📅 June 2026 · 🕐 10 min read · 🔬 Longevity Science
The science has quietly crossed a threshold. For the first time, we have FDA-supported drugs designed specifically for dogs, a serious NIH-funded clinical trial underway, and real research behind the supplement claims.
I take NMN every morning. It's sitting on my kitchen bench right now, next to my coffee. I started after going deep on Professor David Sinclair's research out of Harvard Medical School. His work on NAD+ decline as a core driver of human aging is hard to argue with once you've read it. The logic is elegant: as we age, our cells lose the fuel they need to repair themselves. NAD+ precursors like NMN help restore that fuel.
Then one morning, Basil was staring up at me while I took my supplements, tail going like a helicopter, and I thought: what about him? Basil is my Corgi. He's 8 months old now, but Corgis live 12–15 years if you're lucky. That's not a long time. And the science of dog aging has quietly crossed a threshold in the last two years that most dog owners have no idea about.
I haven't given Basil NMN. I wouldn't put anything on his plate without proper research and a vet's sign-off first. That's exactly why I went down this rabbit hole. Here's what I found.
Dogs age faster than us. Much faster. A giant breed like a Great Dane at age 7 is biologically closer to a 65-year-old human. Even a medium-sized dog at 10 is well into senior territory. Unlike humans, where longevity research has to run for decades, dogs offer scientists a faster window into what actually works.
This is why some of the most exciting aging research in the world right now is being done on dogs. Not just for dogs. Dogs are helping us understand human aging too.
Here's an overview of the key areas. Over the next week or two, I'll be going deep on each one individually as I continue my research. Bookmark this page and check back.
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This is the oldest and most rigorous finding in all of dog longevity science, and it costs nothing.
In a landmark 14-year study at the University of Pennsylvania, Labrador Retrievers fed 25% fewer calories than their littermates lived a median of 1.8 years longer. That's a 16% increase in lifespan. They also developed arthritis nearly 3 years later, and cancer appeared an average of 2 years later than in the overfed group.
More recent research involving 24,000 dogs found that dogs fed once daily had better cognitive performance and lower rates of gastrointestinal, dental, orthopedic, kidney, and liver disorders compared to dogs fed multiple times a day. This mirrors the human intermittent fasting literature closely.
Keep them lean. You should be able to feel their ribs without pressing hard. This single factor may do more for your dog's longevity than anything else on this list.
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Rapamycin is a human drug that's been used as an immunosuppressant for organ transplants for decades. At low doses, it does something remarkable: it inhibits a cellular pathway called mTOR, essentially telling cells to be more conservative and repair-focused rather than growth-focused. This is the same biological pathway that caloric restriction acts on.
The Dog Aging Project's TRIAD trial (Test of Rapamycin In Aging Dogs), backed by a $7 million NIH grant and running across 20 sites, is currently enrolling dogs aged 7 and older to rigorously test whether rapamycin extends healthy lifespan. Previous smaller studies showed it improved cardiac function, and in one randomised trial, 26.8% of owners whose dogs received rapamycin reported positive changes in behaviour or health, versus only 8.1% in the placebo group.
Current status: Available now as an off-label veterinary prescription. Definitive lifespan data is still years away, but the safety profile and early functional signals are genuine.
🔍 Deep dive coming soon: what the TRIAD trial is actually measuring, and how to talk to your vet about rapamycin3 of 5
Loyal is a San Francisco startup developing the world's first FDA-supported drugs specifically designed to extend dog lifespan. They have three in their pipeline:
A large clinical trial with around 1,000 large and giant dogs is underway, with a target market date around 2026.
Why this matters beyond dogs: Loyal's research is being watched closely by the human longevity community. Dogs are being used as a faster-track model for understanding human aging biology.
🔍 Deep dive coming soon: what LOY drugs actually target metabolically, and what approval would mean in practice4 of 5
This is where I need to be honest with you. As the founder of Leap Years (a canine longevity supplement company) bluntly put it: "The number of dog supplement products out there that claim longevity is a lot. The number that can prove longevity is zero."
That doesn't mean supplements are useless. It means the evidence is mechanistic and promising, not yet proven to extend maximum lifespan in dogs. Here's what has the best scientific rationale:
| Supplement | What It Does | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| NAD+ Precursors (NMN/NR) | Replenish cellular energy & DNA repair capacity | ★★★ Promising |
| Omega-3 / DHA (Fish Oil) | Brain, heart, and joint health | ★★★★ Good |
| Curcumin (bioavailable) | Anti-inflammatory, cellular protection | ★★★ Moderate |
| Fisetin (senolytic) | Clears senescent "zombie" cells | ★★ Early stage |
| Taurine | Heart health, especially important on grain-free diets | ★★★ Moderate |
| MCT Oil | Mitochondrial support, cognitive function | ★★★ Moderate |
| Probiotics (vet grade) | Gut microbiome health linked to longevity | ★★★ Moderate |
On NAD+: this is the same pathway I'm targeting with my own NMN supplementation, following Sinclair's research at Harvard. His lab has shown that NAD+ levels decline significantly with age in both humans and animals, and that restoring them appears to reactivate cellular repair mechanisms. Leap Years, a canine supplement co-founded by Sinclair himself, applies exactly this logic to dogs.
I haven't given Basil NMN. He's 8 months old and I want to get this right. The deep dives are as much for me as they are for you.
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A 2025 scientific review confirmed what common sense suggests: regular exercise, caloric restriction, and maintaining a good social environment can help delay aging, improve health, and lower the risk of age-related diseases in dogs. Physical inactivity, chronic stress, and poor sleep all accelerate aging.
I'll be going deep on each of these topics over the next week or two as I continue my research. Basil may only be 8 months old right now, but I'm building this knowledge base for when it matters. If you want to make sure you don't miss the deep dives, bookmark this page or subscribe to the newsletter. There's a lot more to unpack.
— The Breed-to-Bowl Team
⚠️ Medical disclaimer: This article is an overview based on current published research and clinical trial data. It is not veterinary advice. Always consult your vet before adding any supplements or medications to your dog's routine, especially anything prescription like rapamycin. Every dog is different.
We'll be going into detail on each of these five areas: rapamycin, Loyal's drugs, supplements and more. Subscribe to get them straight to your inbox.
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