Published on: May 13, 2025

Several data present in literature have already demonstrated some beneficial effects of nucleotides in enhancing quality of life and general health. As the global population ages, maintaining cognitive sharpness, muscle strength, and metabolic health becomes increasingly vital.  Recently, Prosol commissioned a clinical study to verify nucleotides ability to improve distinct physiological domains in aging population.
The aim of this new study, published on Nutrients, was to examine the effects of the administration of dietary nucleotides—natural compounds found in yeast—in improving neurogenesis, physical performance, inflammatory modulation and body composition in older adults.

The data obtained made it possible to highlight the important roles nucleotides play in human metabolism.

The 10-week trial involved 69 physically independent adults aged 60–75 who maintained spontaneous physical activity (e.g., walking, household chores).

Participants were divided into three groups:

1. Yeast Nucleotide (YN) Group received RiboDIET^® (250 mg/day)
2. Neuro-Based Nucleotide (NF) Group received RiboCARE^® Neuro (150 mg/day)
3. Placebo Group

 

Figure 1. The table provides a concise summary of the main expected effects of this supplementation in older adults with an active lifestyle, based on percentage changes in each variable according to statistical significance and effect size. For a more comprehensive statistical interpretation of this figure, the reader is referred to the tables provided in the Results section. YN: RiboDIET® solution. NF: RiboCARE® Neuro solution.

 

Cognitive Function Enhancement

RiboCARE^® Neuro was associated with an 18% improvement in executive function, as measured by the Trail Making Test B. This enhancement correlated with increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin critical for neuroplasticity and synaptic function.
Both RiboCARE^® Neuro and RiboDIET^® outperformed placebo in measures of processing speed and cognitive flexibility, indicating a broader cognitive benefit.

• RiboCARE^® Neuro appears particularly suitable for individuals seeking targeted cognitive enhancement.
• RiboDIET^® provides complementary support through a broader nutrient matrix.

Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Benefits

Participants supplemented with RiboDIET^® exhibited significant reductions in key inflammatory cytokines:

• Interleukin-6 (IL-6): −9.8%
• Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α): −13.9%

In both supplement groups, oxidative stress markers (F2-isoprostanes) decreased by 37%, while intracellular levels of glutathione — a major endogenous antioxidant — increased by 17%.

• RiboDIET^® is indicated for inflammatory conditions and systemic immune support.
• RiboCARE^® Neuro contributes to the mitigation of oxidative damage and supports redox balance.

Improved Physical Performance

Mobility and muscular function were also positively influenced. In the Timed Up and Go Test, RiboCARE^® Neuro users showed a 10.3% improvement, compared to 5.9% with RiboDIET^®.
Moreover, both groups demonstrated a 30% increase in lower-body endurance (assessed via the 30-second Chair Stand Test) relative to placebo.

• RiboCARE^® Neuro may be particularly effective for supporting mobility and fall prevention.
• RiboDIET^® contributes to general physical capacity and endurance maintenance.

Body Composition and Metabolic Health

Unlike placebo participants — who experienced an increase in fat mass (+5%) and a decline in lean muscle mass (−2.2%) — individuals in the RiboCARE® Neuro and RiboDIET® groups maintained stable body composition throughout the intervention.

• RiboDIET^®, with its comprehensive nutrient profile, may aid metabolic regulation.
• RiboCARE^® Neuro supports energy metabolism and lean mass preservation at the cellular level.

 

These results underscore the potential of nucleotides as effective, science-backed ingredients for developing supplements aimed at supporting healthy aging: the study confirms that nucleotide supplementation—particularly when combined with light physical activity—can deliver measurable benefits on muscle function, cognitive health, metabolic balance, and inflammatory status in older adults.

Individually or in synergy, RiboCARE^® Neuro and RiboDIET^® offer tailored strategies for those seeking scientifically grounded nutritional support for aging well.
For companies formulating next-generation products for the senior population, Prosol’s nucleotide-based solutions offer a proven, natural approach to promoting vitality, mobility, and resilience against age-related decline. This research provides a strong foundation for innovation in the healthy aging supplement category.

In recent years, the salty snack market has undergone a significant evolution, with a growing interest in functional products enriched with health-promoting ingredients. According to Mintel’s 2024 research1, the “Better-for-you snacks” trend is driving innovation in the sector, with consumers increasingly attentive to the nutritional value of snacks and the presence of natural and functional ingredients. In this context, nutraceutical yeasts, such as those developed by Prosol, represent a key opportunity for snack manufacturers seeking innovative and healthy solutions.

Nutraceutical Yeasts in Functional Snacks

Inactive yeasts with high protein content and yeast extracts rich in nucleotides offer numerous benefits for the snack industry. Thanks to their nutritional profile and sensory properties, these ingredients can be used to enhance both the nutritional quality and taste of salty snacks.

