth hormone" (102). The functioning of these hormones goes down with age, and hence, the inclusion of HMB is valid.

HMB may also improve your blood glucose handling (103).

In animal studies, moreover, HMB may also improve muscle mass into old age as well as motor control (104).

Blood lipid levels, inflammation, and hormones seem unaffected by HMB. Overall, the inclusion of this ingredient is good but not great.

The problem once again?

Dosing!

Most studies use 1 to 3 grams of HMB. Qualia Life merely uses 500 milligrams.

Verdict: reasonable ingredient that is dosed lower than most human studies.

3. Glycine (as 400 mg magnesium glycinate), 344 mg.

Glycine is a building block of protein, called an "amino acid". Bone broth is one of the richest sources of glycine today, even though many people don't consume that food.

And even though bone broth (and gelatin and collagen) contain many other amino acids, glycine is one of the main ones.

The Kettle and Fire brand is one good option if you don't want to make your own bone broth, for instance. 

That Kettle and Fire product contains about 2,000 milligrams of glycine per dose. Qualia Life merely contains 500 milligrams.

Once again, we run into the problem of under-dosing.

(That underdosing problem probably only exists because capsules are used, instead of a powdered product. If Neurohacker didn't use capsules, they could far more easily provide an optimal dose of compounds such as creatine and glycine. With a powdered product, you could take 2-3 tablespoon-sized scoops a day, and get the dose that's supported by the science.)

The upside about glycine?

Glycine does improve sleep quality and daytime wakefulness (if you haven't slept well) (105; 106; 107).

Sleep, in turn, is arguably essential for countering aging because your brain rejuvenates during that time and damaged "parts" of your cells are recycled. Hence, including glycine is warranted.

Verdict: great that glycine is added, the compound can definitely be expected to affect aging. A (much) higher dose, however, would be better.

4. Rosmarinus officinalis Leaf Extract (50% ursolic acid), 300 mg.

Very interesting compound.

Ursolic acid can be found in many plants, specifically in the skins of fruits. Herbs and spices also contain ursolic acid.

Why this specific compound?

Simple:

Although not studied in great detail, the compound may have benefits for lowering overall inflammation and preventing diseases such as cancer and heart disease (108; 109; 110; 111; 112).

The downside is that the compound is not studied in great detail (yet). The good news? Neurohacker has used the correct dosage here!

Verdict: the potential for ursolic acid to affect aging is somewhat speculative, although some preliminary evidence in animal studies suggests the compound may reduce disease risk.

5. Cacao seed extract, 250 mg

"Cacao seed extract", or simply "cacao" for regular people - because you always eat the cacao beans or seeds, and never the leaves.

I think three main reasons exist why this compound is included:

• strong evidence exists that cacao improves your overall blood flow (113; 114; 115).
• cacao has very strong anti-oxidant properties (116; 117)
• the polyphenols may improve organ function, by creating temporary stress. That stress helps your organs compensate and get stronger (118; 119).

Although the dose is low, in this case, that choice is easy to justify because many other ingredients also have anti-oxidant properties. One example is the cinnamon that's considered next.

Verdict: great that cacao is added - also at the right dose. 

6. Cinnulin PF® Cinnamomum burmanni Bark Extract, 250 mg

When you age (and perhaps soon "if" you age), your body is often less and less able to properly manage blood sugar.

Sugar in the bloodstream is not taken up in your cells but keeps re-circulating instead.

Cinnamon can be a solution. 

High-quality studies do demonstrate that cinnamon helps you manage your blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes (120; 121).

The studies on Cinnulin PF® themselves use dosages of 250-500 milligrams per day, so the dose in Qualia Life is correct as well (122; 123; 124).

A bonus is that the cinnamon is a strong antioxidant, fighting excesses of free radicals.

Verdict: great addition of this ingredient because many people get blood-sugar dysregulation at older age.

7. L-Carnitine HCl, 250 mg

Once again, a solid choice for an ingredient. Carnitine is (as the name already tells you) found in meats.

The compound has benefits for:

• Blood sugar regulation 
• Possibly increasing fat loss
• Preventing an excess of free radicals

However, once again, the substance is dosed at a level that's too low. Most studies show reasonable good effects from carnitine supplementation, at doses of up to 3,000 milligrams.

in studies on blood sugar, 2-3 grams are used, for instance (125; 126). In case of studying anti-oxidant activity in the body, 2 grams was used as well (127).

