These researches are hoping that this might imply that the consumption of Vitamin D supplements will prove to be a simple yet effective way to fight against the diseases caused due to the aging of the eyes in people. One such disease is the macular degeneration.

The group of researchers where from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London. The journal Neurobiology of Ageing has recently published the report.

The explanation given by the team leader, Professor Glen Jeffery, is as such: The retina, a layer of tissue, can be found in mammals like the mice and humans. It is positioned at the back of their eyes. The retina is very crucial in the seeing process. It is the cells of the retina that identifies light when it comes in the eyes. It then sends the brain messages and as a consequence we are able to see. This process is a very demanding one. In fact the retina consumes proportionally much more energy as compared to other tissues in the human body. Blood circulation needs therefore to be at its best there.

Nevertheless, as one age, this demand of high energy leads to a production of debris. Consequently, in animals, a gradual inflammation can be seen. While in human beings, this can produce a decline reaching 30% in the quantity of cells that are receptive to light that found in the eye when we reach out 70th birthday. As a result we have a poorer sight.

The research that was carried out showed that if there was an intake of Vitamin D for merely six weeks, the inflammation in the old mice decreased. A partial removal of the debris was also observed. Subsequently, based on tests done, there was an improvement in the vision of the mice.

In accordance to the researchers this improvement in the sight of the mice can be linked to two changes that took place. In the first instance, there was a significant reduction in the quantity of macrophages, a potentially destructive cell, in the eyes those mice which were provided the Vitamin D.

Macrophages have a crucial role to play in our immune system. Their work consists in fighting off infections. On the other hand, due to aging, they can become dangerous in their fight against threats. As such, they can become the cause of damage as well as inflammation.

The reduction in the quantity of macrophages in the mice eyes was not the sole consequence of the Vitamin D. The latter even prompted the outstanding macrophages to alter to a new configuration. Instead of causing damage to the eyes, the researchers believe that in their different configuration the macrophages have dynamically worked to decrease the inflammation and clean up the debris.

The other change that the researchers witnessed in the mice eyes which were provided with the Vitamin D was that there was a decrease in the deposit of amyloid beta. Amyloid beta is a toxic molecule that amasses as one grows old. In human beings, the inflammation and amassing of amyloid beta can contribute to an augmented threat of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is biggest reason of blindness in persons that are above 50 years old in developed countries. Based on the results of their research, the researchers are of view that the intake of Vitamin D supplements might prove to be the simplest way to help in the prevention of AMD in persons who are exposed to it.

Professor Jeffery stated that older mice that were provided with the Vitamin D, it was seen that the amyloid beta deposited less in the mice eyes. The latter also showed a related amelioration of sight. While some persons believe that amyloid beta is associated with the Alzheimer’s disease, this new research implies that Vitamin D may have an important role in the reduction in its growth in the brain. Therefore, when the researchers witnessed this impact in the eyes, they at once started to wonder where these deposits could be reduced as well.

Thus, the group of researchers led by Professor Jeffery continued to study a number of blood vessels of those mice. They discovered that the growth of amyloid beta, in the mice blood vessels as well as aorta, were considerably less in mice which were provided with the Vitamin D supplements.

Furthermore Professor Jeffery added that this discovery, that the deposits of amyloid were less in mice which were provided with the Vitamin D supplements, implies that Vitamin D may be used in the prevention of health pathologies that are related to aging, ranging from the deterioration of vision to heart diseases.

Professor Jeffery considers that this connection between a series of age-related pathologies and Vitamin D may be associated with our progressive history. For the majority of history, our predecessors have spent their lives in Africa, possibly without any piece of clothing, and were as a result exposed to strong sunshine all throughout the year.

This constant exposure might have possibly activated the production of Vitamin D in their skin. Man has since then shifted to less sun-drenched regions of the globe and quite recently accepted clothing as part of their lifestyle. As a result they may not be so well positioned to decrease their exposure to sunlight.

Moreover, developed countries have witnessed a great increase regarding life expectancy of people during the last few centuries. As a result, there is a tendency to associate the reduction of exposure to sunlight,that is Vitamin D, with a remarkably prolonged lifespan.

