The Science

ElderThrive™ is a new approach to the treatment of sarcopenia and frailty. Cosanta Nutrition is developing a precise, targeted combination of natural, food-based ingredients that aren't available in general multivitamin supplements.

We are providing the nutrients required by the body, with proportions that are specific to elderly people, in a way that is easily absorbed so that your body can use them.

Currently, we are working on making ElderThrive™, a daily nutritional supplement, as a sweet, such as a chocolate or a biscuit, or perhaps a powder for adding to your choice of cold drink. In the future, we also intend to make a transdermal patch so there is a full range of products to provide the benefits of ElderThrive™, suitable for all abilities, appetites and dietary needs. 

Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of muscle strength and tone that happens in older life. It is a natural process, and it explains why older people find everyday tasks, like walking upstairs or lifting heavy shopping bags, difficult. As your muscles weaken, you are at greater risk from falls and fractures, which can result in a loss of independent living.

Since 2016, sarcopenia has been a recognised disease, with clear definitions of the condition, and this is helping researchers create new approaches and treatments.

Further information on sarcopenia can be found here.

With a more technical explanation here.

Frailty describes someone's overall resilience and how this relates to their ability to recover quickly following health problems. In practice, being frail means a relatively minor health problem, such as a common infection, can have a severe long-term impact on someone's health and wellbeing. Frailty is more than just sarcopenia, it has mental and physical impacts that lead to frequent fatigue, muscle weakness, and having trouble with balance and stability.

Further information on frailty can be found here and also here.

The main current advice is to do resistance exercises (to strengthen muscles) and to optimise nutritional intake, such as increasing protein consumption (to support muscle repair and growth).

This is not always useful or helpful, as it can be hard to change your diet, especially if you have concerns or lost interest in cooking and do not control what happens in your kitchen or your shopping list! Or you might have lost confidence and find it harder to get out the house for even small amounts of exercise.

Here is an example of how the NHS suggests treatments and support for those with sarcopenia: more info

ElderThrive™ will give your body a boost.

It is a specific combination of targeted nutritional substances, all found in food, that we know your body needs more of in later life to combat sarcopenia and frailty symptoms.

It is different from a vitamin supplement because it is only made of the specific compounds your body needs, which are of the best quality and in the easiest form for your body to digest. These are the most bioactive and bio-accessible forms of the nutrients that your body requires each day.

It isn't a protein shake because it is looking to provide you with only the bits you need, so we can make it into a smaller, manageable mouthful rather than a whole bottle.

It is not a replacement for exercise or a better diet but will work in a complementary way to help you improve your condition. 

Bioactive simply means having a biological effect on a living organism, tissue, or cell. The term is most frequently used across several specific fields, including in Food & Nutrition,where bioactive refers to naturally occurring plant compounds (micronutrients, antioxidants, or phytochemicals) that go beyond basic nutrition to actively support or alter health.

Bio-accessible describes a substance—such as a nutrient, drug, or environmental contaminant—that has been released from its source matrix and is ready to be absorbed by an organism. In nutrition, this means that the substance is released from its surrounding environment (e.g. extracted from food during digestion) and becomes soluble in the gastrointestinal tract, making it available for absorption by the body. 

Absolutely! Cosanta is bringing together cutting-edge knowledge of the best ways to get your body those specific compounds and molecules that it needs.

We are doing our own research, working closely with the world leaders of Functional Foods at the Faculty of Agriculture in the University of Belgrade, to develop new solutions for sarcopenia and the challenges of frailty.

We are focusing on ensuring that the ingredients are provided to the body in the most effective way to get them to the cells where they are needed.

Our products include ingredients such as:

Pyridoxine

Pyridoxine is a naturally occurring form of Vitamin B6 found in foods and used as a dietary supplement. It plays a crucial role in over 100 bodily enzyme reactions, specifically in protein, fat, and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as neurotransmitter and red blood cell biosynthesis.

More information

Resveratrol

ElderThrive™ includes the specific forms of resveratrol that the body can most easily absorb and utilise. Resveratrol indirectly supports muscle growth by reducing inflammation, accelerating recovery, and improving mitochondrial function, activating enzymes like AMPK and SIRT-1 to improve cellular energy use and fat oxidation.

More information

Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is a fat-soluble vitamin the body produces when skin is exposed to sunlight. It plays a crucial role in absorbing calcium and phosphate, supporting bone strength, and maintaining muscle and immune function. If you are not outside enough and exposing your skin to sunlight, then your body might not be getting the amount of vitamin D3 required to keep your muscles replenished.

More information 

Specific amino acids required for muscle building: leucine, isoleucine, valine

These are three essential amino acids that your body needs, which it can't make itself, so they must come from your diet.

Leucine: has been thoroughly studied and shown to act as a key signalling molecule. It directly activates the mTOR pathway, which is the primary mechanism that triggers muscle protein synthesis (growth and repair).

Isoleucine & Valine: vital structural components required to build the new muscle tissue.

Because these amino acids are sourced directly from proteins, excellent natural food sources include:

• Meat, poultry, and fish (e.g., beef, chicken, salmon)
• Dairy products (e.g., whey protein, cheese)
• Eggs
• Nuts, seeds, and soy

Research on the importance of these three branch-chain amino acids in scientific literature can be found here.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/edited-volume/abs/pii/B9780128104224000166

With the key research showing the importance in the elderly found here