Very few if any of the hundreds of other studies use dosages of 250 milligrams.

 Verdict: great ingredient but dosed sub-optimally. 

8. BioVin® French Red Grape Extract (5% resveratrol), 200 mg

BioVin is a full-grape extract that uses all parts of the plant (128). 

The compound is recommended to be used at "100 mg, 3 times daily". So in that respect, Neuorhacker interprets the dosage correctly.

Unfortunately, as far as I know, no specific high-quality studies have been carried out on this  compound instead of regular grape extracts, such as "grape seed extract".

Beneficial effects of this compound may be logically derived by looking at the literature on grape seed extract, however.

Just like cacao, grape seed extract has benefits for your overall blood flow and for your cardiovascular health (129; 130; 131). Blood pressure decreases by taking this compound, for instance - blood pressure is a good predictor of heart health (243; 244).

The resveratrol in this compound? 10 millimgrams is a very low dose. I know that many anti-aging proponents who take reseveratrol take doses of 300 - 1,500 milligrams per day. So if BioVin® is included for the resveratrol in the product, it's underdosed.

Verdict: good ingredient choice at the right dose. Compliments!

9. Myo-Inositol, 200 mg

Once again, Neurohacker focuses on blood sugar control and/or insulin signaling with their inclusion of "myo-inositol" or "inositol".

The dosage at 200 milligrams is on the low end of the equation, but works. A very high 2-20 gram dosage, which has benefits in multiple studies, might not be needed because many other ingredients for blood sugar control have already been included.

Studies on anxiety and panic attacks use very high inositol dosages, for instance (132; 133).

Weight loss, more control over your eating patterns, and a better blood lipid profile (i.e. cholesterol and triglycerides) might be other benefits of inositol.

Verdict: including this ingredient can be justified for anti-aging purposes.

10. ElevATP® Ancient Peat and Apple Fruit Extract, 150 mg

Peat and apple extract...

Another "fruity" ingredient, just like cacao (which can also be interpreted as a bean) and grape extract.

At 150 milligrams, the ingredient is correctly dosed (134; 135). Unfortunately, research on this ingredient is somewhat sparse.

Most of the benefits are found in relation to better adaptations to exercise.

However, as the name "ElevATP®" already suggests, the compound may play a role in increasing "ATP" production. ATP - or "adenosine triphosphate" is a substance that's integral to energy production in your body.

Remember that your energy levels typically go down as you age -- your mitochondria work less efficiently, for instance. 

Those increases in ATP may be why studies show that this peat and apple fruit extract improves workout performance (136).

ElevATP® may be one reason why many people feel good taking Qualia Life.

Verdict: ElevATP® is dosed correctly and may affect your energy levels during aging. More research is needed to definitively confirm that statement.

11. Sensoril® Ashwagandha Withania somnifera Root and Leaf Extract (10% withanolide glycoside conjugates), 125 mg

Ashwagandha: a staple in any biohacker's toolbox. Aswagandha is an "adaptogen" - a compound that normalizes your stress levels.

Adaptogens may lower excess cortisol or increase it if you're too low, for instance.

I really like this compound because chronic stress may be one of the most important underlying mechanisms for the aging process (137; 138).

Ashwagandha, in turn, has potent effect on lowering stress:

• Very high-quality studies show that ashwagandha can lower anxiety, for instance (139; 140).
• You may improve your hormonal functioning if you're overweight with ashwagandha (141). Testosterone and DHEA (a primal hormone that acts as a "building block" for other hormones increase ~15-20%. Excess body weight and stress hormone levels come down, additionally (142).
• Overall stress levels are consistently reduced in studies investigating ashwagandha (143; 144; 145).

The dosage of this compound is also great.

Possible downsides?

Sure: if you're already too relaxed naturally, this compound may have fewer benefits and can even be counterproductive. To understand that principle, imagine giving a dog that already sleeps all-day supplements to make it even more relaxed.

No bueno...

Verdict: ashwagandha is great addition to the Qualia Life stack, lowering stress and anxiety that plagues so many people.

12. Citric Acid (as 200 mg tripotassium citrate monohydrate), 118 mg.

Citric acid is found in citrus fruits. 

Although not tested in high-quality studies in humans, the compound may lower the aforementioned "oxidative stress" (146; 147; 148). Excess oxidative stress almost certainly speeds up aging, even though it has other roles in the body as well, such as a signaling function.

Additionally, citric acid may lower inflammation and may improve overall function of your blood vessels (149; 150).

More evidence is needed to establish that citric acid does affect the aging process.

I also think the compound was listed as an ingredient because Neurohacker wanted to add potassium to their stack. In other words, citrate was added as a byproduct of "tripotassium citrate"

Verdict: citric acid's potential effect on aging is currently largely speculative.

13. Gynostemma pentaphyllum Whole Herb Extract (50% gypenosides), 100 mg.

Gynostemma pentaphyllum is an Asian herb that is not well studied today. 

However, in Neurohacker's defense, the compound was almost certainly included because of the "ginsenosides" - active ingredients of the "ginseng" adaptogen plant.

These "ginsenosides" should not be confused with "gypenosides", which seem unique to the Gynostemma pentaphyllum plant.

Lost the flow of my argument?

Well, in that case let's simplify then:

The "gypenosides" almost certainly have very positive effects on the way your body handles blood glucose (151; 152; 153). Controlling your blood sugar averts diabetes in old age, which is good, as aging is one of the main risk factors for getting diabetes.

Secondly, the "ginsenosides", if included in this extract, may have additional anti-stress effects similar to the ashwagandha which I considered earlier.

Verdict: good compound that may improve both handling of blood sugar as well as working as an adaptogen.

14. Sirtmax® Kaempferia parviflora Root Extract (15% polymethoxy flavenoids), 100 mg

Yet another adaptogen...

This plant is also ginseng-like and even commonly called "Thai ginseng". Not much research has been carried out on this compound though...

One study does demonstrate that the Thai ginseng has antioxidant properties (154). Such a conclusion is somewhat dangerous, as you can also eat some chocolate and blueberries to get a great dose of anti-oxidants.

In defense of Neurohacker, however, most people don't really eat sufficient high-quality plant foods to really boost their antioxidant profile. So yes, a stack with many differnet plants may have additional benefits.

Other studies show benefits for some aspectes of physical performance due to the Thai ginseng (155; 156; 157; 158). Increased performance implies that energy production goes up somewhere in the human body.

Verdict: research on this compound is sparse, and benefits are mostly unconfirmed. Yet, Kaempferia parviflora may have benefits for your antioxidant profile and physical performance.

15. R-Lipoic Acid sodium salt, 100 mg

Alpha-lipoic acid, and it's related compound R-lipoic acid, are two very similar compounds. 

The Alpha-lipoic acid acts both as an antioxidant but also boosts the body's functioning of its own antioxidant system (159; 160; 161).

"R-lipoic acid" is the more bioactive version of "Alpha-lipoic acid". 

Circulation and blood sugar control may also improve with R-Lipoic Acid (162; 163).

Additionally, alpha-lipoic acid and its derivatives are one of the better-studied compounds that potentially affect the aging process, so its inclusion is justified.

Dosage is good but could be somewhat higher. Neurohacke has chosen the better-working premium versoin of the ingredient this time (as opposed to with niacin and CoQ10 further down the road.)

Verdict: solid compound that aids blood sugar control and the antioxidant system.

16. N-Acetyl-L-cysteine, 100 mg

Another compound that acts as an antioxidant. N-acetyl-L-cysteine also boosts the body's detoxification system, which is a big plus.

Cysteine is a building block of what it is frequently called the "master antioxidant" of the human body: glutathione (164; 165). Another great benefit is that this compound is very thoroughly investigated because of its fundamental role in glutathione.

As a result, you can increase your antioxidant levels with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) (166; 167). So theoretically, if you're low on cysteine, your antioxidant system will suffer. The question, of course, is whether further increasing your levels has additional benefits.

For instance, above a certain threshold, more vitamin C is not necessarily better for you.

Nonetheless, NAC is a very potent compound. NAC is used, for instance, to help you detoxify after you've ingested (too much) alcohol or if you're an alcoholic (168; 169; 170).

Additionally, due to its major role in detoxification, NAC also helps your body clear toxins more efficiently - although high-quality human studies are sparse (171; 172; 173; 174; 175). Such a benefit is potentially very worthwhile. 

