One of America’s most influential health gurus and founding father of longevity research, has been accused of ‘selling snake oil’ and ‘misleading’ the public over fatal flaws in his studies that the age can be reversed, DailyMail.com has learned.
Dr. David Sinclair, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, has been accused of marketing fake anti-aging drugs over the past decade – including one for which he was paid $720 million to develop by the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.
The famous scientist, 54, previously claimed he ‘reversed’ his own age by a decade using unconventional lifestyle ‘tricks’, and recently promoted an ‘unscientific’ supplement developed by his company that claimed to reverse aging in dogs.
But the pill would be “not supported by data,” according to Matt Kaeberlein, an aging professor at the University of Washington.
The controversy sparked a series of resignations at the prestigious research organization he founded – the Academy for Health and Lifespan Research – and Dr Sinclair was eventually forced to resign from his position as president.
Dr. David Sinclair was kicked out of the Academy for Health and Lifespan Research due to controversy surrounding a paper that appeared to claim a supplement could reverse aging in dogs.
The image above shows the members of the Academy, with Dr. Sinclair (bottom left) listed as founder.
Dr. Sinclair has over 1 million followers on social media, where he shares information about the latest advances in longevity medicine.
He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling book Lifespan, host of a podcast of the same name, and was recognized in 2014 as one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people.
The latest controversy began in February and centers on a study led by scientists at the University of North Carolina veterinary school and funded by Dr. Sinclair’s pet longevity startup, Animal Biosciences.
The preliminary study – which has not been reviewed by fellow scientists, as is the norm – involved 70 dogs fed either a half or full dose of its supplement, Leap Years, or a placebo for six months.
Leap years contain an ingredient that has gained notoriety among longevity researchers called NAD+.
NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is an enzyme found in dogs – and humans – that powers energy in cells throughout the body. As a dog ages, NAD+ levels decrease, meaning its cells begin to deteriorate.
When cells lose their ability to produce energy and function properly, it can lead to disease and breakdown of bodily functions. Leap years claim to increase NAD+ levels.
The dogs were followed for six months, with 51 completing the study. Animals in the full dose group showed slight improvements in cognitive ability, as reported by their owners after three months, but the effect was not sustained for six months.
However, there were no differences between the groups in terms of changes in activity level, walking speed, or cognitive tests performed by the researchers.
Dr Sinclair revealed the findings on X alongside a promotional image for the leap year, saying: “One-of-a-kind supplement clinically proven to slow the effects of aging in dogs. Available at LeapYears.com.’
He shared a hyperlink that took his 441,000 followers to a landing page where they could purchase the supplement for between $70 and $130 for a month’s supply.
But the statement sparked a series of allegations from scientists who said it was “out of character” for him to make “unscientific claims”, with some even calling him a “coal oil salesman”. snake “.
Dr. Elisabeth Bik, a microbiologist and scientific integrity consultant in San Francisco, told DailyMail.com that her statement was “fraudulent” and that her study showed “questionable research practices.”
She said: “Its results do not show that it was successful in slowing aging in dogs – it’s just about improving cognition, it’s not about longevity.
“Testing on mice helps us decide what to test on humans. Then we need to do a stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3 clinical trial and then we can say clinically proven. So it is wrong to say that this has been clinically proven at this point.
“A lot of people post papers on preprint servers to try to sell a pill and make it look scientific, but their research will never be published in an academic journal.”
Dr Sinclair’s tweet sparked a flurry of allegations from scientists who said it was “out of character” for him to make “unscientific claims”, with some even calling him a “salesman”. snake oil.”
Forbes withdrew its article on the supplement as controversy over these claims emerged.
Fury erupted online among Dr. Sinclair’s fellow doctors, including Dr. Matt Kaeberlein, who resigned from the Sinclair Academy as a result.
Dr. Kaeberlein, a longevity biologist, wrote on Harvard falsely claims in a press release that a product it sells to pet owners has “reversed aging in dogs.”
“To me, that’s the classic definition of a snake oil salesman.”
Others have expressed their frustration to DailyMail.com, including Dr. Arlan Richardson, a geriatric medicine researcher at the University of Oklahoma, who also left the academy.
He said: “Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I thought it was out of character for the president of a professional scientific organization to make such unscientific claims.
“I did not want to be part of an organization whose leaders played fast and loose with the truth. I have informed the board of directors of the reasons for my resignation.
Dr. Sinclair attempted to placate the opposition by circulating an apology internally within the Academy and issuing a correction to his press release on March 5.
Initially, he said the supplement was the first “proven to reverse aging in dogs,” but he changed that to: “It has been shown to reverse the effects of age-related decline in dogs.” dogs “.
However, on March 13, just eight days after correcting the statement, his resignation was announced.
Dr. Nir Barzilai, an aging researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, wrote online: “We are writing to inform you that David Sinclair has resigned as President of the Academy.
“We all regret the events that led to David’s resignation and take the lessons to heart.
“We hope we can overcome these events. The Academy is interested in science and scientists; Everything else is secondary.
On March 15, Dr. Sinclair then appeared at the Livelong Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he gave a talk on the potential health benefits of NAD. He made no mention of his troubles with the Academy.
Dr Sinclair did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
This is not the first time that the scientist has been accused of exaggerating the results of his research.
In the early 2000s, the scientist was immersed in in-depth analyzes of the potential benefits of a molecule called resveratrol, which he claimed had “close to miraculous” anti-aging properties in humans.
In 2004, he founded a private company named Sirtris, dedicated to researching the compound.
Resveratrol occurs naturally in many foods like blueberries and peanuts, as well as grapes and grape products like wine. Proponents say it has the potential to change how cells use energy and reduce inflammatory responses.
In 2008, GSK bought Sirtris for $720 million, making it a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical giant.
But just two years later, GSK ended Dr. Sinclair’s research on resveratrol, citing disappointing evidence and side effects including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
In 2013, GSK closed its entire subsidiary.
Subsequent studies have repeatedly failed to replicate Dr Sinclair’s results, with papers in 2013 and 2014 revealing that the “anti-aging” effects he recorded in animals were due to the fluorescent dye he used – and not resveratrol.
Nonetheless, Dr. Sinclair put the compound on the map, with his early studies sparking enormous interest in the substance. Supplement companies now sell jars of the ingredient for $99 and tout a range of supposed benefits, from lowering blood pressure to increasing energy.
Now, a decade later, he’s faced similar criticism over his canine longevity supplement — and critics were quick to compare his scientifically weak claims to those he made about resveratrol .
Dan Elton, a data scientist at Mass General in Boston, wrote on X: “David Sinclair consistently exaggerates the claims of research in which he has a financial interest. It makes me feel sick to my stomach.
“The crazy thing is that he has already made hundreds of millions selling his resveratrol company to GSK, based on shoddy studies that have not been replicated.”
And Dr. Bik added: “Harvard longevity scientist sparks fury by claiming it reverses aging in dogs… (Spoiler alert: supplement does NOT reverse aging in dogs). »
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