C15:0 deficiency: Seraphina Therapeutics CEO on newly discovered syndrome and broader implications

25 Jun 2024 --- Researchers at Seraphina Therapeutics have discovered a nutritional deficiency syndrome — “the first in over 75 years” — caused by low levels of C15:0. Named the Cellular Fragility Syndrome, this deficiency may impact as many as one in three people worldwide.

C15:0 is an odd-chain saturated fatty acid found primarily in whole-fat dairy and some types of plants and fish. Studies have shown that declining C15:0 levels are widespread across populations, primarily due to the growing trend of turning away from whole-fat dairy products. Experts say that the daily intake of cow’s milk has reduced with each generation, a practice that the US Department of Agriculture terms “difficult to reverse.”

The research, published in Metabolites, finds that low levels of C15:0 (also called pentadecanoic acid) in the body can result in a “somewhat mysterious” type of cell death that fastens cellular aging and increases the risk of developing chronic metabolic, heart and liver disorders.

On the other hand, increasing the intake of pentadecanoic acid via diet or supplementation can stabilize cell membranes, which can lead to lowered glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, repaired liver function and improved red blood cell health in relevant models.

Nutrition Insight sits down with Stephanie Venn-Watson, CEO and co-founder of Seraphina Therapeutics, to understand the implications of the new research for consumers and the supplements and dairy sectors.

How might C15:0 deficiency impact someone’s health and what are the signs to look for?
Venn-Watson: When our bodies are deficient in C15:0, our cells become fragile, accumulate damaging iron and die earlier. This is particularly true for cells in our blood, liver, heart and pancreas. As a result, people with a deficiency in C15:0 have a higher risk of developing advanced forms of anemia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

While general signs may include chronic fatigue and poor sleep, early stages of a C15:0 deficiency are best detected with routine blood tests, which would show low C15:0 levels (< 0.2% total fatty acids) paired with any combination of the following: high serum ferritin, high red blood cell distribution width (RDW), declining hemoglobin, elevated liver enzymes, elevated cholesterol and elevated glucose.

Are there any particular groups of people who are more at risk for C15:0 deficiency?
Venn-Watson: People who actively avoid whole-fat dairy products are at the highest risk of having a C15:0 deficiency, including people who have transitioned to plant-based milk since these drinks contain negligible C15:0.

Even for people who eat whole dairy products, many of these products contain less C15:0 than in the past. This is due to changes in agricultural feeding practices, from local grazing dairy cows to larger production facilities that use corn in their feed. Additionally, our C15:0 levels decrease as we age, so the risk of C15:0 deficiency goes up as we age.

These factors add up to many people at risk for C15:0 deficiency.Researchers anticipate that pure C15:0 ingredients will routinely supplement diets and fortify foods.

What opportunities does this study present for developing new dietary supplements or fortified foods?
Venn-Watson: Since dairy fat contains only 1% C15:0 (of all fatty acids) and more than 40% proinflammatory fatty acids (such as C16:0 and C18:0), there is a genuine need for dietary supplements that provide pure C15:0 that doesn’t have to compete against proinflammatory fats.

Based on key studies that compared the effects of pure C15:0 versus milk fat, as well as a consensus from experts on this topic, it is clear that the benefits of individual nutrients, such as C15:0, in dairy products get diluted when part of the whole dairy food matrix. This is why we have worked with the US Navy to develop a pure C15:0 ingredient (FA15) and supplement (fatty15).

Given the mounting science on C15:0’s essentiality, including the discovery of a deficiency syndrome, we anticipate that pure C15:0 ingredients will routinely supplement diets, fortify foods and feature in Nutrition Fact panels, which shares the amount and percentage of recommended C15:0 daily values a given product provides.

What challenges do you anticipate in educating consumers and healthcare professionals about the importance of C15:0?
Venn-Watson: Since most people have not heard about C15:0, our three priorities have been credibility, awareness and accessibility.

Under the first bucket of credibility, there is now an abundance of peer-reviewed studies published on C15:0’s health benefits from prestigious teams globally. As evidenced by our latest paper, the science around C15:0 continues to grow.

To increase the awareness of C15:0, we have been working closely with a team of healthcare professionals, especially functional medicine practitioners who have a social media presence and podcasts, to educate their audiences on the science behind C15:0. In turn, these healthcare professionals have been seeing clinically meaningful results of C15:0 supplements on their patients. Additionally, we have been sharing our studies as they get published.

Due to people tangibly feeling better within weeks and seeing improved clinical indices within months while taking fatty15, this supplement has a greater than 95% monthly customer retention rate, has rapidly grown in sales since its launch in 2021 and has tens of thousands of active subscribers.

Our ultimate goal is to make pure C15:0 ingredients accessible to the world as food ingredients and food fortifiers.The study shows that local mountainous grass-fed animals produce milk fat with the highest concentrations of C15:0.

Given the study’s emphasis on whole-fat dairy products as a source of C15:0, how could this research impact the dairy industry?
Venn-Watson: There are several ways this research might impact the dairy industry.

First, this study hopes to encourage pediatricians to revisit their current guidelines that discourage children from drinking whole-fat dairy milk. While a thorough review of the science is needed, the current recommendations undoubtedly increase the risk of C15:0 nutritional deficiencies in children during their most important years of development. This may explain why younger and younger people are developing C15:0 deficiency-related conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and NAFLD.

Second, this study shows that local mountainous grass-fed animals (cows, goats and sheep) produce milk fat with the highest concentrations of C15:0. Further, cows fed more corn and less grass have milk fat with less C15:0. At the same time, some aged soft cheeses contain more bioavailable free fatty acid C15:0. To help people best meet their daily dietary C15:0 needs, the dairy industry may be encouraged to follow “back-to-nature” practices that increase C15:0 content in dairy products.

Additionally, it would be ideal for the dairy industry to include actual C15:0 content in their products to allow consumers to choose dairy products containing the highest amount of C15:0.

By Anvisha Manral