Professor Jeffery further clarified that before the researchers are able to confidently say that senior people should start the intake of Vitamin D supplements, they should firstly run complete clinical trials in man. There is nonetheless growing proofs that the majority of the citizens in the West have Vitamin D deficiency and that this may have considerable health consequences.

The Chief Executive of BBSRC, Professor Douglas Kell, advanced that there are many persons in the developed countries who are currently enjoying an unparalleled extended lifespan. However, long life does not necessarily imply good health. Several times, it is noticed that many of the senior people suffer from several illnesses as many of their body parts begin to show sign of malfunctioning.

Professor Douglas Kell proceed with his statement by adding that if one day researchers wish to have some hope that they will be able to make sure that a greater number of people are able to enjoy a productive and healthy retirement, they must therefore start to learn much more regarding the changes that occur in animals as they age.

This study has shown the extent to which an in-depth study of a mere body part may lead scientist to find out new knowledge which is more generally applicable. Through the study of basic biology of a single organ, scientists and researchers may start to make connections between several illnesses with the expectation to develop more precautionary strategies.

Source: Health Canal

Anti Aging, Health And Aging, Longevity

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In accordance to scientists, there now exist a test that can genetically predict if a person will be able to reach his 100th birthday.

Researchers of Yale University and Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine, Boston Medical Center, IRCCS Multimedica found in Milan in Italy had undertaken this study. This research claims that, based on the age of the subject, it is able to forecast an outstanding lifespan with up to 80% of accuracy.

According to this research, centenarians are role models of aging healthily, for the start of disability in such persons is in most cases delayed till they have reached their mid-90s.

Due to the fact that an extraordinary prolonged lifespan can run powerfully in families as well as because several studies on animals have implied that strong genes have an impact on an extended lifespan, the scientists embark on their journey to establish which are those genetic variants that have a strong role to play in man survival after his 100 years.

The research discovered that subjects who had common profile of deviation for genetic markers seem to share comparable degrees of threat for different traits or illnesses linked with outstanding longevity.

Individuals sharing such genetic characteristics may look forward to enjoy longer lives. The research may moreover provide an explanation as to why living more than 100 years old seems to run in the blood.

The findings of this study are the amended version of the work that was initially published the previous year in Science. The first version was withdrawn voluntarily. The most recent version comprises of data from very old individuals, with a mean age of 107.

An associate professor of medicine, Thomas Perls, of the Boston University School of Medicine, portrayed the results of the study as being a constructive move towards significant predictive medicine as well as personal genomics.

He advanced that when researchers are able to so this type of analysis on a complete genome series for traits which have considerable genetic mechanisms, the predictive significance should be much more.

Dr Perls went on to say that more in-depth research regarding such genetic traits could provide a profound understanding of the biological and genetic sources of postponing or avoiding age-related illnesses and thus attaining an extended lifespan.

This novel methodology regarding genetic data is applicable to several other complicated inherited characteristics. Researchers are now hoping that other research teams to apply these approaches to their fact and figures.

Source: New Zealand Herald

Anti Aging, Gerontology, Health And Aging, Longevity

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According to a survey carried out by an Associated Press-GfK, it was revealed that 62 percent of the participants were optimistic about 2012, and 78 percent were highly optimistic of the New Year. This is in-line with how most of us experience New Year’s Eve, very few of us emphasis on resolution; the focus is rather on the positive things that will happen in the upcoming year.

Nevertheless, New Year’s resolutions are often only temporary targets that fade away as days go by. On the other hand, optimism does really work; it helps to instill healthy behaviours that last.

A large study involving more than 100,000 women, found that women who were optimistic had a 9 percent lower risk of suffering from heart disease and the risk of dying from any other cause was also 14 percent less, as per the eight year follow-up of the study. Women who nurtured hostile thoughts had a 16 percent higher risk of dying of any disease, over the period of the study.