And there's more:

Your risk for several conditions of old age, such as Alzheimer's, COPD (a lung condition), bone problems, cancer, and others, may also be lowered by NAC.

Overall organ function, moreover, may also be protected by NAC. Examples are the lungs, liver, kidneys, and brain (176; 177; 178; 179; 180; 181; 182).

Hence, overall, the inclusion of this compound is great. 

The problem?

Only 100 milligrams of NAC is provided. 

Many studies use 600 to even 5,000 milligrams per day. The 100 miligams will have benefits, but not maximal benefits. In defense of Neurohacker, taking grams of NAC daily for months or even years may not be optimal either because it will cause amino acid imbalances.

Verdict: adding  N-acetyl-L-cysteine is great for countering excess oxidative stress, improving organ function, and aiding detoxification. However, this ingredient is almost certainly underdosed and won't have maximal effects.

17. L-tryptophan, 100 mg

Tryptophan - another "amino acid" or building block of protein. 

I'll be very direct: I'm not convinced this compound needs to be included in an anti-aging stack.

Of course, many potential reasons exist for using tryptophan, such as increasing your "serotonin" levels (a brain signaling compound), aiding sleep quality, and helping the body improve the amount of niacin that's endogenously produced (183; 184; 185; 186; 187).

However, it's reasonable to assume that with a proper diet, you'll be getting all of the tryptophan you need on a daily basis. And if you don't follow a proper diet, there's (almost) no reason to take an anti-aging supplement.

Let's look at such foods:

3 ounces of salmon or beef supply you with ~200 milligrams of tryptophan, for instance. The same amount of cheese gives you 50% more than that. Grains such as wheat and oats also contain reasonable amounts of tryptophan.

Hence, you're very unlikely to be deficient if you consume at least some high-quality animal proteins on a daily basis.

Verdict: there's probably very little reason to include tryptophan in an anti-aging stack. 

18. Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone), 65 mg

Once again, a compound that almost certainly affects the aging process: Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10).

Of course, you may know CoQ10 from anti-aging skin creams and other backgrounds. There's sound reason that substance is used for anti-aging purposes, although taking the compound through your skin may be less beneficial.

CoQ10 is both an anti-oxidant (yes, once again) but also plays a vital role in creating energy in your mitochondria. Recall that your mitochondria are the energy-producing factories of your cells.

Without CoQ10, which you partially need to ingest through diet, your mitochondria function less well also (193; 194; 195).

Let's start with the problem this time:

Neurohacker as (once again) used an inferior form of a substance. Instead of using the superior "ubiquinol" version - that works especially better during aging - they've used the "ubiquinone" version that's absorbed less well (188; 189; 190; 191).

Some studies disagree though (192).

CoQ10 does have many potential benefits for affecting the aging process, such as improving your energy levels (in old age), countering heart and blood vessel disease, blood sugar control, maintaining a healthy nervous system, lowering oxidative stress, and much more (193; 194; 195; 196; 197; 198; 199).

Neurohacker did the right thing by including CoQ10 - your body's own production of this compound goes down with age.

The dose of the ubiquinone form of CoQ10 is on the low side though: 100 - 200 milligrams is standardly used in many studies, if not more.

Verdict: including CoQ10 into an anti-aging supplement is very justifiable, although the dose and form of CoQ10 included in Qualia Life is somewhat controversial.

19. Sopharae Japonica L. Flower Extract (95% rutin), 50 mg

Back to plant compounds...

The reason this plant was included is that it contains "quercetin", a certain "polyphenol". In fact, the "rutin" compound contains a specific type of quercetin.

So why take quercetin?

Polyphenols temporary stress the body - through a process called "hormesis" - which allows your body to compensate and become stronger (200; 201).

Not many high-quality studies have investigated the effects of quercetin yet though. 

What is known is that through the hormetic response quercetin may improve the functioning of the body's own antioxidant system (202; 203; 204).

Quercetin may have additional benefits such as lowering some types of inflammation. Chronic excess inflammation is almost certainly bad for you and almost certainly speeds up aging (205; 206).

Neurohacker doses quercetin at 50 milligrams max (and probably less because not all of that Sopharae Japonica is made up of active substance). Many studies, however, use dosages approximating 1-2 grams. 

The compound is thus 20-40 fold underdosed in Qualia Life.

One counterargument why that lower dose might not be problematic is that many other (hormetic) antioxidants are already provided for in this stack, such as cacao and Pyrroloquinoline Quinone (number 23 on the list).

Verdict: Sopharae Japonica L. is almost certainly underdosed, but in Neurohacker's defense, Qualia Life contains many other polyphenols as well. Adding Sopharae Japonica L. for the "quercetin" polyphenol and antioxidant is good for anti-aging pruposes. 

20. Citrus Sinesis L. Fruit Extract (40% nobiletin), 50 mg

Citrus Sinesis is commonly known as the orange fruits and includes blood and sweet oranges.

Neurohacker seems to have included the plant specifically because of the "nobiletin" compound. 

Why?

Well, nobiletin is yet another polyphenol. As such, the compound may affect inflammation levels in the body, for instance (207; 212). 

Nobiletin may also counter several diseases, such as heart and blood vessel problems and neurodegenerative ones (208; 209; 210; 211)

High-quality research into this compound is lacking though.

Verdict: potentially beneficial compound, although even indirect evidence is mostly lacking right now.

21. Strawberry Seed Extract (0.5% trans-tilroside)

Another plant compound...

The active ingredient, "trans-tiliroside", has many purported benefits but most of these are not studies in high-quality research (once again).

For instance, the compound has alleged benefits for lowering inflammation, countering allergies, improving heart and blood vessel health, protecting organs such as the liver, and increasing the antioxidant activity in the body (212).

Of course, strawberries and strawberry seeds contain polyphenols - the most likely reason for including this compound (once again).

Verdict: research on strawberry seed extract and the "trans-tilroside" compound is sparse. It's probable that the extract has similar benefits as other polyphenols treated in this section.

22. Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract (98% apigenin)

Citrus Grandis, commonly known as "pomelo", is probably also included because of its polyphenols.

One other reason is that grapefruit-like fruits such as pomelo contain "furanocoumarins", compounds that make the effect of other medications or plant materials stronger (213; 214) Pomelo very likely also contains such compounds.

Additionally, the apigenin compound also has potential health benefits. 

Apigenin may have anti-inflammatory effects, for instance (215; 216; 217). The compound may also counteract mental conditions such as anxiety and depression (218; 219; 220).

A single animal study also posits that apigenin may increase NAD⁺ (221).

Apigenin is found widely across the plant-kingdom. Once again, high-quality human evidence is sparse, but adding the ingredient is reasonable.

Verdict: interesting compound although (much) more evidence is needed to establish anti-aging properties. 

23. Pyrroloquinoline Quinone dissodium, 10 mg

I'll be honest:

Adding "Pyrroloquinoline Quinone" (PQQ) to the Qualia Life anti-aging stack is a great choice!

PQQ is studied in good detail and is likely beneficial for countering aging. One main mechanism of PQQ is that it increases what is called "mitochondrial biogenesis" (222; 223; 224; 225).

Mitochondrial biogenesis entails that your cells can increase their number of mitochondria. Exercise is one way to increase the number of mitochondria - taking PQQ is another one.

Most of these effects have only been proven in animal studies though...

Additionally, PQQ protects your nervous system (226; 227; 228). Neuroprotection may be beneficial to avert several diseases of old age, for instance.

PQQ, moreover, also lowers several types of inflammation, such as "C-reactive protein" and "Interleukin-6" (229; 230).

This PQQ compound has frequently been called "exercise in a pill". Once again: PQQ's addition to Qualia Life is a great choice.

Verdict: PQQ affects many variables influenced by aging, such as mitochondrial function and (chronic) inflammation, and its addition to Qualia Life is therefore (highly) warranted.

24. Ceratonia siliqua Pod Extract (98% D-chiro-inositol), 5 mg

More inositol, after the regular myo-inositol was also included...

The benefit of this inositol version is that it may absorb better than its regular counterpart.

The D-chiro-inositol compound is not really well understood today though (231). The D-chiro version does make the myo version more effective if the PCOS condition is present. Most of the D-chiro research is actually targeted towards that condition.

Inclusion of this ingredient is justified though. Inositol, as stated before, has stress-lowering and blood sugar-regulating effects.

