Scientists have made significant progress on research into a naturally-occurring vitamin that may be able to reverse the ageing process in body cells.

The compound vitamin, founded by a combined team of Australian and American scientists, is known as NMN and is already being discussed as a revolutionising force in the health and beauty industries, among others.

Scientists at the University of New South Wales and Harvard Medical School have discovered the vitamin, and have had success testing its effects in mice. The researchers have found that the vitamin had a significant effect in the repair of DNA in the older mice. The effect was so pronounced that there was found to be little, if any, difference between the cells of younger and older mice after just one week of treatment.

This discovery has the potential to completely reshape the market for anti-ageing products, and the scientists behind the research have stated that they’re intending to begin clinical trials on human subjects as soon as possible. If the human trials prove successful, and the effect of the mouse trials is replicated, the researchers are hoping to have a new ‘miracle drug’ on the market soon.

“This is the closest we are to a safe and effective anti-ageing drug that’s perhaps only three to five years away from being on the market if trials go well,” says David Sinclair, the lead researcher on the project and lead author of the initial report.

As well as being a big development for skincare and beauty treatments, there is also hope that the vitamin could help to restore damage done as a result of radiation exposure in human cells.

NASA have been keeping close tabs on the research as well, and have been working with UNSW to develop a way of protecting astronauts on Mars missions from excessive exposure to radiation and the resulting damage.

This anti-ageing phenomenon is found naturally in fruits and vegetables like broccoli and avocado, and could be set within the next few years to change beauty and nutritional science for good.