Company’s second product, FLT COGNITION, is designed to enhance mental clarity and long-term brain health.
Today, Longevity.Technology is launching our new product, FLT COGNITION. This follows on from the successful launch of our first longevity supplement, FLT LONGEVITY.
We wanted to take things a step further, developing a formula that targets both mental clarity and focus, as well as long-term brain health – these are obviously key areas for anyone looking to optimize their cognitive performance as well as obviously supporting healthy aging.
Longevity.Technology: As lifespans continue to extend, maintaining cognitive sharpness is becoming a critical focus. People are realizing that living longer only matters if those additional years are spent with a clear mind and the ability to fully engage with life. Cognitive health directly impacts decision-making, creativity and emotional well-being, making it essential for achieving a fulfilling, productive life at any age. This shift reflects a broader understanding that brain health is foundational not just for aging well, but for living well.
What makes FLT COGNITION so special is a powerful blend of ingredients which includes Blue California’s ErgoActive® L-Ergothioneine as one of its hero components. A naturally occurring amino acid, ergothioneine is a potent antioxidant that combats oxidative stress and cellular imbalance that contribute to cell damage.
Research also shows ergothioneine improves cognitive function by ameliorating mitochondrial damage and decreasing neuroinflammation [1]. Conversely, low levels of ergothioneine in the body may increase the risk of cognitive impairment, dementia and Parkinson’s disease, and in people with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive decline is correlated with declining ET levels [2,3].
And to take a deeper dive into the science behind this incredible ingredient, we sat down with Dr Linda May Zhang, VP of Science and Innovation at Blue California.
Linda May Zhang on…
Ergo, ergot, ergothioneine
Blue California was one of the first to commercialize ergothioneine under our trademark ErgoActive. It’s GRAS and has been on dietary supplement brands since 2018.
Ergothioneine, often called ergo for short, is a molecule discovered 1909 during research into the ergot fungus found in rye wheat crops. Ingesting this fungus can lead to ergot poisoning which causes seizures, convulsions and gangrene. Some have even hypothesized that ergot, which is a hallucinogen, may account for symptoms experienced during the Salem Witch Trials. Later it was determined that ergothioneine itself does not contribute to the toxic effects, but is actually really important for human health and longevity. While ergothioneine was originally discovered in ergot fungus, it is also made in bacteria, yeast and also soil bacteria and finds its way into crops, beans, oats, garlic and mushrooms.
Benefits of ergothioneine
Ergothioneine is a very stable antioxidant, and it has so many different potential health benefits, including the brain but also in immune function, red blood cell integrity, muscle and reproductive health. However, we don’t make ergothioneine – we have to get it through the diet, and what is fascinating is that our bodies have evolved to express a specific protein transporter, found in over a hundred different cell types in the human body, that allows this vital molecule to get inside our cells.
Research has really identified that if you have low dietary intake of ergothioneine, that is associated with either worse cognitive decline or higher risks for various neurological disorders such as dementias, like Alzheimer’s and age-related cognitive impairments. Oxidative stress is a key factor in aging, and it is also a key factor in age-related decline.
Backed by research
There are two really interesting studies related to brain health to consider; in our recent double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial, we found that ergothioneine supplementation was able to prevent subjective memory loss compared to placebo, and also improved several cognitive domains over baseline. Ergothioneine supplementation was also able to improve the ability to get to sleep. Sleep is very important for aging cognitive function. We’ve recently presented these findings at the American Society of Nutrition Conference and our manuscript is underway for peer review publication.
Secondly, a groundbreaking study came out of Singapore in which the researchers gave ergothioneine to individuals with diagnosed mild cognitive impairment and they found that ergothioneine was able to improve memory and also stabilize a key biomarker for cognitive impairment called NFL, neurofilament light chain.
Stacked for success
I’m excited about FLT COGNITION because it contains a lot of different ingredients for brain health – it’s a nice stack. The formula includes Ginkgo Biloba, one of the most researched botanicals for memory and cognition, and it also contains taxifolin, a polyphenol which has shown very promising benefits in recent human trials that found taxifolin supplementation can improve cognitive functioning as well as subjective fatigue in healthy humans. The formula also contains lutein, which people probably associate with eye health, but it also offers brain benefits. And finally, there is the combination of a green coffee bean extract with L-TeaActive L-theanine. This pairing provides a natural caffeine source combined with L-theanine, a calming amino acid found naturally in green tea leaves. And that helps with a balanced energy boost that minimizes jitters from caffeine, and there are human studies that show that the combination of caffeine with L-theanine can improve cognitive performance. So this blend offers a long term boost in brain health, but also there is an added benefit of a gentle, immediate lift because consumers want to feel something too.
[1] https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2024/FO/D4FO02321H
[2] https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1873-3468.14299
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38492784/