In animal studies, the compound also literally slows down aging (232). A lot more research is needed to draw any conclusions though.

Verdict: including D-chiro-inositol in an anti-aging stack can be justified.

That's it...

Almost 40 different compounds reviewed for their purported anti-aging effects.

After the last two very elaborate sections you may think: 

"Well, what do these results mean? Do I really add 5 years to my lifespan (or healthspan) by taking Qualia Life every day?"

Let's find out:

D. Will These Ingredients Really Slow Down Aging? And Is Qualia Life Worth The Price Tag?

So let's consider the fundamental question: "will Qualia Life really slow down my aging process, and if so, by how much?"

It's hard to answer that question unequivocally for the following reasons:

• None of the compounds listed in the sections above were studied for long-term clinical outcomes, such as 20-40 years. Even studying one single compound that way probably costs tens of millions of dollars - so it's not feasible.
• Almost all of the studies quoted in this blog post don't concern aging per se--only many variables that affect aging, such as whether you've got sufficient mitochondria, the expression (turning on and off of genes, and whether your body adequately deals with high blood sugar. In fact, there's no one outcome by which aging can be measured or quantified.
• There's no incentive for studying most of these plant compounds under long clinical trials. No company will decide to spend millions of dollars studying the effects of "magnesium chloride' on aging over a 10 year period because that compound  is very cheap to produce. Only prescription medicine that can be patented regularly receives such high funding as companies can make lots of profit on patents.
• When compounds are taken together, their effects change. For instance, vitamin B₉ (folate and folate derivatives) and B₁₂ both affect the methylation cycle in the human body. Studies investigating B₉ in isolation are no longer relevant once B₁₂ enters the picture. Hence, you'd not only need to study the effects of all ingredients in Qualia Life, you also need to study their interaction over time - a Herculean task.
• The Qualia Life product itself - with its almost 40 ingredients - has not been tested by third parties in high-quality clinical research. Doing so would be possible though. So Neurohacker could theoretically pay a third party to test their product against a placebo. I'd be very interested in that outcome!

Conclusion:

Right now, it's very hard to quantify the results Qualia Life is having on your aging process. Having said that, many of the ingredients are proven to have some beneficial effects.

The question then becomes whether Qualia Life justifies the $160 price tag (though you can save 58% with code FERGUS when ordering a subscription)

My answer?

It depends...

If you've not mastered the basics of taking care of your health, I think you should forget about taking Qualia Life. Examples of such basics are:

• Getting more high-quality sleep, especially deep sleep.
• Balancing stress with the amount of exercise you get. More exercise is not always better - and frequently digs a deeper hole in terms of health problems you're causing.
• Avoiding excesses of potentially dangerous "foods" such as soy and vegetable oils (which contain "polyunsaturated fatty acids")
• Developing a habit of getting some morning sunlight exposure and supplementing with red light therapy on days you cannot get enough sun.
• Making sure you're living in a healthy home, with furniture that doesn't contain tons of flame retardants, for instance. By the way, that cheap mattress is probably not healthy either.
• And much more...

So if you're not getting enough movement and you're staying up until 4 AM on Saturdays while drinking lots of alcohol, Qualia Life is probably not for you. In that case, you need to focus on the basics before taking an anti-aging supplement.

But what if you've already got many healthy habits and want to take your anti-aging protocol to the next level?

In that case, Qualia Life might be a viable option for you.

But should you?

The most damning counterargument against taking Qualia Life is that many of the ingredients can be bought much less expensively.

For instance, a high-quality B vitamin complex costs you around $11 for 100 days. Almost half of the Qualia Life stack is replicated by taking one pill.

The polyphenols in Qualia Life? Eat some dark chocolate or blueberries and you'll ingest a far higher dose than you'd get in this supplement. You can also buy a polyphenol supplement such as "resveratrol" - which is found in grapes - for $25.

So why take Qualia Life then?

• Convenience, and knowing for sure that you've got most of your bases covered. And even if you don't have the healthiest lifestyle on earth, taking Qualia Life might undo some of the damage of living on the edge.
• You may also be willing to take a few pills per day, instead of eating lots of vegetables to get your daily polyphenol intake. In such a case, Qualia Life might also be an outcome for you. 
• To put you over the edge: if you're already implementing many strategies to optimize your health, adding an anti-aging stack may have some additinal long-term benefits.

