What if a molecule could help protect mitochondria, support cellular health, and potentially influence longevity? Can Carbon 60 Extend Lifespan? Could Carbon 60 (C60) be one of the most intriguing discoveries in longevity research?
In this episode of The Pod of Inquiry, Dr. Stephen Barrett sits down with Chris Burres, Chief Scientist of MyVitalC and a pioneer in Carbon 60 manufacturing, to explore ESS60, the science behind the longevity molecule, and the famous rat study that reported a 90% increase in lifespan.
From its Nobel Prize-winning discovery to its proposed role in mitochondrial function, this conversation explores the science, theories, and emerging research surrounding Carbon 60 and its potential connection to longevity.
In this episode:
- ⚛️ Carbon 60’s discovery and Nobel Prize-winning structure
- 🐀 The famous 90% rat lifespan study
- 🔋 ESS60, mitochondria, and the BOSS theory
- 🛡️ Selective antioxidants and cellular protection
- 🧬 ESS60, glutathione, melatonin, and vitamin C
- 🥑 Olive oil vs. avocado oil vs. MCT oil
- 💤 Absorption, delivery, and sleep
- ⚙️ The catalytic converter theory
- 🌱 The foundations of longevity: sleep, nutrition, and exercise
- 🔬 Four upcoming MyVitalC research studies
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DISCLAIMER: This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Research findings and proposed mechanisms discussed are not established proof of benefits in humans. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.
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Author Biography
Chris Burres
Chris Burres is a scientist, author, and entrepreneur, and the co-founder and Chief Scientist of MyVitalC in Houston, Texas. Trained as a mechanical engineer, he and his business partner began manufacturing ESS60, a purified form of the Nobel Prize-winning carbon 60 molecule, in 1991.
That makes them the longest-running producer of the molecule in the world. Chris is the author of The Longevity Molecule (2026) and Live Longer and Better, co-authored with Dr. Jerome Corsi. He hosts the Live Beyond the Norms podcast, where he has interviewed longevity leaders including Dave Asprey and Dr. Steven Gundry, and he has appeared on more than 200 podcasts. He is also a patent holder and a former professional improv comedian.
Learn more at myvitalc.com.
Show Notes from this episode
Episode Overview
What do candle soot, a Nobel Prize, car batteries, and a 90% increase in rat lifespan have in common? A 60-atom soccer ball of carbon. In this episode, Dr. Stephen Barrett sits down with Chris Burres, mechanical engineer, former professional improv comedian, and co-founder and chief scientist of MyVitalC in Houston. Chris and his business partner Robert began manufacturing this molecule in 1991, five years before its Rice University discoverers won the Nobel Prize, making them the oldest and longest continuous manufacturer of it in the world.
Chris walks through how the molecule was discovered, why it became the most-cited material in science in the early 1990s, and how a University of Paris toxicity study unexpectedly produced the longest lifespan extension ever reported in a mammal. He lays out his “BOSS” theory (Buffering Oxidative Stress System), in which ESS60 is proposed to act like a catalytic converter inside stressed mitochondria, selectively holding negatively charged reactive oxygen species until glutathione and melatonin can catch up. Stephen presses on absorption, dosing, sublingual uptake, synergy with other antioxidants, and the paradox of a morning dose that improves sleep that night. The conversation closes with the pillars of longevity, Stephen’s newly coined “mellow molecule,” and the four clinical studies MyVitalC is now launching on headaches, hsCRP, sleep, and skin.
Timestamped Show Notes
Opening & How an Engineer Ended Up in Longevity
00:00 Open: Stephen introduces Chris Burres and MyVitalC (that’s “Vital C,” not vitamin C), the 90% rat lifespan result, and the exclusive Pod of Inquiry landing page.
01:17 Pod of Inquiry intro: get down in the cave and start spelunking.
01:48 Welcome, and Stephen’s years-long curiosity about carbon 60. Chris’s two books: Live Longer and Better and The Longevity Molecule.
02:36 Patents in explosives and downhole oil and gas, five years of professional improv, 30 years of soccer, and why a would-be entrepreneur chose mechanical engineering.
05:37 What ESS stands for: elemental safe spheres, with 60 atoms of carbon.
06:02 You have already been exposed to it (it is in candle soot), the fullerene family named for Buckminster Fuller, separating C60 by chromatography, Dr. Paul Chu’s “$6,000 a gram” nudge, and why vaporizing graphite takes temperatures like the surface of the sun.
A Nobel Prize & a Very Unexpected Toxicity Study
08:22 The discovery story: an astrophysicist’s spectrum, Dr. Smalley’s laser vaporization apparatus at Rice, a mysterious peak at 60, and the soccer-ball structure published in Nature.
10:02 Why organic chemistry built around the benzene ring applies to C60, and how all 10 of the most-cited papers of 1991 involved carbon fullerenes.
11:16 Better inks, batteries, tires, and photocells, and why nobody should be eating their car battery.
12:11 How antioxidant interest began: holding up to six negatively charged particles, an early antiviral patent, endohedral fullerenes as a cancer-delivery concept, and the University of Paris toxicity study where olive oil plus ESS60 rats lived 90% longer than controls.
Absorption, Dosing & the BOSS Theory
14:54 Does olive oil help it cross the gut epithelium? Why dissolving it in oil breaks crystals down to single molecules, and why one drop holds more than 400 times as many molecules as you have cells.