There are other similar studies that have revealed similar results. In one research, it was found that optimists have a 55 percent lower risk of dying from any cause as well as 23 percent less risk of dying from heart diseases in comparison to pessimistic people Elderly men who were optimistic were 50 percent less prone to heart disease in comparison to pessimistic people, this was revealed in a 15 years study. There are dozens of study suggesting that being optimistic does really help you to stay healthy.

Social scientists say that being optimistic help to foster healthy behaviours, yet there are some negative aspects associated. Optimists do often think positively when associating health risk. For instance, they assume that their sexual partner doesn’t have STDs. The optimist may frequently undergo medical check-up just because of the presence of the positive attitude of believing that he/she is healthy.

In addition, optimists do commonly look forward to positive outcomes, yet they tend to forget to execute action to realize such outcomes. This is why optimists need a wellness coach to facilitate in the implementation of a strong healthy plan, to achieve these positive outcomes.

Nonetheless, behavioural changes from being optimistic to pessimistic alter in face of various actions. For instance, someone can be optimistic when learning about healthy behaviours and thereafter fell pessimistic and frustrated when really implementing these healthy bahaviours. Maintaining the state of thought isn’t always easy.

So in order to categories, someone as being ‘An Optimistic Individual’ scientists associated it to a assertive goal-directed behaviour and tenacity. An optimist will constantly try to succeed irrespective of the hurdles that may prevail.

Source: Coloradoan

Health And Aging, Lifestyle

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Human immortality is currently only a science fiction, and if you were born in the 17th century, than it would be just a fairy tale, as the average life expectancy at that time was only 35 years. Now, the average life-expectancy for a U.S citizen is 78.6 years. In two centuries, the life expectancy has increased more than 100 percent. If this happened concurrently, people would live indefinitely in the near future.

There are different groups of scientists and gerontologists who believe that there is a limit to the potential extension of human lifespan. They say that it is somewhere around 125 years. However, others see the future quite optimistic – a world where centenarians will be walking around with people who are 500 to 1,000 years old The main hinder for an indefinite human lifespan is aging diseases such as cancer, heart disease and dementia. So currently, scientists are focusing on comprehending how to stop the aging process, and how to repair the typical wear and tear occurring in our body.

Scientists have already discovered some proven methods to increase lifespan. For instance, calorie-restriction has successfully increased the lifespan of a few creatures. The calorie restricted diet, consist of lowering calorie consumption by 30 percent and thereafter increasing intake of nutrients. For humans, this diet and eating pattern seem to be very difficult to maintain. So scientists are now trying to properly comprehend the underlining reason why calorie restriction really helps to increase lifespan. Conceiving the pathways could give rise to a potential pill to mimic the effect of the calorie restricted diet.

The advent of new generation of anti-aging pills could help to reduce free radicals; molecules causing accumulative damage to the body. Amidst other potential solutions, resveratrol, which can be found in red wine, acts an ingredient to delay aging through a genetic pathway. Other scientists believe that telomerase, an enzyme which provides protective caps (telomere) to our DNA, holds the secret to human longevity.

There are also thousands of people injecting human growth hormones to try to counteract against the fatal aging process. A train people try their best to miss.

Yet, the challenge of realizing an anti-aging pill is enormous, an experiment that takes a few decades on mice and other animals take roughly 80 years on humans. So any drug to cure aging is decades away from now

Ray Kurzweil, doesn’t want to wait for a 100 years to live longer. According to his so called ‘Singularity’ theory humans and machine will merge together and become one by 2045. Blood and flesh aren’t the strongest material for longevity. If the singularity isn’t going to be realized than other futurists are suggesting the computer back0up system where our brain can be saved into a computer system.

There is a whole legacy of longevity theories and researches conducted, so that we can one day life forever. If we are unable to live until technology permits us to live forever, we can always freeze (cryonize) our body, for future use.

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Anti Aging, Immortality, Longevity

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At the same time the death rate of Americans has experienced a drop of 0.5% in one single year; from 2009 to 2010. The United States death rate has witnessed its lowest rate that it has ever known. In accordance to the recent set of information received from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, there are 746.2 deaths for every 100,000 persons, which is an extremely low figure.

America has been able to see a decline in its death rate as the nation’s principal killers, cancer and heart diseases, which accounted for 47% of the country’s mortality in the year 2010, have also experienced a decrease. Death due to heart disease decreased by 2.4%, and those linked with cancer went down by 0.6%.

The report has based itself on 98% of death certificates that have been made accessible to the NCHS. Certificates were obtained from the District of Columbia as well as from fifty other states.

Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine’s acting regional chair, Dr. David McClellan, stated that all these statistic is leading to the fact the there is an improvement in the nation’s health; people’s life expectancy has increased and this is great news. However, on the other hand, age-related illnesses are beginning to become more significant.

For example, pneumonitis, also known as aspiration pneumonia usually occurs when a person becomes so old and incapacitated that they are not able to swallow. Dr. David McClellan explained that this could be a result of dementia or even the after effects usually associated with stroke.

He furthermore stated that there is still much to be done regarding the fight against the obesity, smoking epidemic and unbalanced diet as well as insufficient exercise. He is of view that if the outbreak of smoking could at least be brought under control, America death rates would drop even more.

The hematology/oncology’s chairman of Ochsner Health System, located in Baton Rouge, Brooks, is even more optimistic; in his point of view, this is excellent new. Americans are being able to have a better grip on heart diseases and cancer by bringing a decrease in smoking.

Additionally, Brooks said that statins also have a significant role to play in the reduction of mortality toll due to heart disease, whereas cancer screening is proving to be beneficial in saving lives as well.

Minor changes in the positions of other grounds of mortality have also been observed.
Pneumonitis has replaced homicide, which was positioned in the first 15 category since the year 1965.

Influenza/ pneumonia and kidney disease exchanged places. The former is ranked 9th while the latter is in the 8th position.

A serious drop has been seen in influenza and pneumonia. Winthrop University Hospital’s, located in Mineola, New York, chairman of medicine, Dr. Michael Niederman, explained that some time back, they were ranked among the top six most important causes of death.

He views this being truly encouraging as according to him America is currently dealing with an older population which comprises of patients who suffer from pneumonia regularly. However, this confirms the national precedence on vaccination; pneumococcal as well as influenza.

Parkinson’s, hypertension, liver disease, septicemia, suicide, kidney disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, accidents, stroke and chronic lower respiratory diseases are among the other principal reasons of mortality.

According to Brooks, it is noteworthy that the majority of these illnesses are directly linked to the ageing population.

That is not all, mortality rates also went down for accidents (by 1.1%), respiratory diseases (by 1.4%), stroke (by 1.5%), septicemia (by 3.6%) and pneumonia and influenza (by 8.5 %) .

On the contrary, Parkinson’s disease has increased by 4.6%, cirrhosis and liver disease by 3.3%, pneumonitis by 4.1%, kidney disease by 1.3% and Alzheimer’s disease by 3.3%.
These diseases remain among the five top causes of death.

Between the year 2009 and the year 2010, a decline of 13.3% in the mortality rate of HIV/AIDS was seen. Even though the latter was not found among the fifteen principal killers, it was treated as being a considerable concern, in particular for persons aged between 15 and 64.

Infant death rate also witnessed a decline; it went down by 3.9% as from the year 2009.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that Lenox Hill Hospital’s, preventive cardiologist, Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, put in a word of caution against being too enthusiastic regarding the findings.

She expressed that while this remains good news, there is no reason to be overjoyed. The high rate in diabetes, obesity, cholesterol, blood pressure, is leading people to start getting sick much younger.

Source: Your Life USA Today

Read: Poor American Longevity Raises Questions

Anti Aging, Longevity

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In fact, it is possible to avoid the usual aging-related disease by simply adopting a healthy lifestyle and diet. Yet, the modern society tempts us to consume junk food and beverages, which are unhealthy. In addition, unhealthy food seems to be cheaper due to the mass production approach used, involving even GM foods. For the economy mass production of food is a good thing, but the real price is being paid by downgraded human health.

Government intervention on the subject of healthy food is highly subjective and distorted. It seems that the state is more interested in poisoning us than curing the food industry.