So would I recommend this supplement?

Yes, depending on the context.

While I'm a huge fan of Qualia Mind because of the perfect formulation and great (quantifiable) results I'm getting, I'm slightly less convinced of Qualia Life.

If you've got the money to spend on the supplement, however, it's almost certainly better to take it than not to.

E. Closing Thoughts: Revolutionizing Anti-Aging

I've been as honest as possible with my Qualia Life review, telling you about both the good and the bad.

To simplify that message:

The good about Qualia Life is that most of the ingredients are well established to have effects on your health and potentially on aging by scientific studies. The bad is that the specific effects of these ingredients upon aging are hard to quantify. Additionally, many of the ingredients can be bought individually for a far lower price and some doses and/or ingredient choices could ipmrove for Neurohacker.

Having said that, I do have to compliment Neurohacker for developing their anti-aging supplement. 

I also have to reiterate that I'm not just being critical here: Neurohacker's Qualia Mind products works amazingly for me - I've quantified the results extensively.

Additionally, Neurohacker has worked on its Qualia formula over the years. Several ingredients were removed from their first two-step formula, such as curcumin, green tea extract, and noopept. Other ingredients were increased in dosage, such as choline.

The end result was a far smoother experience with much better results. Hence, Neurohacker's product line seems to evolve for the better over time.

I, therefore, do think that Neurohacker will continue developing its Qualia Life formula, and I hope my review of the ingredients contributes to that. 

Make no mistake: slowing down and countering aging is a very lofty goal, as aging is probably the most important risk factor for getting many complex and chronic diseases. Anyone supporting a disease-free world deserves my support. 

So if you want to buy Qualia Life, click HERE and be sure to enter code FERGUS to save.

F. Neurohacker's Response To This Blog Post:

Neurohacker e-mailed me one day after publishing this article with the following response to my findings.

Dr. Greg Kelly writes:

"1. Vitamin K2: He mentions he likes the Thorne Vitamin K2 which is a 20-fold higher dose. They use MK4 which is dosed typically from at least 1mg but more commonly at about 45mg (and has been given clinically at even higher doses). MK7 is dosed in studies at 100-360 mcg (so at least 10-fold lower dose) because it is way more bioactive by weight than MK4. I would be concerned if someone misinterpreted his point and decided to take a 20-fold higher dose of MK7 than we use.

2. Thiamine: We included this 25 mg dose primarily because advanced glycation endproducts are a big issue with cellular aging and thiamine (at doses much higher than the DV) is an antiglycating agent. Research indicates the nootropic and ergogenic range for thiamine is 50-100 mg (see here and here as examples) so we are actually below this but we assume many users will also be taking Qualia and wanted to make sure the combo of both products puts them in this range. 

My response:

First of all, thanks for the extensive reply - really appreciate the in-depth response. I'll react to your points listed above one by one:

1. Vitamin K₂:
   
   With regards to interpreting my advice as taking 45 milligrams or more of vitamin K₂ MK7, I also explicitly state that "[t]he dosage might also be doubled or tripled for better effects".
   
   I also don't think that very high doses of MK4 are necessary to have beneficial effects -- such as 45 milligrams -- but I know you're not making that argument either. My concern with such high doses is that hidden side-effects exist, so I would not expect Qualia Life to have such a high dose.
   
   One hidden (hypothetical) side effect might be the same as in other fat-soluble vitamins, such as the antagonism between retinol and vitamin D₃
   
   Yes, high vitamin K₂ MK4 doses seem safe in most studies, but I think they might create an imbalance. I agree with Neurohacker that very high MK7 doses (such as multiple milligrams) are not necessarily safe either!
   
   
2. Thiamine: 
   
   Good argument, you've convinced me!
   
   The only issue I have with 100-milligram doses of thiamine is that no evidence currently exists that such doses are safe long-term. The counterargument against that claims it that high thiamine doses are not really an issue in B-complex vitamins that many people take for years on end.
   
   
3. Riboflavin:
   
   Yes, the riboflavin dose might be sufficient to counter a deficiency but is still dosed much lower than most of the other B-vitamins. 
   
   As you're dosing many vitamins much higher than to prevent an outright deficiency, I think there's a small inconsistency there (although vitamin K2 MK₇ is an exception).
   
