Microdosed lithium has been shown to slow down aging and exert various protective effects on cells, especially brain cells.
That’s why microdosed lithium is often used as an anti-aging supplement (R,R,R,R,R), or as a way to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases (R,R,R).
Lithium and kidney function
However, some people worry about the effects of lithium on kidney function. They read that a common side effect of long-term lithium treatment is kidney dysfunction.
It’s true that long-term use of lithium can cause kidney damage or problems with fluid balance/urine secretion (e.g. diabetes insipidus), but this only pertains to doses that are hundreds of times higher than microdosed lithium.
These very high doses of lithium are given in a psychiatric setting (often to stabilize mood). These doses are in the range of 1,200 mg of lithium carbonate per day or higher (sometimes even more than 2,000 mg per day), amounting to around 120 mg of pure lithium per day.
Microdosed lithium is commonly defined as 0.3 to 1 mg of pure lithium per day, so at least 120 times lower.
The daily amount of lithium in NOVOS Core (1 mg) is about 120 times lower than the daily amount of lithium used as a drug.
In this very low dose range, microdosed lithium does not cause kidney damage or dysfunction.
Beneficial effects of microdosed lithium on kidney function
In fact, microdosed lithium could actually protect against kidney damage (R).
Even more interestingly, lithium could slow down aging of the kidney (R). According Dr. Rujun Gong:
“Lithium may emerge as an effective anti-aging medication for the kidney and potentially other organ systems and help to better preserve the health and well-being of our aging population.”
– Dr. Gong, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine Center for Hypertension and Precision Medicine, University of Toledo College of Medicine, USA (source)
This should not be surprising, because microdosed lithium upregulates various proteins and transcription factors (e.g. Nrf2, brain-derived growth factor) that protect cells, including kidney cells and brain cells.
Microdoses of lithium are also found in the drinking water in some regions, and no increased risk of kidney dysfunction has been documented.
In fact, these studies show that in these regions lifespan is often longer, and that there is an association between lithium intake and physical and mental health (R,R,R,R,R,R,R).
Microdosed lithium does not cause kidney dysfunction, and can even protect kidneys against damage.
NOVOS Core contains microdosed lithium (1 mg of pure lithium), among many other ingredients that protect cells against various aging processes.
Learn more about microdosed lithium and longevity here.
