Pol III Inhibition Modestly Extends Life in Flies and Worms

As a general rule, a 10% extension of life in short-lived species is nothing of any great significance. There are an increasing number of methods shown to do this, such as the one noted here. Researchers have more than doubled the life span in flies and worms in a few different ways over the past twenty years, however, and where the effects of any given intervention can be compared with the results in humans, it has been found that short-lived species have a much greater plasticity of life span. The large gains of calorie restriction and growth hormone receptor loss of function observed in lower species don't occur in our own species. This should be broadly true for just about everything that involves manipulating the operation of metabolism to slow down the pace at which damage occurs, as near all of that arises from mechanisms related to calorie restriction and insulin or growth hormone metabolism. One should probably view this sort of work through the lens of scientific interest in mapping and cataloging the way in which aging works at the detail level - why the pace of aging varies somewhat between individuals, which mechanisms are most important, and so forth. Acquisition of knowledge is everything, and application of knowledge to the production of methods of slowing aging in humans is an afterthought. If that was the primary goal, researchers would instead pursue strategies with a much greater expectation of gains in longevity, the potential rejuvenation therapie...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs