ADA, Mich., October 30, 2025 – In the quest to unlock the secrets to healthy aging, scientists often look to the power of nature. In a study using Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies as models, scientists observed that botanical extracts of rosemary and ginger changed parameters associated with cellular aging.
The research was led by Dr. David Walker, PhD, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with a grant and botanical materials provided by Amway, an entrepreneur-led health and wellbeing company. Dr. Walker is renowned for his studies of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of aging and health decline, and he is also an Amway Scientific Advisory Board Member.
Entitled The Impact of Rosemary and Ginger Extracts on Aging and Healthspan in Drosophila, the study was published in March 2025 in Aging and Disease, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by the International Society on Aging and Disease, who shares a mission with Amway to advance scientific discovery to extend not only lifespan, but healthspan – the number of years a person is able to enjoy a healthy, active, and independent life.
Fruits of Discovery
As the study reports, scientists fed fruit flies combinations of certain preparations of rosemary and ginger extracts together and observed the fruit flies showing improvement in three parameters of aging: cognitive function, intestinal barrier function, and autophagy, a cell’s ability to recycle damaged pieces of itself.
“It’s an exciting finding,” says Amway Chief Research & Development Officer Kristi Pelc. “The study was conducted using an advanced model system, and the observations are useful in helping scientists better understand how these botanicals may impact processes and functions in human cells.”
In particular, Drosophila melanogaster is widely recognized as a model organism to study the basic biology of aging. “We use fruit flies to screen and study botanicals that may support healthy aging because they show many aspects of aging observed in people, but at a much faster rate,” notes Walker. “We can manipulate their genes, diet, and lifestyle to get insights into the mechanisms that are causing aging.”
Healthy Cells, Healthy Aging
Ultimately, the study is about understanding the role botanicals can play in the aging process, adds Amway Principal Research Scientist Arun Rajgopal, PhD, who co-authored the research. Using cellular and molecular biology, Rajgopal evaluates botanicals to assess their potential effect on biological mechanisms and then, through performance screening, identifies the optimal plant for the job at hand.
“Scientists agree that an organism’s aging is about cellular aging. We are focused on maintaining cellular health and delaying damage to cells’ structure and function, thus prolonging their function in the body. The fruit fly model allows us to screen and study botanicals that may support cellular health in this way.”
Two parameters indicate a decline in cellular health: Vitality, or a cell’s functional ability, and resilience, a cell’s ability to respond to stressors. A decrease in cellular resilience affects cellular vitality, which can lead to cellular aging. Thus, protecting cellular resilience may help support healthy cellular aging.
“Results from our study of key cellular mechanisms associated with cell aging provide evidence that cellular mechanisms like autophagy – the process where cells break down and recycle their damaged components – and production of the enzyme AMPK are important to normal cellular function to maintain overall cell health as we age,” continues Rajgopal.
Walker concurs, “In terms of the cellular hallmarks of aging, feeding rosemary plus ginger leads to AMPK activation and improved markers of autophagy and proteostasis in aged flies. Proteostasis is the process of maintaining the proper balance, structure, and function of proteins within cells of an organism. Further, we observed that feeding the combination improved cognitive function in aged flies and led to robust lifespan extension.”
The study also showed that the extended lifespan effect is linked to improved intestinal barrier function in aged flies. “Critically, loss of intestinal barrier function is coupled with the flies’ decline and death, so forestalling intestinal barrier dysfunction likely played a major role in prolonging the flies’ healthspan,” says Walker.
Using preclinical models like Drosophila is a critical step on the path toward human studies. “This important research is a catalyst for clinical studies in humans,” says Pelc. “We look forward to evaluating this botanical blend’s bioavailability and potential to support healthy cellular aging in humans. Deepening our understanding helps us further advance the science of healthspan.”
More information on the study can be found in this article and at AmwayScience.com
About Amway
Amway is a global health and wellbeing company based in Ada, Michigan, U.S. It is committed to serving Amway Business Owners and their customers across more than 100 countries and territories worldwide. Top-selling brands for Amway are Nutrilite™, Artistry™ and XS™ – all sold exclusively by entrepreneurs who are known as Amway Business Owners. Amway is the No. 1 direct selling business in the world, according to the 2025 Direct Selling News Global 100 list. For company news, visit: https://www.amwayglobal.com/newsroom.
