Starting next year, the US Armed Forces Special Operations Command (SOCOM) will start testing on the American army an experimental pill to avoid the effects of aging on soldiers.
The experiment, Breaking Defense reports, is part of a push to increase the Army's human capabilities and keep warfighters healthy, operational and at peak performance longer. If successful in clinical trials, the anti-aging pill could also make its way as a new treatment longevity for the masses.
Empower, not transform
“These efforts are not about creating physical traits that don't already exist naturally,” says the SOCOM spokesperson and Navy commander Tim Hawkins. “This is about improving the mission readiness of our Army by improving performance characteristics that typically tend to decline with advancing age".
What is this?
The anti-aging pill that will be tested by the military is essentially a dietary supplement which increases the levels of the NAD + molecule. This is a compound commonly found in the unregulated nootropic industry, and has been linked to aging and the myriad ways the human body deteriorates over time.
By flooding soldiers' bodies with extra doses of NAD+, SOCOM hopes to prevent age-related injuries, improve physical and mental fitness, and prevent soldiers' performance from declining throughout their careers.
From the army to society
The experimental pill “has the potential, if successful, to actually delay aging. To truly prevent the onset of injuries. And this is simply and astonishingly revolutionary,” says SOCOM's science and technology director Lisa Sanders.
All that remains is to wait for the results of the experimentation, before (possibly) taking a bag of these things and starting to munch them like mints.
