Thoughts on Mechanisms Linking Body Temperature and Aging

A fair number of papers have been published on various aspects of the link between body temperature and pace of aging. Calorie restriction in mammals both slows aging and lowers body temperature, for example. Mice with lower body temperatures due to altered temperature regulation mechanisms in the hypothalamus live a little longer. Body temperature tends to fall with advancing age in mammals, and some unusually long-lived mammals stand out for having particularly low body temperatures. When it comes to looking at the mechanisms involved in these relationships, the cellular biochemistry is very complex, and most of the relevant research has been carried out in flies and nematode worms rather than in mammals - though noted here, researchers are working their way up to the identification of interesting mechanisms in mice.

In 1916, researchers demonstrated that lower temperatures could dramatically extend the lifespan of the fruit fly, Drosophila. Other poikilothermic animals, whose internal temperature varies considerably, including C. elegans, also present increased lifespan upon modest temperature reduction. Additionally, lowering the core body temperature of homeothermic animals, such as mice, also increases lifespan, highlighting a general role of temperature reduction in lifespan extension in both poikilotherms and homeotherms. Reduction in core body temperature has been proposed to mediate the longevity benefits of dietary restriction. Conversely, raising the cult...

Source: Fight Aging! - January 31, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs