Soon enough, along with the anti-aging creams and multi-vitamins, our local pharmacies will be stocking pills that will let us live a few more decades. It’s a bit of a long stretch, but with the ongoing research regarding genetics and old age, the idea is somewhere within reach.
In 2001, researchers identified a segment of human DNA that explained why it was that some people live a century. The experiments used to lead to the discovery involved the study of families in which more than one sibling lived to 90 or older. In search for a hereditary gene in the siblings which let them live a longer life, yielded the discovery of a pinpointed region of chromosome 4 containing one or more genes which deemed responsible for their extended lives.
So perhaps longevity isn’t totally dependent on how nicely we treat our bodies. The key to a long life may only be in these genes which give aging individuals not immunity, but better resistance against disease such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease. Doesn’t seem hardly fair does it?
Well, in recent studies this month, researchers have identified the specific gene variants responsible for a human’s capability to live longer. This time though, the men miss out, as the only carriers so far have been identified as women. The two gene mutations responsible affect the receptor for insulin-like growth factor 1- which controls the growth and maturity of a human body. As a result of the mutations affecting the receptors, the insulin-like growth factors are also affected and the process of maturation and ageing are lagged.
This advancement of research on the topic has opened up yet another door to the understanding of old age. Not quite the philosopher’s stone material just yet, but we’re getting closer there!
In 2001, researchers identified a segment of human DNA that explained why it was that some people live a century. The experiments used to lead to the discovery involved the study of families in which more than one sibling lived to 90 or older. In search for a hereditary gene in the siblings which let them live a longer life, yielded the discovery of a pinpointed region of chromosome 4 containing one or more genes which deemed responsible for their extended lives.
So perhaps longevity isn’t totally dependent on how nicely we treat our bodies. The key to a long life may only be in these genes which give aging individuals not immunity, but better resistance against disease such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease. Doesn’t seem hardly fair does it?
Well, in recent studies this month, researchers have identified the specific gene variants responsible for a human’s capability to live longer. This time though, the men miss out, as the only carriers so far have been identified as women. The two gene mutations responsible affect the receptor for insulin-like growth factor 1- which controls the growth and maturity of a human body. As a result of the mutations affecting the receptors, the insulin-like growth factors are also affected and the process of maturation and ageing are lagged.
This advancement of research on the topic has opened up yet another door to the understanding of old age. Not quite the philosopher’s stone material just yet, but we’re getting closer there!
Sau-hin Ng
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