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What is New in Longevity Research 2024: September

What’s new in longevity research 2024? Our September longevity newsletter is full of the latest longevity and aging news, including extending lifespan of humans, longevity research news and rethinking natural ageing.

New Anti-Aging Therapy Shows Promise in Mice by Targeting IL-11 Protein

A recent study has shown that blocking a protein called interleukin-11 (IL-11) can significantly extend lifespan in mice, raising hopes for new anti-aging therapies in humans.

Researchers found that mice treated with an IL-11 inhibitor lived up to 28.7 per cent longer, with improved overall health, including better glucose tolerance, lower cholesterol and increased muscle strength.

IL-11, a protein linked to cell aging, increases as animals get older and promotes cell senescence, a state where cells stop dividing and start deteriorating.

By inhibiting IL-11, scientists were able to reduce signs of aging in tissues such as the liver, fat and muscles, potentially offering a way to slow the aging process.

Though promising, anti aging human trials have yet to be made to determine the therapy’s effectiveness in humans, and more research is needed to confirm its long-term safety and impact.

Rethinking Blue Zones

Due to issues surrounding birth certificates, the true age of those reaching age 100 in Blue Zones has been questioned.

Saul Justin Newman, senior research fellow at the University of London Centre for Longitudinal Studies found that most of the claims about people living over 105 are wrong.

Newman tracked down 80 per cent of the people aged over 110 around the world and found that almost none have a birth certificate.

Out of the over 500 in the US, only seven had a birth certificate and only about 10 per cent had a death certificate.

In 2010, a Japanese government review found that 82 per cent of the people over 100 in Japan were actually dead and simply hadn’t had their death recorded.

This information sets the spotlight on Singapore, a manufactured Blue Zone, and how governments are going to have to start following Singapore’s example to intentionally improve the health of their citizens to improve their lifespans.

Further Reading: How Singapore Became A Blue Zone

New Insights into Amphibian Regeneration

It’s been found that axolotls, and salamanders in general, do not decline in physical function as they age, despite them going through regeneration throughout their life.

Axolotl’s aging is ‘biphasic’, meaning they age up to a certain point then stop aging, despite going through limb regeneration, which was found to age other amphibians.

It was also found that axolotls are resistant to cancer, even when being injected with carcinogens.

Since axolotls are amphibians, not mammals, more research is needed to determine how these insights can be used in human treatments, but since similarities between mammals and the African clawed frog, an amphibian, have been found, this has led researchers to pursue this into the future.

Light Pollution and Alzheimer’s Disease

A study has found a correlation between the intensity of nighttime outdoor lighting and Alzheimer’s disease.

One reason of this is due to light pollution disrupting sleep by affecting the circadian rhythm and this has been found to also increase the risk of obesity, anxiety, depression, cancer and memory dysfunction, with indoor light also causing a problem.

Sleep disruption and depression are also common in Alzheimer’s patients, so the study compared light pollution levels in each US state with Alzheimer’s prevalence and found nighttime light intensity was significantly linked with Alzheimer’s across all males and females of all races except Asian Pacific Islanders, for people both under and over age 65.

The study even accounted for alcohol abuse, depression, heart failure, chronic kidney disease and obesity, showing that nighttime light intensity affected Alzheimer’s more than any of these.

The study did, however, find that stroke, hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation and hyperlipidemia had a stronger link with Alzheimer’s than light intensity, but has raised awareness of lifestyle changes, like blackout curtains and eye masks, that can help lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

New Study Challenges the ‘Lower is Better’ View on LDL Cholesterol

A recent study from the University of Pittsburgh and University of South Florida suggests that while high levels of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) are linked to health risks, very low levels may not be as beneficial as once thought.

The study found that patients with the lowest LDL levels (30–79mg/dL) had a higher risk of death compared to those with moderate levels (80–99mg/dL), with the results showing a U-shaped pattern, meaning both very low and very high LDL levels were associated with higher mortality rates.

Interestingly, those with moderate LDL levels (100–189mg/dL) had a slightly lower risk of death compared to the optimal range of 80–99mg/dL, challenging the common belief that lower LDL is always better.

The study also highlighted that the ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol (the ‘good cholesterol’) was a stronger predictor of mortality risk, with those with the lowest ratio having a 24 per cent lower risk of death than those with the highest ratio, suggesting that cholesterol ratios might be more important than focusing on LDL levels alone.

While the lifespan study doesn’t definitively prove causality, it aligns with some prior research and calls for further investigation into the role of cholesterol, particularly in patients not on statins.

New Protein Discovery May Hold Key to Longer Life

Scientists have identified a protein called OSER1 that could explain why some people live longer than others.

This breakthrough, made by researchers from the University of Copenhagen’s Center for Healthy Aging, could lead to new treatments to extend life and combat age-related diseases.

OSER1 was found in both humans and animals, suggesting its role in longevity is widespread.

The protein is regulated by FOXO, a known longevity factor, and when OSER1’s activity was altered in animal studies, it had a significant impact on lifespan.

Researchers hope future studies will reveal more about how OSER1 influences aging and its potential to prevent diseases like heart and neurodegenerative conditions.

Common Diabetes Drug Metformin May Slow Aging, Monkey Study Suggests

A new study has found that metformin, a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, could help slow aging in multiple organs, including the brain.

Researchers conducted a three-and-a-half-year study on cynomolgus monkeys and found that those treated with metformin showed signs of reduced aging, with some indicators suggesting a reversal of aging by up to six years.

The drug, which works by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing inflammation, slowed aging in organs like the kidneys, lungs and skin, but most notably, metformin had a significant impact on brain aging, helping preserve brain structure and improve cognitive function.

While these findings are promising, researchers emphasise the need for human trials to confirm metformin’s potential anti-aging effects, and if the results translate to humans, metformin could be a game-changer in delaying age-related diseases and promoting longer, healthier lives.

New Genes Linked to Menopause Timing and Cancer Risk

Researchers have identified four genes that significantly affect the timing of menopause, providing new insights into the link between menopause and cancer risk.

The study found that women with only one working copy of these genes (ETAA1, ZNF518A, PNPLA8, PALB2) experienced menopause up to five and a half years earlier than average.

The study also discovered that changes in these genes, while rare, have a much larger impact on menopause timing than previously known genetic factors, with the strongest influence seen with the ZNF518A gene, found in only 1 in 4,000 women, which dramatically shortened reproductive lifespan.

Importantly, some of the same genes linked to menopause timing are also associated with increased cancer risk.

For instance, changes in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, known for raising cancer risk, also result in earlier menopause, with another gene, SAMHD1, found to delay menopause by over a year and increase cancer risk in both men and women.

This research helps scientists better understand the biological processes behind menopause and its connection to DNA damage and aging, opening up possibilities for future treatments that could extend reproductive life and reduce cancer risks.

End Note

For more longevity news 2024 on longevity technology, how to increase healthspan and life expectancy research, you can read our previous editions.

Be sure to stay tuned for the latest longevity news released next month!

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