Rankings / Longevity — Supplements
GDF11
Longevity · Circulating factor
Tier D+
Bottom line
Read Off Label grades GDF11 as D+ (3.7/10) based on preclinical evidence, variable benefit magnitude, and a med-risk safety profile.
Loffredo 2013 Cell reported anti-aging cardiac effects; follow-up work disputed specificity and found GDF11 indistinguishable from myostatin (GDF8) using older reagents.
Studied, labeled, or reported-use context: No established clinical dose — Experimental; not individualized guidance.
Frontier potential — editorial judgment, not evidence
This is a separate axis from the grade above. It asks a different question: if this worked in humans, how much would it matter? It is our judgment, it is not part of the composite score, and it cannot raise a grade. A high number here is a statement about the idea, not about whether it works or whether anyone should take it.
What the ceiling rests on
Emerged from heterochronic parabiosis as a candidate youthful circulating factor, with initial reports of cardiac and skeletal-muscle rejuvenation in aged mice — a striking result that drove much of the young-blood research programme.
Why it may not get there
The central findings are contested: independent groups reported the opposite direction of effect and identified assay problems that confounded the original measurements, including cross-reactivity with the closely related myostatin. This is the clearest case in the database of a high-profile preclinical result that did not replicate, and the ceiling is discounted accordingly.
What would change this Resolution of the assay and replication dispute in independent hands.
What the evidence says
Loffredo 2013 Cell reported anti-aging cardiac effects; follow-up work disputed specificity and found GDF11 indistinguishable from myostatin (GDF8) using older reagents. Field is unsettled.
Mechanism
TGF-β superfamily growth differentiation factor; parabiosis experiments suggested rejuvenating effects on heart, brain, muscle — contested and partially retracted; may improve cerebral vasculature
Studied, labeled, or reported dose & route
No established clinical dose
This records doses and routes described in studies, approved labeling, clinical practice, or documented use. It is not individualized guidance and does not establish safety; context changes with indication, formulation, health history, monitoring, and other medicines.
Citations
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Common questions
- What does the evidence show about GDF11's effects?
- Read Off Label rates the evidence for GDF11 as Preclinical and the benefit magnitude as variable, producing an overall grade of D+ (3.7/10). Loffredo 2013 Cell reported anti-aging cardiac effects; follow-up work disputed specificity and found GDF11 indistinguishable from myostatin (GDF8) using older reagents.
- What safety findings are reported for GDF11?
- GDF11 has a med risk profile in the database. Med (limited safety data; growth factor concerns) Legal status: Experimental.
- What doses or routes are reported for GDF11?
- No established clinical dose This is context from studies, approved labeling, clinical practice, or documented use; it is not individualized guidance and does not establish safety.
- How does GDF11 work?
- TGF-β superfamily growth differentiation factor; parabiosis experiments suggested rejuvenating effects on heart, brain, muscle — contested and partially retracted; may improve cerebral vasculature
This is an independent synthesis of published research by a non-clinician. Scores are opinions supported by citations, not prescriptions. See the full disclaimer and methodology for how this score was produced and what it does and doesn't mean.