www.telegraph.co.uk We all recall the fable of the Fountain of Youth; the spring that supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Two separate research teams have found ways to rejuvenate aging bodies. One with injections of young blood, and the other by extreme calorie counting. Neither are as pleasant as allowing cool water to run over our body.
But, anything to prevent us looking like recent pictures of aging movie stars has to be good. I remember watching the movie, Prince Valliant at a theater in Melbourne when it first reached Australia in 1954. Robert Wagner was dazzlingly handsome to my twelve-year-old mind. Lately, he's appeared in re-runs of NCIS on television and, although charming, bears little resemblance to his former image. The same can be said of me, and of my dear husband. Sigh! But that's the way of the world. We are born, we grow, we change, we live, we age, we die.
Researchers in the US say they have discovered how to combat and even reverse some processes of aging in mice.
After injecting the blood of young mice into older rodents their brainpower was boosted. Scientists at Stanford University plan to carry out trials in people in the hope that new treatments for dementia can be developed.
In the study, published in Nature Medicine, mice aged 18 months were given injections of plasma taken from three-month-old mice. The injected mice performed better on memory tests than mice of the same age that had not been given blood plasma.
A clinical trial is planned to see whether the same was true in humans. Of course, Alzheimer's disease is not an inevitable consequence of aging, so the effect might not work.
In separate trials, the Harvard team's research, published in Science, found the blood factor encouraged the growth of brain cells in old mice, boosted muscle power, and restored their sense of smell.
But, anything to prevent us looking like recent pictures of aging movie stars has to be good. I remember watching the movie, Prince Valliant at a theater in Melbourne when it first reached Australia in 1954. Robert Wagner was dazzlingly handsome to my twelve-year-old mind. Lately, he's appeared in re-runs of NCIS on television and, although charming, bears little resemblance to his former image. The same can be said of me, and of my dear husband. Sigh! But that's the way of the world. We are born, we grow, we change, we live, we age, we die.
Researchers in the US say they have discovered how to combat and even reverse some processes of aging in mice.
After injecting the blood of young mice into older rodents their brainpower was boosted. Scientists at Stanford University plan to carry out trials in people in the hope that new treatments for dementia can be developed.
In the study, published in Nature Medicine, mice aged 18 months were given injections of plasma taken from three-month-old mice. The injected mice performed better on memory tests than mice of the same age that had not been given blood plasma.
A clinical trial is planned to see whether the same was true in humans. Of course, Alzheimer's disease is not an inevitable consequence of aging, so the effect might not work.
In separate trials, the Harvard team's research, published in Science, found the blood factor encouraged the growth of brain cells in old mice, boosted muscle power, and restored their sense of smell.
www.freedomcongress.org Now for the ultra-low calorie diet. Only slightly less unpleasant than blood-work, for those intent on clinging to their youth.
Extreme calorie counting boosts lifespan in monkeys, our fellow primates, according to new research.
In earlier studies, reported in Nature Communications were based on experiments in worms and mice. But primates also benefited from the regime according to study done by the department of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Advocates of the Calorie Restriction (CR) diet claim that by severely restricting the number of calories they consume they will live longer, perhaps into their hundreds. The study found CR boosted survival in a group of rhesus monkeys studied over the course of decades.
A US study is currently doing research in healthy humans to discover if they live longer on less food.
The participants restrict calories by 25% over several years, existing mainly on a diet of vegetables, fruits (especially apples), and soups.
Dr Emma Williams, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, said caution was advised until results from human trials were available.
Would the chance of remaining forever young tempt you to call into the lab for a refill of blood, or persuade you to eat like a monk?
Hum, hum! I feel another futuristic novel developing in my mind.
Extreme calorie counting boosts lifespan in monkeys, our fellow primates, according to new research.
In earlier studies, reported in Nature Communications were based on experiments in worms and mice. But primates also benefited from the regime according to study done by the department of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Advocates of the Calorie Restriction (CR) diet claim that by severely restricting the number of calories they consume they will live longer, perhaps into their hundreds. The study found CR boosted survival in a group of rhesus monkeys studied over the course of decades.
A US study is currently doing research in healthy humans to discover if they live longer on less food.
The participants restrict calories by 25% over several years, existing mainly on a diet of vegetables, fruits (especially apples), and soups.
Dr Emma Williams, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, said caution was advised until results from human trials were available.
Would the chance of remaining forever young tempt you to call into the lab for a refill of blood, or persuade you to eat like a monk?
Hum, hum! I feel another futuristic novel developing in my mind.
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