1. High-Quality Protein with a Complete Amino Acid Profile

According to Mintel, 35% of global consumers seek snacks with higher protein content to support a healthy and active lifestyle¹. A major challenge in the development of high-protein plant-based snacks is achieving a complete amino acid profile, as many plant proteins lack certain essential amino acids, limiting their nutritional effectiveness. Prosol’s inactive yeasts and nutritional yeasts provide a rich protein source with a well-balanced amino acid composition, making them an excellent alternative or complement to traditional plant-based proteins such as pea or soy. This enables the creation of protein-rich snacks with superior nutritional value, catering to the increasing demand for plant-based and functional foods.

2. Immune Support and Health Benefits

The interest in functional snacks is rapidly growing, with a particular focus on ingredients that support the immune system. Yeast extracts rich in nucleotides, like those developed by Prosol, are known for their role in strengthening the body’s defences and improving gut health. Including these ingredients in salty snacks provides added value to health-conscious consumers.

3. Natural Umami and Sodium Reduction

Another crucial aspect for snack manufacturers is optimizing flavours without relying on artificial enhancers. Mintel research highlights that 42% of consumers desire snacks with intense flavours but less sodium¹. Yeast extracts, thanks to their high nucleotide content, offer a natural alternative to monosodium glutamate (MSG) and enhance the umami profile of snacks such as chips, popcorn, and seasoned nut mixes.

The possibilities for using nutraceutical yeasts in salty snacks are numerous:

Protein crackers and breadsticks: enriched with autolyzed yeasts for balanced protein intake.

Gourmet popcorn: with yeast extracts for a natural umami taste without artificial additives.

Plant-based protein chips: featuring proteins from autolyzed yeasts for greater satiety.

Legume-based snacks: enhanced with nucleotides for a richer and more balanced flavor.

Integrating nutraceutical yeasts into snacks offers a concrete response to modern consumer demands for tasty, natural, and functionally beneficial products. Thanks to inactive yeasts and yeasts extracts rich in nucleotides, manufacturers can develop innovative snacks that align with global trends in health, wellness, and sustainability. With the market continuously evolving, the ingredients developed by Prosol provide a competitive advantage for those looking to differentiate themselves and meet new consumer expectations.

¹ Mintel, A Year of Innovation in the Salty Snacks and Fruit Mixes Market 2024

Learn more about nutraceutical yeasts in functional Snacks

The addition of nucleotides to the diet helps to prevent intestinal dysbiosis. By averting enteritis, nucleotides create the conditions for obtain excellent conversion rates and long-lasting productivity.

Author: Pier Enrico Rossi, DVM

For decades, bacitracin, lincomycin, avoparcin, virginiamycin, tylosin, and avilomycin have enabled the control of necrotic enteritis. Subsequently, regulations aimed at reducing growth-promoting antibiotics, anticoccidials, and ionophores have led to a resurgence of this disease.

The etiological agent of necrotic enteritis is Clostridium perfringens, a Gram-positive, ubiquitous, anaerobic, and spore-forming bacterium. The spores enable Clostridium perfringens to survive in livestock facilities for a long period, facilitating transmission across successive production cycles. In this way it becomes impossible to avoid contact between animals and the bacterium.

Clostridium perfringens strain differ in virulence and their ability to cause disease. The pathogenic strains are able to produce toxins, bacteriocins, and hydrolytic enzymes, enabling them to adhere, form biofilms, and colonize the intestine.

Necrotic enteritis can manifest itself in both clinical and subclinical form. The disease may onset between 2 and 4 weeks of age. The clinical evident phase is short and characterized by depression, ruffled feathers, locomotor ataxia, diarrhoea, and death within a few hours, with a mortality rate that can reach 1% per day.

The subclinical form, difficult to recognize, is the economically most dangerous form; if untreated, it will negatively impact conversion rates and group uniformity. Although it is well-established that pathogenic strains can alter the normal intestinal microflora by replacing commensal (non-pathogenic) clostridia, the only presence of Clostridium perfringens is not sufficient to trigger necrotic enteritis. It is essential an intestinal wall already damaged, as Clostridium perfringens produces alpha-toxin, a phospholipase, a mucolytic enzyme, that allows it to be feed by mucus.

If upstream of Clostridium replication there is an event that triggers increased mucus secretion, the damaged intestine produces T lymphocytes, cytokines, interferon, and interleukins that act on the mucous goblet cells of the intestinal epithelium, activating them and enhancing mucus secretion, thus enabling the proliferation of Clostridium perfringens.

There are many agents that can create damages to the intestinal mucosa: enteric viruses, helminths, mycotoxins, biogenic amines, fat rancidity, and stress. However, the most prevalent pathology is duodenal and jejunal coccidiosis, caused by Eimeria maxima and Eimeria acervuline, which more frequently induce damage to broilers intestines.

