It’s called Protandim, and it just may slow the human aging process by increasing the enzymes that fight free radicals in the body.

According to a recent segment on “ABC Primetime,” decades of research has been done by Dr. Joe McCord, a biochemistry professor at The University of Colorado at Denver, on a special class of enzymes in the human cell that show significant potential for extending lives and possibly even preventing chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Much of Dr. McCord’s work has centered on oxidative stress, which increases with age. Using TBARS as a measure of oxidative stress, this can also provide a rough indication of a person’s real age. Data from a peer-reviewed, published scientific study in men and women, sponsored by LifeVantage, shows that after 30 days of taking Protandim, the level of circulating TBARS decreased an average of 40 percent, with this decrease shown to be maintained at 120 days with continued use.

McCord found that the ingredients in Protandim actually lowered the test subject’s level of oxidative stress to that of a very young child, even a newborn.

The formula for Protandim is a combination of five plant ingredients. McCord said, “They’ve been used [safely] often in traditional medicine in India and China and many other cultures, in some cases for centuries…” Because time and common usage has shown it to be safe, and also because it contains only natural substances, the product is considered a neutraceutical, and not a medicine. It can therefore be purchased over-the-counter or online at www.protandim.com.

Stories have circulated over the years of such miracle drugs and treatments, but ultimately they never delivered. McCord, who is the research director for LifeVantage, the company that manufactures this project, believes this pill might be different. So far, Protandim, in test studies with mice, shows that it revs up the body’s manufacture of the enzymes that reduce the presence of harmful free radicals. However, it is still too soon to tell whether or not Protandim is capable of extending life.