Everyone wants to live as healthy as they can, for as long as they can avoiding being decrepit. Now, a study recently published in Cell Metabolism from the University of Connecticut has demonstrated a treatment that could potentially lengthen human life and add youthful vigor right up to the very end.
Living longer
Even though the human lifespan has extended over the past century, most people experience a serious decline in health during the last decade of their lives. Unfortunately, in old age, most people suffer from chronic illnesses like cancer, diabetes, dementia, and cardiovascular diseases which can be followed by frailty. While there are many interventions that can help to prolong life, that does not necessarily mean it will be in good health, and spending the last years of an extra-long life in decrepitude doesn’t sound that appealing. However, a decline into frailty is not inevitable.
Avoiding frailty
Research from the UConn School of Medicine describes how a group of mice lived 9% longer. To add to the improved longevity, they could walk faster and grip objects with greater strength than untreated mice of the same age. According to the researchers, the treated mice were able to retain their strength and walking speed during treatment right up until the very end of their lives.
Additionally, even though the treated mice were older at the time of their death, their physical function and robustness overall were better than those of the controls during their last stage of life. In humans, slowed walking speed and weakened grip strength are very closely correlated with increased overall frailty.
Live longer, die healthier
For this study, two groups of mice were observed: one group received monthly treatments to remove highly inflammatory cells from their tissues; the control group did not. ‘Highly inflammatory cells’ were defined as being those actively expressing a specific gene called p21. Monthly treatments in the mice were found to extend the maximum lifespan, with the oldest treated mice living to be 43 months (equivalent to 130 human years), as well as the average lifespan, so that the average treated mouse lived longer, and healthier than the average untreated control mouse.
“We are all very excited about this finding, because it demonstrates that we not only extend the lifespan, but indeed extend the life with good health in mice, which is a key goal for the aging field,” says Xu, assistant professor of the UConn Center on Aging and the Department of Genetics & Genome Sciences at UConn School of Medicine.
Translating to humans
The researchers are now working on a way to translate their promising anti-aging results to humans. If the treatment works as well for humans, it could mean the equivalent of 8 to 10 additional years of healthy old age. Now that is something to look forward to. Traditionally, animal research doesn’t always translate to humans, here’s hoping this one does.
Healthy living
In the meantime, anti-aging research has shown that living a healthy lifestyle can go a long way to helping you live as healthy as you can for as long as you can. Making healthful choices like maintaining a healthy weight, following a healthy balanced diet, keeping levels of stress in check, getting adequate amounts of rejuvenating sleep, being physically active, and doing activities that challenge your brain can help to extend your health and lifespan.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN does not agree or disagree with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
https://today.uconn.edu/2024/08/live-longer-die-healthier/
https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/abstract/S1550-4131(24)00277-8
https://worldhealth.net/news/healthful-longevity-promoting-secrets-superagers/
https://worldhealth.net/news/its-never-too-late-make-healthful-lifestyle-changes/
