Discovery Of Elixir Of Life Biochemical Found In Easter Island Soil May Lead To Eternal Youth
Scientists have inched closer to a genuine anti-aging pill with the discovery of an elixir of life biochemical , according to a study published in the journal Nature. The wonder pill could extend the lifespan of people by up to 23 years.
The elixir of life anti-aging drug was made from a compound found in the soil on Easter Island one of the most remote places on Earth which is created by a microbe living in the soil.
Experts have been clamouring for years to unlock the secret of eternal youth. But now researchers have been able to stop cells aging by using the compound to block damaging proteins responsible for the process. It is hoped that the findings could lead to the creation of drugs that dramatically slow down aging, allowing people to be healthier for longer, reports the Daily Express of UK. The Easter Island compound called rapamycin after the islands Polynesian name Rapa Nui was found to extend expected lifespan by 38% when tested on mice.
Arlan Richardson, director of the Barshop Institute, said: Ive been in aging research for 35 years and there have been many so-called anti-aging interventions over those years that were never successful. I never thought we would find an anti-aging pill for people in my lifetime. Rapamycin shows a great deal of promise to do just that.
Lynne Cox, researcher with the University of Oxford, said: This is a very exciting study where a single drug with a known cellular effect increases the life expectancy and lifespan of mice. In no way should anyone consider using this particular drug to try to extend their own lifespan as rapamycin suppresses immunity. While the mice were protected from infection, thats simply impossible in humans.
The drug is currently used to suppress immune systems of patients who have had transplant operations to stop their bodies rejecting organs. It is also used in heart operations and is being tested for its anti-cancer properties. Although it is not yet suitable for use on people, expert say it opens the door to the first generation of pills that will extend lifespan.
Until now, the only way to extend a mammals life was to tinker with its genetic make-up or restrict its diet. But rapamycin appears to partially shut down the same molecular pathway as restricting food intake or reducing growth factors.
The astonishing findings have been published in the journal Nature following research carried out at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, in the United States.
The latest anti-aging experiments found that adding rapamycin to the diet of older mice increased their lifespan.
Scientists tested 2,000 laboratory mice aged around 600 days old roughly the equivalent to a 60-year-old person. About one quarter were given a normal diet while the others were given the drug. Once treatment began, it was found to extend the females life expectancy by 38%, and males by 28%. What amazed the scientists is that the mice only started to get the drug in middle and old age. AGENCIES
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