Facts: Government Promote Unhealthy Food

If we look at the Modern American society, we see more people becoming obese, year on year. Diseases are also distressing younger adults and even in some cases affecting children. This applies to illness such as heart disease and diabetes, not to mention cancer. This is the real case scenario despite that people have more awareness on health than ever before.

In economic terms, it makes sense to subsidize unhealthy food. It will bring profit in various ways; first food becomes cheap, secondly people start falling sick and this is followed by a win-gain position for the medical industry.

Some Examples:

In the past FDA had considered walnuts as being an effective drug, but when Diamond food, Inc provided scientific evidence of the benefits of walnuts on their webpage. The company was forced to remove the information from their webpage, and if they didn’t they would be faced with risk of being out of business. At the same time, FDA permitted Frito Lay to post claims that deep fried carbohydrate-laden chips were healthy. In other words, the stronger your lobbyist is the more likely are you to promote your products.

On Life Extension Legislation, we can find some interesting facts on the support of these FDA legislation.

But we always have choice, Dr. Michael Rose suggests that a hunter-gatherer lifestyle can actually end aging. It helps to prevent most health predicaments; cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Source: Newsletter – Maximum Life Foundation

Anti Aging, Health And Aging, Lifestyle

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Is it really possible – Dog 182 years old?

We all know that one human year is equivalent to seven dog years but is it really possible to live to 182 years. Based on reasonable evaluation of gerontology research, we could estimate the real lifespan of Pusuke to have been 100 to 110 years old

for dogs, the physiological and chronological age doesn’t follow a linear relationship. Apparently, young dogs tend to age very fast, while the rate of aging does thereafter slow down in middle age. In late life, the aging process re-accelerates, as for instant:

- A Miniature Poodle is after one calendar year equivalent to 11 dog years old
- A Miniature Poodle is 42 dogs years at middle age, while 14 human years is equivalent to 67 years
- For Great Danes – with shorter lifespan – after one calendar year the dog is 27 years
- Great Danes at 7 years is equivalent to 59 dog years and at 14 years, 98 dog years.

Longevity of Dogs

For mammals such as dogs, their longevity is influenced by various factors such as body weight and breed. Small dogs tend to outlive bigger dogs. This shows that there is an inverse relation between longevity and body weight. This is something that applies uniquely for dogs, as for other mammals the contrary applies.

Researchers Forgot the Cat!

There is less research available on cat age in association to human age. But a Siamese cat is believed to have lived up to 23 years.

Related Articles:

1. Your Dog’s Lifespan Is Determined by Its Personality
2. What Can Human Beings Learn From Dogs Regarding Longevity?

Source: WEB MD

Bioscience, Gerontology

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Recently, a group of research from University of Pittsburgh confirmed that they had found the secret behind a rodent’s fountain of youth.

In the University, there is a colony of progeria mice; mice which have been infected with a rare disease, inducing them to die from old age after 21 days. Yet, when the researcher group took these progeria mice, which were just about to die and injected them with stem cells taken from younger and healthier cousins the dying mice recovered and stayed alive for an addition 2 to 4 weeks.

Dr. Laura Niedernhofer, lead research said that the size and lifespan of these progeria mice could be triple through this method.

It is more than a century that researchers have been using mice for medical experiments. The mice used nowadays are tweaked and engineered, sharing blood, livers as well as brain tissues of other groups of species. The Pittsburgh progeria mice are, however, quite different from human and will probably not provide an immediate answer on how to increase human longevity.

Even so, engineered or so called re-made rodents are increasingly becoming alike to human; the disparity between man and mouse are slowly vanishing. Not only are the differences fading but researchers do nowadays even have a deeper knowledge of rodents than human and any other creature found on earth. For research, rodents are indispensable.

Some History: Mice & Laboratory Research

Ostensibly, the first vaccination against cancer was done on a mouse. In addition, mice do already have treatments for baldness as well as capsules to save them from Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, mouse is the only animal to have been involved in hoverboard-style levitation as well, they have had their brain simulated in a computer. They were even the first non-human mammal to have had their whole genome mapped.

