Two caveats govern every page on this site. (1) Telomere length is a contested aging biomarker — it is measured differently by different methods, varies between tissues, and "longer" is not straightforwardly "healthier"; changing a telomere-length or telomerase-activity number in a trial is not the same as slowing human aging. (2) Activating telomerase is not risk-free — telomerase is silenced in most somatic cells and reactivated in most cancers, so its activation raises an unresolved cancer-risk question. Tellingly, the only FDA-approved telomerase drug — imetelstat (RYTELO, 2024) — inhibits telomerase to treat cancer (lower-risk MDS), the opposite direction from the anti-aging "activation" narrative.
○ Evidence tier 3 — Human RCT — telomere-length / telomerase-activity biomarker endpoint

Record

DesignClaimed systematic review / meta-analysis of TA-65 RCTs (primary record unconfirmed)
DOI10.1007/s10565-025-10115-6
Citation statusdoi verified via Crossref 2026-07-12 (Su et al., Cell Biol Toxicol 2025;41(1):155; 8 RCTs, n=750, SMD 0.47 [95% CI 0.31-0.62])

Five-qualifier claim

Species / populationReported as a pooled synthesis of TA-65 / cycloastragenol randomized trials (the sourcing brief cites '8 RCTs, ~750 participants').
Exposure, route, scheduleOral TA-65 / cycloastragenol across the included trials (as reported).
Comparator / durationPlacebo-controlled RCTs pooled (as reported).
Endpoint / numeric resultReported a positive pooled effect on telomere length (brief cites a standardized mean difference of ~0.47). THESE FIGURES ARE UNVERIFIED — the exact reference could not be confirmed against a primary record at build time.
What it did NOT establishThe primary record for this meta-analysis was NOT confirmed (no verifiable DOI/PMID found); the figures are carried as claimed-but-unverified and must not be read as established. Even if confirmed, a telomere-length meta-analysis is a contested-biomarker synthesis, not a lifespan outcome.

Primary reference

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10565-025-10115-6

Exact identifier confirmed against the primary record via Crossref/ClinicalTrials.gov where stated in the citation status; anything marked needs_primary_fulltext is not yet confirmed.