Coccidiosis can occur due to increased resistance to coccidiostats or following the use of live vaccines against coccidiosis. These vaccines consist of non-attenuated or minimally attenuated Eimeria species, which must invade the intestinal mucosa and replicate. However, to induce robust immunity, they require three consecutive cycles of infection, risking epithelial damage.

To control coccidiosis and reduce the incidence of necrotic enteritis, a proper rotation of anticoccidial drugs is necessary to preserve their effectiveness. Implementing rotation between drugs and vaccination, based on risk levels and seasonal incidence, along with proper brooder management to promote adequate cycling of oocysts, is crucial to avoid adverse effects and prepare the farm for the occurrence of necrotic enteritis.

The effectiveness of certain polyphenols, combined with plant extracts and minerals, has proven to be effective in reducing the bacterial count in the litter after faecal excretion. This could be a valuable tool in reducing the change of reinfection by Clostridium perfringens.

To prevent alterations that may favour necrotic enteritis, the use of probiotics has become widespread to balance the intestinal microflora. It has been demonstrated that certain strains of lactobacilli—used either alone or in combination with organic acids (formic, propionic, and butyric)—reduce the severity of lesions from haemorrhagic enteritis and the resulting mortality.

Other alternative products, such as MOS or beta-glucans, have demonstrated the ability to reduce the severity of lesions caused by necrotic enteritis due to their anti-inflammatory effects. They promote the secretion of immunoglobulins and the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). It is important remark that Clostridium perfringens, like other enteric pathogens, is a highly adaptable microorganism. Therefore, it is necessary to use these products in a balanced way to prevent the development of resistance phenomena.

A promising new opportunity is represented by the use of nucleotides.

The term nucleotide describes a substance composed of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base; the bases are purines and pyrimidines, and the sugar is either ribose or deoxyribose. Nucleotides represent the building blocks of RNA and DNA. Additionally, nucleotides are the constituents of molecules such as ATP, NADP, and NADH, responsible for transferring energy produced by the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.

In a standard condition, nucleotides are not considered essential nutrients, because they can be synthetized by the organism. Nucleotides become essential in case of insufficient synthesis, specifically during growth and in the presence of pathologies. In particular, rapidly turning-over tissues, such as those in the intestinal mucosa, are unable to produce sufficient quantities of nucleotides to meet their needs. It has been demonstrated that nucleotides provided through nutrition act as growth factors on intestinal cells, promoting their differentiation and maturation. This results in increased thickness of the intestinal mucosa, increased villous height and deeper crypts.

Several studies have demonstrated that the supply of nucleotides through nutrition promotes the increase in digestive enzyme activity and stimulates the growth of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, at the expense of Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli. It is the positive effect of nucleotides on Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria seems to be due to the increased absorption of trace elements in ionic form by enterobacteria.

In addition, the supply of nucleotides has proven to be very useful in the clinical and functional recovery of liver conditions. Nucleotides promote hepatocyte activity through mitochondrial stimulation aimed at stimulating sirtuin production, accelerating protein synthesis and glucose deposition. This prevents the accumulation of cholesterol and other lipids, reducing the risk of hepatic steatosis. In this way, nucleotides can improve animal productive life extension, especially for laying hens.

While it is true that nucleotides are not considered essential because they can be synthesized from simple substances, it is true, however, that in specific phases, the metabolic synthesis processes may not be able to meet their demand.
For example, during periods of rapid cell turnover, such as the normal growth process of the chick. In the first seven days of life, of which the first three define a significant portion of its subsequent performance, the chick grows by about fourfold.

Although nature provides the chick with nutrients through the residue of the yolk sac, this food reserve is insufficient to face the challenges and stress of the very first days of life.

Having a source of soluble nucleotides derived from yeast extraction allows for administration both in drinking water and in feed, right from the very first hours of life. This enables the chick to reach its maximum growth potential through proper development of the enteric system and its correct microbiota.

The benefits become immediately apparent, with a lower viscosity of feces in the first days of life, resulting in a reduced incidence of anal pasting. The litter will also be drier in the early days, showing a clear reduction in foot pad dermatitis (FPD). Furthermore, the growth will demonstrate group uniformity with an improved conversion rate.

The advantages listed so far are particularly evident in broilers, while in the breeding of long-lived animals such as laying hens, the benefits will stem from improved intestinal well-being, the restoration of liver activity, and the ability of nucleotides, once inside a cell, to generate NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a molecule essential for the activity of more than 500 enzymes, including sirtuins. Sirtuin deficiency is a cause of aging. All of this will result in a better conversion rate, a lower percentage of dirty eggs, a reduction in shell fragility, and the extension of productive activity.