Everything began in 1902, when a scientist named William Castle, brought pet mice to the Harvard Genetics Laboratory, and now rodents have been the back-bone of almost all the key drug treatments as well as medical procedures used in modern medical care. According to Dr. Janet Rossant, who is the senior scientist as well as chief research at Tornoto’s SickKids Research Institute, almost all the major drugs marketed today have been the result of mouse models in developing drugs.

Statistics are surprising; in 2010, a total of 1,132,706 mice had been killed in Canadian laboratories. In any year, mice make up to 50 percent of the animals used in laboratories, and the second most commonly used animal is rats.

There are strong similarities between humans and mice. They both have immune system, circulatory systems and skeletons. In addition, mice and human can suffer from similar health predicaments such as diabetes, cancer, heart diseases, and with some minor genetic modification, mice suffer even from Alzheimer’s disease and cystic fibrosis. In laboratory terms, using mice makes sense; they are cheap, have a lifespan of 12 weeks and are easy to maintain. In other words, in the term of a single semester, several studies can be completed.

According to Dr. Michele Martin, who is a veterinary director at the University of Victoria, apparently ‘almost any disease’ you can find you will come to know that there is ‘a mouse model’ that has been used to ‘describe it’.

In 1929, the Lab Mouse Pioneer C.C. Little, Jackson Laboratory was founded, which is today’s leading supplier of so called genetically modified mice. There are more than 5,000 different strains of mice in the laboratory. The cost for a classic ‘dilute brown’ mouse, which is the oldest in the catalogue is roughly $30 a piece. It was first developed in 1909.

In the beginning mice were changed in the same way as dog breeders had changed wolves into Chihuahuas; selective inbreeding. However, in the 1980s, genetic engineering was available and since then it has been much easier to tweak and create customized mice.

In 2002, the first non-human animal, the rodent had its whole genome mapped. The mice had 99% of its gene shared with humans. This gave rise to a whole new agenda of scientific research.

In modern research, mice are no longer kept in wire-bottom cages; they are placed in large collective cages. This makes the mice happier and for research, it is better to have normal animals involved in research for more accurate results.

From 2000 to 2009, the number of mice euthanized in Canadian Laboratory experiments amounted to 10 million, which are equivalent to 3,000 mice per day.

Universities in China, Korea and Japan have an annual memorial day every year to serve homage to all animals that have been killed in research as well as experiments. The ceremony is a way for research communities to show their indebtedness to laboratory animals; as today almost every pill bottle sold in pharmacy across the globe are the result of thousands of mice.

In 1929, penicillin was first discovered, but it was only in 1940 that Oxford University could understand how penicillin worked, and it was thanks to research conducted on mice. Similarly, meningitis as well as polio vaccines are mainly a result of the lab mice.

According to Dr. Rossant, mice are ‘very, very powerful systems’ to comprehend the distinct pathways of severe diseases. Yet, lab mice are not perfect. There is a dozen of cures available for cancer which works on mice but not yet on humans. In addition, Thalidomide is a drug that caused defects to almost 10,000 children, noting that it had no negative effects on mice.

The degenerative disease, ALS, which Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist suffers from have various rodent-based therapies – yet – the 70 years-scientist will probably not live long enough to see the therapy available for humans.

In the 100 years that mice have been used for research, the aim has always been to change the rodent into a so called tiny human being. Nowadays, rodents have human blood, humne immune system, human organs, and they even have the bad human traits such as violence, alcoholism, drug addiction as well as gluttony.

In December 2011, the U.S Based national Institute of Health, reduced funding for additional research on chimpanzees as a progressive step to prevent research on chimpanzee. Chimps have been considered to human to have laboratory experiments justified. Several countries around the world have mirrored the widespread discontent of chimpanzee research through the so called ‘save Gabon’

Yet, mice are increasingly becoming like human, as the engineered mice aren’t really as the traditional mice.

Source: national Post

Anti Aging, Bioscience, Stem cells

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Telomeres gives DNA sequences present at the end of chromosomes a protection to sustain cell viability, and also to avoid different chromosomes to mess-up. Several studies have been carried out to comprehend the relation between typical aging and telomere decline. However, no clear evidence has been revealed on humans.

