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What’s New in Longevity in March 2024?

Interested in the most recent longevity studies and longevity news in the field of anti-aging and longevity?

Here at Xandro Lab, we’ve collated some interesting longevity articles from March, so have a read to get yourself up to date on what’s new in the field!

The Best Longevity Supplements?

A large-scale study has found 14 drugs that appear to positively influence lifespan.

The study, which hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed, tracked the associations between a range of drugs and human lifespan, controlling for major factors that influence lifespan, including smoking status, cancer diagnosis, gender, age and diabetes.

The drugs include:

• Atorvastatin: used to lower the levels of cholesterol in the blood.
• Naproxen: used to ease symptoms of arthritis.
• Otomize: a spray used to treat ear infections
• Sildenafil (Viagra)
• Estraderm
• Vagifem
• Estriol
• Estradiol
• Lymecycline
• Marvelon
• Avaxim: a vaccine
• Revaxis: a vaccine
• Jardiance: a SGLT2 inhibitor
• Canagliflozin: a SGLT2 inhibitor

More trials are needed to test the full extent of these longevity drugs on humans.

Obesity Control Trials for Improved Insulin

A possible breakthrough has emerged in obliterating obesity, a study by GeroScience has found.

Researchers have found that male mice without prolyl hydroxylase domain-containing protein2 (PHD2) remained statistically unchanged in terms of body weight, lean mass and fat mass.

This was mainly due to increased energy use rather than eating less food, and they even performed better on physical tests.

More studies are needed to determine how to incorporate PHD2-targeting drugs or other treatments that could replicate these results in human beings since it was found that mice without PHD2 had less than half the lifespan of their counterparts.

Hearing Loss Promotes Alzheimer’s Disease

A link between hearing loss and developing Alzheimer’s disease has been found, which may help in developing Alzheimer’s disease therapies.

A study by Nature Aging has found experimental evidence that hearing loss can promote Alzheimer’s Disease via the factor 1 (GDF1) pathway.

Conducted on mice, the study found that increasing levels of this molecule can lessen the symptoms of dementia, which gives promise for new ways to tackle the disease in humans.

AI Helping Map Disease Paths

AI has identified 1,260 disease trajectories that help determine when is best to detect and prevent diseases that could alter a patient’s outcome.

The study analysed over 44 million hospital stays in Austria and highlights how important personalised healthcare strategies are to prevent long-term health risks and reduce stress on healthcare systems.

For example, men with sleep disorders between 20 and 29 had two normal trajectories, one leading to metabolic diseases and the other to movement disorders, with the results suggesting sleeping disorders could be an early marker for the risk of certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease.

The results of the study can be used by doctors and individuals to track their symptoms and health problems to potentially prevent further health issues down the line and improve their quality of life.

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Supplement Recall

An individual has died from kidney dysfunction, potentially due to taking health supplements.

The death comes one day after Japanese drugmaker, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical recalled three supplement products after customer complaints about kidney problems and after 26 individuals were hospitalised in relation to the prescription-free supplements.

The supplements contain beni koji, made by fermenting rice with yeast, which is thought to lower bad cholesterol.

According to the company, the beni koji possibly contained “ingredients [they] had not intended to include,” but concerns linger as it had supplied beni koji to around 50 other firms worldwide, according to NHK.

Modern Age Longevity Clinic Closed

The US longevity clinic, Modern Age, has closed due to funding issues.

Modern Age launched in 2021 and opened its first clinic in 2022, offering longevity marker information to consumers, including bone density scans, biomarker analysis and hormone panels, and the ability to speak with a clinician for information on how they could modify their lifestyle habits to improve their health span.

Snippets from the Unlock Healthy Longevity: Supplements Conference

The first global scientific supplements conference was held at the National University of Singapore (NUS), showing the growth of aging research.

The conference, running from February 29 to March 1, looked at individual molecules that could help with healthy aging and extend health span, such as taurine, AKG, ergothioneine, urolithin A and NAD+ precursors.

It also covered labelling issues, companion diagnostics, the role of supplements in longevity clinics, clinical validation and translating research.

The conference highlighted a transition in aging research, shifting from targeting individual diseases to targeting the underlying issue of aging itself.

The event saw 790 participants from across 45 countries, with 42 speakers and 20 sponsors, showing the advancement in the field of aging research.

How Singapore Became a Blue Zone

Singapore is the latest country to be listed as a ‘blue zone,’ a place where people live long and healthy lives.

Dubbed as a blue zone 2.0, this is because rather than coming about from natural circumstances, Singapore’s blue zone is man-made, with the core factors being identified as to how.

Termed, the “Power 9,” these include:

• Moving naturally in everyday life: due to high taxes, many Singaporeans walk and take public transport.
• Having a purpose in life
• Maintaining stress through routines
• Eating only until 80 per cent full
• Eating more plant-based meals: Healthy foods are cheap, accessible and well-promoted in Singapore.
• Limiting alcohol consumption
• Being part of a community: Almost 80 per cent of Singaporeans follow a religion.
• Staying close with loved ones: Singapore provides financial incentives to those who live with or close to their parents and children.
• Surrounding yourself with people with healthy habits

Other blue zones around the world include Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan, Nicoya in Costa Rica, Sardinia in Italy and Loma Linda in the United States.

Interested in more recent anti aging news, longevity research and longevity articles? Read our longevity news posts from January and February!