The Youth Pill: Scientists at the Brink of an Anti-Ageing Revolution. By David Stipp.

Meanderer

Meanderer

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[h=3]Methuselah's mixture Why do we grow old? And is ageing really compulsory?[/h]http://www.economist.com/node/16636419

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The life expectancy in lab animals have been increased by double or triple by a low calorie diet with trace minerals added.
The hayflick limits says that cell telomeres can only replicate 51 and then die. There is new research that says that the telomeres can be stopped or possibly reversed but all this is on the cutting edge of technology right now. The secret is to stop inflammation that means stopping the damage done by oxygen radical damage [oxidation like rust] Eat thing with a high ORAC score
 
Since this is on the cutting edge, or to say it another way, it looks promising so far, what do we do? I have not read his book, yet, but there are age-management companies that say they are using all the current and promising methods, including diet, exorcise, supplements, hormone optimization and tracking of inflammatory markers and telomeres to follow the progress.

Do we know if these programs make meaningful life improvements that make them worth the money, or is it just going on faith (plus blood tests to show that your inflammatory markers have been greatly reduced)?

I am sure it will a a long time before we have good human studies to see if the research applies to us. In the meantime...?

Newly Old
 
The prof is already out there in the blue zones around the world where people live to 100+ years and without doctors or any fancy science.
 
d0ug said:
The prof is already out there in the blue zones around the world where people live to 100+ years and without doctors or any fancy science.
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I am halfway through the book. Here is where doctors and fancy science come into the picture. Studying chromosomes in people who have families that routinely live well beyond 100, genes have been located that seem to play an important part. So the scientists have been studying the processes these genes direct. The hope is that if, for example, a segment of genes directs the production of larger forms of HDL molecules, finding drugs that promote that type of HDL molecules may help preventing heart disease and strokes. That is not an actual example, but the idea of what many are working on. Identify the unique genes, find out what they control, then find substances that can also affect that process.

This is a small part of the research areas discussed in the book. It is very interesting. The problems with identifying the unique genes is that you have to find what genes are different in these families. But that means comparing them to families who die younger. So you are comparing with subjects who, by definition, have to be much younger. Since those people were born many years or decades later, they lived in a very different environment, exposed to different substances that can cause changes in chromosomes.

This is a fascinating book, and covers the field broadly and in depth. It also brings in the debates as to whether extending life just adds years of disability, of the other theory that it may result in the body systems failing quickly, so the period of disability is shorter.

We have changed from a world where people died much younger, but from rapid things, such as heart disease and infection. Now, with aging, there is the large increase in slow death by cancer, congestive heart failure, etc.

Got to go back to the book. I recommended it highly. It is not a book about an answer to aging. It as a comprehensive discussion of the history and current state of trying to understand aging, and discovering ways to raise life expectancy while decreasing the time of disability.

Newly Old
 
When you finish the book get the book epigenetics sub title the death of the genetic theory of disease transmission. Also Dr Bruce Lipton explanes that genes has nothing to do with it but the environment is everything.
 
I will look for the book. I finished The Youth Pill. After an interesting start, it became a boring read for me. It makes me more skeptical of the anti-aging supplements being promoted.

Newly Old
 
I am just finishing a book call Epigenetics by Dr Joel Wallach. The book just went on sale in May 2014 it is a very interesting read. One thing did catch my attention is on extending life there was study done by Leonard Hayflick he said that a cell is limited to 51 duplications and then apoptosis [cell death]. The cells are limited by the end caps call telomere and each time a cell duplicates the telomere shortens. New science of higher doses of supplemental vitamins C, D, and E in both vitro and in vitro studies maintained increased telomere length, delayed apoptosis, and extended life span of nematdes and vertebrates.
Maybe this scientific pill is just a soup up vitamin pill
 

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