Longevity studies relying on telomere length has commonly been scrutinized only against one to two hallmarks being the lifespan itself of an individual. From University of Glasgow, in UK, ecologist Pat Monaghan and his team found that continuous evaluation of telomere length of zebra Finch’s lifespan clearly showed that the length of telomere were a strong indicator of the lifespan of the bird. The most accurate measures were revealed as per those taken on birds being only 25 days old. The study was recently published in: Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences.

At the Spanish, national Cancer Research Centre in Madrid, María Blasco says that understanding the importance of telomere length as an indicator of longevity is very important. Basco wasn’t involved in the study but as a Chief Scientific Adviser for a Madrid-based company, life length which advertises for their products; measuring telomere lengths as to find an individual’s ‘biological age’

According to Monaghan, the study doesn’t say that you should go and have your telomeres measured. It will take quite some time makes sure that it has the same effect on long-lived species such as humans.

Early Studies, have constantly linked telomere shortening to accelerated ageing as well as diseases such as Dyskeratosis Congenita. However, researchers have been unable to fully link how telomere length affects normal aging. According to Monaghan, previous studies had the weakness that samples were mainly taken from only one individual rather than periodical samples.

Monaghan selected the Zebra finch which is a small Australian bird with a lifespan in captivity of nine years. The relatively short lifespan of the bird made it possible to have astounding results within a single decade. As for human, a similar study would take decades to complete. Although that mouse has an even shorter lifespan, they aren’t really comparable to humans as species with shorter lifespan doesn’t have sophisticated body maintenance mechanisms.

In the study of the Australian birds, a total of 99 zebra finches was included. The finding concluded that longer telomeres were associated with longer lifespan. Apparently, the link was the strongest for birds who were only 25 days – at 25 days a Zebra Finch is almost fully grown – but reliant on their parents for food. However, for humans, it is difficult to find the comparative age.

Monaghan’s team is now trying to determine the reason why the longest telomere at only 25 days does show a more accurate indication of longevity. Is it inheritance or environmental factors, which influence the length of the telomeres? It has been noted that stress tend to fasten the shortening of telomeres.

According to Baird, the fact that telomere length is linked to longevity doesn’t mean that telomeres are the drivers for the aging process. Telomere might simply be a marketer for cellular aging. There are other factors such as weight of the birds that need to be analyzed, to comprehend how other determinants are also influencing lifespan.

Sources: Nature, PNAS PDF and PNAS

Bioscience, Gerontology, Longevity

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Super-centenarians’ (people living to 110 or beyond) are uncommon in the general population. In developed countries only one person out of every 5 million is predisposed to live to 110 years or beyond. An American research team has found evidence showing that genetics seems to be one of the main reasons for extreme longevity.

The current study was categorized as ‘a first-of-a-kind’ where the complete genome sequence of a woman and man aged past 114 years was studied. It was found that they had an equal amount of disease-related genes as the general public.

It was found that the man had 37 genetic mutations, which were related to colon cancer. According to Dr. Thomas Perls, who is the Director of the New England Centenarian Study, mentioned that the man had in his earlier life experienced obstructing colon cancer which hadn’t metastasized when it was treated with surgery. At Boston University Medical Center, Perls said that the man was in good physical and mental condition until his death.

In addition, the woman did also have a high volume of genetic variations, which were directly associated to age-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease and Alzhemier’s disease. But, it was only in her late life; around 108, that she started to develop mild cognitive impairment and congestive heart failure.

Other research teams have found similar finding; suggesting that centenarians have an equal amount of disease-related genes as the overall population. According to Perls, centenarians seem to have longevity-associated genes, which eradicate the negative effect of the disease genes. These longevity variants do either delay disease or in some cases prevent the diseases from even occurring. In most cases, the diseases tend to be delayed, and this enables these people to live almost to the human lifespan limit.

On the 3rd of January 2012, the study was published in the Journal Frontiers in Genetics. The information is also available at U.S National Institute of Health.

Sources: Family Doctor and USA Today

Anti Aging, Gerontology

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