16:40 Is there a ceiling effect or a toxic threshold? Introducing the BOSS theory: ESS60 in the mitochondria, ROS as “bumper cars,” and the glutathione and melatonin cleanup crew.
18:57 Sponsor: ValAsta astaxanthin (code POI5 for 5% off at valasta.net).
19:48 What stresses mitochondria (smoking, drinking, smog, and even good exercise), and how ESS60 is proposed to buffer the overflow.
20:48 The Mardi Gras analogy: drunk ROS on Bourbon Street, the NOPD, and the paddy wagon.
22:08 Stephen unpacks the mechanism: does the molecule get recycled? Chris on what is still theory, and reports that it clears the body in about 10 days.
23:08 Competition or synergy with vitamin C and astaxanthin? ESS60 as a selective antioxidant: binding negatively charged ROS while leaving positively charged signaling ROS (and pregnenolone production) alone.
From “Not for Human Consumption” to Supplement
24:46 The 2012 study, the 2013 biohacker phone calls, the “not for human consumption” label, and “Joe’s 275-pound rat.”
28:12 A YouTuber changes everything, the study showing half of tested supplements did not contain what they claimed, and the moral and legal questions behind launching in 2018. The most consistent report: morning dose, focus and energy by day, better sleep that night. Ad hoc and peer-reviewed comparisons with vitamin C’s antioxidant capacity.
31:52 Why the FDA treats “inflammation” as disease language, and the exercise-induced inflammation claim companies are allowed to make.
The Catalytic Converter & How to Take It
33:00 Getting past the barriers into the mitochondria, and whether that improves mitochondrial function.
34:06 Stephen asks about Krebs cycle bioenergetics; Chris reframes ESS60 as a catalytic converter that cleans up the exhaust rather than tuning the engine.
35:35 Why understanding mechanism drives patient compliance, biomarkers as a “report card,” and the oral microbiome connection to heart and brain. Plus a sponsor break: BBack 0524 running shoe (code POI10 for 10% off at bbackworld.us).
37:50 Olive versus avocado versus MCT oil (roughly 0.8, 0.6, and 0.3 mg/mL), olive oil’s history as an oral rinse, and swishing before swallowing.
38:57 Possible sublingual absorption and avoiding first-pass metabolism.
39:14 The “snake oil” problem: how a morning dose could help sleep at night.
40:07 Chris’s personal routine: MCT in his coffee plus about a teaspoon and a half of the olive oil product, and extra servings on long event days. (Not a dosing recommendation.)
The Real Pillars of Longevity
41:26 Stephen on the book: a quick read that is honest that this is not a magic bullet. Sleep, exercise, and nutrition still come first.
42:08 Lessons from Chris’s longevity summit interviews with Dave Asprey, Ben Greenfield, and Dr. Steven Gundry: nutrition, sleep, exercise, and why mindset may matter most.
43:37 A UK customer quitting smoking who found a “longer fuse” with her toddler.
44:53 Stephen coins the “mellow molecule.”
Research Pipeline & Where to Get It
45:01 Clean product versus generic C60, and Stephen adds ESS60 to his morning biohacking coffee (alongside MCT, spermidine, reishi, and cordyceps).
46:35 The three-month experience: focus and energy, then sleep, then broader effects. Four studies now launching: frequent and severe headaches, hsCRP (with one practitioner’s reported results), sleep (building on two small ad hoc studies), and a cosmetic wrinkle and age-spot study.
50:09 The UTH 29 peptide plus ESS60 skincare set, and the landing page at myvitalc.com/podofinquiry with a free PDF of 18 biohacking tips from longevity experts.
51:13 The $30 coupon, 40% off the six-pack, subscriptions, and signed copies of Live Longer and Better, with the $10 signing fee donated to Operation Underground Railroad.
53:19 Thank you and wrap-up.
53:36 Sponsor: Approved Medical Solutions clean ketone formula. Outro and how to keep spelunking.
56:50 Disclaimer.
Key Topics
Carbon 60 (C60); ESS60; fullerenes and buckminsterfullerene; Rice University and the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Dr. Richard Smalley and Dr. Harold Kroto; the 2012 University of Paris rat longevity study; antioxidants and antioxidant capacity; mitochondria and mitochondrial health; reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress; glutathione and melatonin; the BOSS theory (Buffering Oxidative Stress System); selective antioxidants; exercise-induced inflammation; bioavailability, olive oil, MCT oil, and sublingual absorption; sleep, focus, and energy; hsCRP; supplement quality and FDA/FTC claims; longevity pillars (sleep, nutrition, exercise, mindset); biohacking.
Resources & Links
- MyVitalC Pod of Inquiry landing page (exclusive discounts, $30 coupon, free 18 biohacking tips PDF): https://www.myvitalc.com/podofinquiry
- MyVitalC: https://www.myvitalc.com
- Books by Chris Burres: Live Longer and Better; The Longevity Molecule
- Live Beyond the Norms podcast, hosted by Chris Burres
- Pod of Inquiry show notes: https://podofinquiry.com
This Episode’s Sponsors
- ValAsta Astaxanthin: net, code POI5 for 5% off
- BBack 0524: us, code POI10 for 10% off
- Approved Medical Solutions: clean ketone formula
Sponsors Of The Episode
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Approved Medical Solutions
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Non-licensed patients can use code “sbarrett” for a 10% discount.
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