permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

John D'h, what do you make of this? - LL

Anti-ageing compound set for human trials after turning clock back for mice
| Science | theguardian.com
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/dec/20/anti-ageing-human-trials?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2

"Australian and US researchers hope an anti-ageing compound could be
trialled on humans as early as next year, following a key breakthrough that
saw the ageing process reversed in mice.

The study <http://www.cell.com/retrieve/pii/S0092867413015213?cc=y>,
involving Harvard University and the University of NSW, discovered a way of
restoring the efficiency of cells, completely reversing the ageing process
in muscles.

Two-year-old mice were given a compound over a week, moving back the key
indicators of ageing to that of a six-month-old mouse. Researchers said
this was the equivalent of making a 60-year-old person feel like a
20-year-old.

It’s hoped the research, published in Cell, will be expanded to humans as
early as next year, with scientists set to look at how the theory of age
reversal can be used to treat diseases such as cancer, dementia and
diabetes.

The research focused on an area of cells, called mitochondria, which
produce energy. Over time, the communication between this area and the cell
nucleus degrades, leading to the ageing process.

Researchers injected a chemical called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide,
or NAD, which reduces in the body as we age. The addition of this compound
led to the radical reversal in the ageing of the mice."