On the LSJL forums someone mentioned an anecdotal case where an individual supplementing with C60 fullerene got taller. Does mentioned was about 50-100mg/year. Several supplements were used though. But in our quest to go taller it is worth to look at every single compound in existence to see if it could potentially have height increase improvements. This page says C60 fullerene has been found to improve longevity, promote cartilage and bone strength, and result in less stiffer joints. Since bone growth cessation is a form of aging we want to look at any anti-aging compound. Obviously, anything that affects cartilage and bone is of interest to us.
Here’s the original post on the height increase. The author speculates the the height increase may be due to “C60 is used with stearic acid to increase the pool of stem cells.” “C60 stimulates mitochondria, and mitochondrial activity drives the activity of stem cells.”
According to this
“During the development of osteoarthritis (OA), mechanical stress on articular cartilage downregulates the stable cellular activities of chondrocytes and induce the production of catabolic factors, such as proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. In addition, it is well known that chondrocytes produce excess amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS; superoxide, nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide and peroxynitrite) in response to mechanical stress. Recent reports have demonstrated that mechanical stress to articular cartilage stimulates excess production of ROS from chondrocytes, consequently resulting in the depolymerization of hyaluronic acid and chondrocyte death. It has been suggested that the generation of ROS and the depletion of cellular antioxidants may be involved in the pathogenesis of OA.”
Since fullerene is an anti-oxidant it could potentially reduce height loss as a result of aging by preventing height loss due to Reactive Oxygen Species. Since the individual mentioned in the forum is 60 years old that is a possibility.
“IL-1β significantly inhibited the production of proteoglycan and the glucose uptake in chondrocytes, and accelerated the secretion of MMP-3 from chondrocytes. Even in the presence of IL-1β (1.0 ng/ml, but not 10.0 ng/ml), C60(OH)24 inhibited the IL-1β-induced production of MMP-3, the IL-1β-induced down-regulation of proteoglycan production and glucose metabolism in OA chondrocytes. C60(OH)24 fullerene hydroxide also reduced the OA-relating catabolic factor-induced up-regulation of DNA repair enzyme, Apex 2, in OA chondrocytes.”
C60 is also used as a matrix for cartilage transplants according to Biodegradable polymers in chondrogenesis of human articular chondrocytes,
According to
Biological functions of fullerene
“A mixed aqueous solution of C60 and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) is reported to induce differentiation of chondrocytes”<-this is a potential height increasing application if it can occur just by taking it naturally in the human body.
There are several studies that study that fullerene can induce cartilage differentiation and prevent cartilage destruction.
A Novel Promoting Action of Fullerene C60 on the Chondrogenesis in Rat Embryonic Limb Bud Cell Culture System
“Fullerene C60 was solubilized with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in water, and the aqueous solution was applied to the rat limb bud cell differentiation system. By the incubation with various concentrations of C60 with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) , cell differentiation was extremely promoted,up to the levels of a 3.2-fold increase of the controls. Although poly (vinylpyrrolidone) alone inhibited the cell differentiation in proportion to the concentration, the observed promoting action by C60 surpassed the action of poly(vinylpyrrolidone). This specific promoting action on the chondrogenesis is the novel significant activity of C60.”
The study speculates that C60 may promote chondrogenesis by resulting in the condensation of chondroitin sulfate which in turn promotes chondrogenesis.
The results on fullerene are inconclusive as we can’t be sure how the individual got the height(articular cartilage growth or increase in bone length?) and whether the height was due to reduced cartilage catabolism or due to stem cell proliferation. And there’s not enough human studies. One inch isn’t a lot to get excited about either.