SIRT6 activator fucoidan extends healthspan and lifespan in aged wild-type mice

This is a preprint, not yet through peer review as of the source date. The team, led by Yousin Suh with collaborators including Paul Robbins, administered fucoidan to aged wild-type mice. The reported results: a significant increase in median lifespan in male mice, a marked reduction in frailty in both male and female mice, and a reduction in epigenetic age. The paper also reports that fucoidan activates SIRT6's mono-ADP-ribosylase (mADPr) activity in addition to its previously known deacetylase activity, and that fucoidan-treated mice show repression of LINE1 retrotransposon elements, a marker tied to genomic instability in aging. The authors note fucoidan-rich brown seaweed is a dietary staple in South Korea and Japan, countries with high life expectancy, and propose this as circumstantial support for fucoidan as a safe SIRT6-activation strategy. Independent review coordinated by Life Science Editors Foundation flagged this as a notable finding but it has not been replicated and has not passed formal peer review. This is animal, not human, data, and the human-equivalent dose implied by the mouse dosing has been estimated elsewhere as substantially higher than commercial supplement doses currently sold.

As brown seaweed rich in fucoidan is a popular food item in South Korea and Japan, countries with the highest life expectancy, we propose that fucoidan supplementation should be explored as a safe strategy for activating SIRT6 and improving human healthspan and lifespan.