   For instance, vitamin B12 is not dosed at 100% of the RDA, but much higher.
   
   Riboflavin is also very safe in higher doses, although some anecdotal evidence exists that doses over 100 milligrams taken for extensive periods of time produce side effects. 
   
   Chris Masterjohn has also done an excellent job laying out the benefits of riboflavin for the methylation cycle, setting daily requirements "closer to 5 milligrams per day".
   
   If people are following a high-quality diet, and if they're only taking Qualia Life (and not Qualia as well), then their status might be optimal. With Qualia Life and a low-quality diet (which some of your users will be), riboflavin status might be good but not optimal (yet).
   
   
4. Niacin:
   
   I'm aware of the recent study that questions the validity of using NR. 
   
   However, not all studies are skeptical 
   
   With regards to supply chain issues, and you not being able to get an adequate supply of NR, I was not aware of that fact - so it's a good point!
   
   One recent study does show that NR affects exercise performance and oxidative stress, for instance (245). Another study shows that administering NR increases NAD+ levels measured in blood (246). One more study shows increases in NAD+ in muscles and lowering of some inflammatory cytokines (247).
   
   All of these studies were published in 2019, so quoting the one study that has no effect does not adequately reflect the state of the current science. Most NR studies do show an effect over placebo, in fact, and I'd like to see future developments as of why the discrepancy between studies exist.
   
   Of course, your point that if Chromadex doesn't sell the product 

Additionally, discussing these dosages of vitamins and their included types obscures the fact that many other "critiques" of mine have not been answered. 

Three of my arguments (among many) listed above are, for instance:

1. Why is creatine dosed at only 1,000 milligrams? Most studies use 3,000 and more per day. Why is L-Carnitine HCl dosed at 250 mg instead of the regular 2,000 - 3,000 milligrams? Why is N-Acetyl-L-cysteine dosed at 100 mg, instead of way higher doses used in the literature?
   
   I know the answer to these questions - you're selling a capsule supplement instead of a sachet/powder, but nevertheless, for anti-aging purposes, I would have expected Neurohacker to reject the capsule approach if such an approach made adequate dosing of individual ingredients impossible.
   
   
2. Why are many different polyphenols included, instead of just a few that have more good science behind them, such as just resveratrol, cacao beans, and grape seed extract?
   
   My hypothesis about the intention is that a list of 10+ different obscure polyphenol ingredients looks more impressive to individuals who have not read up on the literature, making the Qualia Life product more marketable.
   
   
3. Not all of my suggestions as per the choices of ingredients have been countered. For instance, there's no explanation as of why ubiquinone is included, instead of ubiquinol.

Again, I must admit I'm a highly critical person and I'm not suggesting by any means that Neuorhacker doesn't have the right intentions with this product. Instead, I think that the development of an anti-aging product (line) is highly beneficial for humanity, as aging is a major risk factor for almost any disease. Hence, Neurohacker's push for Qualia Life should not only be applauded but also celebrated. Of course, we should ensure that the best ingredients are included for a $150 product so that users most effectively counter aging.

I, for instance, would have opted for 500 milligrams of trans-resveratrol instead of using many different polyphenols. If you disagree with me, that's great and we can talk about this more in the comments section below!

 And if you want to try Qualia Life for yourself,  click HERE and be sure to enter code FERGUS to save.

Items Mentioned:

• Qualia Life - use discount code FERGUS to save 15%
• Qualia Nootropic (Mind & Focus & Life) -use discount code FERGUS saves 15%
• Glycine Kettle and Fire 
• Jarrow Formulas High-quality B vitamin

Found This Interesting? Then You Might Like:

• 2019 Qualia Mind Review - Extraordinary Deep Sleep & Cognitive Benefits
• Megadosing Nicotinamide Riboside Or Nicotinamide Mononucleotide: Dangerous Or Smart?
• Why Multi-Mineral Supplements Are Terribly Overrated - And What To Use Instead
• Everything You Need to Know About Creatine
• Improve Performance, Age Slower, and Look Great Naked

This is a post by Bart Wolbers. Bart finished degrees in Physical Therapy (B), Philosophy (BA and MA), Philosophy of Science and Technology (MS - Cum Laude), and Clinical Health Science (MS), and is currently the chief science writer at Alexfergus.com.