ArticleNature communications2021
Dietary thiols accelerate aging of C. elegans.
Article in Nature communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 62 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
62 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 104 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of cysteine on lifespan in three model organisms: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Aging cell · 2025Pooled it
- Supplementing Glycine and N-Acetylcysteine (GlyNAC) in Older Adults Improves Glutathione Deficiency, Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Inflammation, Physical Function, and Aging Hallmarks: A Randomized Clinical Trial.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2023Trial
- Metabolites and cancer metastasis.Oncogene · 2026Review
- The Reductive Stress Nexus: Integrated Pathways of Metabolic Dysregulation, Senescence and Blood-Brain Barrier Failure in Neurodegenerative Disease and Brain Aging.Cell biochemistry and biophysics · 2026Review
- Aging-related behavioral defects in Caenorhabditis elegans.Biology open · 2026Article
- Ferroptosis-related stress during aging and its relevance to disease.GeroScience · 2026Review
- Reductive death is averted by a conserved de novo lipogenic switch.Molecular cell · 2026Article
- Gut microbiota-derived succinate links proteostasis collapse to α-synuclein pathology and aging.iScience · 2026Article
- Vitamin K2 Extends Lifespan by Alleviating Mitochondrial Stress via the JNK-1/SIR-2.1/DAF-16 Signaling Axis in Caenorhabditis elegans.Aging cell · 2026Article
- Oxidative stress causes a reversible decrease of deubiquitylases activity in old vertebrate brains.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Host Oxidative Response Capacity Determines Longevity Outcomes of Microbial Interventions.Aging cell · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial dysfunction in cellular senescence: a bridge to neurodegenerative disease.npj aging · 2025Review
- Interplay between aging and metabolic diseases: from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic horizons.Medical review (2021) · 2025Review
- Context-dependent serotonin signaling links dietary quality to foraging decisions.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Reproductive Toxicity and Transgenerational Effects of Anesthetic Etomidate in Zebrafish: PCOS-like Ovarian Changes, Oxidative Stress, and Metabolism Disruption.Environment & health (Washington, D.C.) · 2025Article
- Knockdown of mitochondrial sirtuin sir-2.2 reduces alpha-synuclein clearance and impairs energy homeostasis in a model of ageing.Disease models & mechanisms · 2025Article
- Senescent cells promote viral infection-associated inflammation and tissue damage through a robust NF-κB pathway.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2025Article
- TheInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Hyperactive 20Science advances · 2025Article
- An acyltransferase protectsbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant cellular antioxidant. As reactive oxygen species (ROS) are widely believed to promote aging and age-related diseases, and antioxidants can neutralize ROS, it follows that GSH and its precursor, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), are among the most popular dietary supplements. However, the long- term effects of GSH or NAC on healthy animals have not been thoroughly investigated. We employed C. elegans to demonstrate that chronic administration of GSH or NAC to young or aged animals perturbs global gene expression, inhibits skn-1-mediated transcription, and accelerates aging. In contrast, limiting the consumption of dietary thiols, including those naturally derived from the microbiota, extended lifespan. Pharmacological GSH restriction activates the unfolded protein response and increases proteotoxic stress resistance in worms and human cells. It is thus advantageous for healthy individuals to avoid excessive dietary antioxidants and, instead, rely on intrinsic GSH biosynthesis, which is fine-tuned to match the cellular redox status and to promote homeostatic ROS signaling.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.