![]() How anti-ageing drugs could boost COVID vaccines in older peopleĪnother point of concern for Pasantes is that the mice in the experiment were given high doses of taurine relative to their body weight - levels that might far exceed the recommended safe consumption limits if extrapolated to humans. However, she warns that ageing is complex, and that taurine by itself, or a lack of it, is not what induces or drives the process. She praises the study for exploring this principle in living organisms. The results fit with research at the cellular level showing that “taurine is a protector of cells and it promotes their survival”, says Herminia Pasantes, a biologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City. The monkeys had lower body weights, denser bones and reduced signs of liver damage. The taurine-fed worms lived longer and were healthier on average than a control group. The researchers also gave food containing taurine to Caenorhabditis elegans worms and middle-aged rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta). Females had a reduction in behaviours associated with depression and anxiety, and a strengthened immune system. The mice given taurine experienced several health benefits, including increases in muscle endurance and strength. But when the team fed a daily solution of taurine to a group of mice, the animals’ lifespans increased by around 12% in females and 10% in males, compared with animals in control groups that were not given extra taurine. It wasn’t clear whether this decline had a role in ageing, or was a simply a result of it. For example, 15-year-old monkeys had 85% less taurine in their blood than did 5-year-old monkeys. The researchers measured the blood concentrations of taurine in mice, monkeys and people, and found that levels decrease with age. They chose to focus on taurine because previous studies have linked it to various aspects of animal and human health, including immunity 2, bone health and nervous-system function 3.įirst hint that body’s ‘biological age’ can be reversed Yadav and his colleagues study changes in blood levels of chemicals linked to ageing, including metabolites, hormones and micronutrients. ![]() ![]() Over the past two decades, scientists worldwide have intensified efforts to develop interventions that combat the decline in health that comes with old age. “We are very excited to take on that journey.” Anti-ageing action “We are looking at a multicentric, multinational intervention trial in humans,” said study co-author Vijay Yadav, a geneticist at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, during a press conference discussing the work. ![]() But the study could offer a starting point for future research into treatments that help people to stay healthy and live longer. Scientists warn that there are many other factors involved in ageing, and that it is not clear whether the findings, published on 8 June in Science 1, will translate to humans. ‘Inflammation clock’ can reveal body’s biological age Researchers showed that levels of the naturally occurring amino acid - which has been linked to other aspects of health - decline as the animals age, and that offsetting this loss with a taurine supplement might delay the development of age-related health problems. Credit: Christine Whitehead/AlamyĪgeing mice, worms and monkeys can live longer or healthier lives when fed large amounts of taurine, a common ingredient in health supplements and energy drinks, a study suggests. Previous studies have explored taurine’s role in keeping the body healthy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |