Tier 2 — strong

Action of ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate, ornithine hydrochloride, and calcium alpha-ketoglutarate on plasma amino acid and hormonal patterns in healthy subjects

Cynober L, Coudray-Lucas C, de Bandt JP, Guéchot J, Aussel C, Salvucci M, Giboudeau J
Journal of the American College of Nutrition 1990 9(1):2-12

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 2407764
DOI
10.1080/07315724.1990.10720343
Funding
Funding information is not available in the PubMed record reviewed for this Data Center entry.
Competing interests
Competing-interest information is not reported in the PubMed record reviewed for this entry.

Study snapshot

DesignControlled acute human metabolic study comparing calcium alpha-ketoglutarate with ornithine-containing comparators.
ModelHealthy adult volunteers.
Sample6 healthy men.
InterventionSingle oral administration including 3.6 g calcium alpha-ketoglutarate, compared with ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate and ornithine hydrochloride.
DurationAcute post-dose metabolic observation.
EndpointsPlasma alpha-ketoglutarate; Plasma amino acids; Insulin; Glucagon; Comparative metabolic response

What the study showed, in plain terms

This 1990 controlled study is one of the earliest direct human investigations of oral calcium alpha-ketoglutarate.

Healthy volunteers received Ca-AKG and comparator compounds while researchers measured circulating alpha-ketoglutarate, amino acids and pancreatic hormones.

It is useful for understanding human exposure and metabolism of the calcium salt, but it was not designed to test longevity, biological age or chronic health outcomes.

Key findings

  • Oral Ca-AKG produced measurable metabolic changes in healthy volunteers.
  • The study directly compared Ca-AKG with ornithine-containing alpha-ketoglutarate preparations, showing that the accompanying cation/amino acid changes the metabolic response.
  • This provides direct human evidence that the calcium salt is biologically active after oral administration.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Very small acute study.
  • No aging, safety-over-time or clinical efficacy endpoint.
  • Results from gram-level single-dose exposure should not be converted into a modern longevity dose recommendation.

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology