Evidence Still Elusive for Fountain of Youth by Dr. David Lipschitz on Creators.com

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Evidence Still Elusive for Fountain of Youth

One day we may slow aging so much that life expectancy could increase dramatically.

Will we ever find the fountain of youth, prevent aging and prolong life? Technology and scientific breakthroughs in recent years have made this elusive goal more understandable and feasible. Knowledge of the aging process and of mechanisms leading to the common diseases that occur in late life is increasing rapidly. Some scientists believe that someday there will be a discovery offering the promise of prolonging the quality and quantity of our lives.

Recently a study published in the journal Science showed that resveratrol, an antioxidant in red wine that prolongs life in worms, flies and mice, stimulates the production of a protein called surtuin. This protein prevents disease by speeding up energy production in cells. The research showed that resveratrol stimulates a unique gene that leads to the increased production of surtuin. Dr. David Sinclair, the senior author of the study, stated that this research might result in the development of drugs that can prolong life and prevent disease by increasing the manufacture of surtuin.

Resveratrol is only one of many compounds that prolongs life in animals. A hormone precursor called DHEA prolongs life in mice by stimulating the formation of hormones that prevent aging. These include growth hormones produced in the pituitary, estrogen and progesterone in females and testosterone in males. Antioxidants (of which resveratrol is one) such as Vitamin E and C prevent aging in some animal species as have numerous compounds found in blueberries.

Of all the approaches to prolonging life, the most successful has been calorie restriction. In the nematode, flies, mice, rats and even monkeys, restricting calorie intake by 30 percent prolongs average and maximum life expectancy by as much as 30 percent. These animals remain healthy, do not suffer from many age-related illnesses and die ultimately from causes simply related to "old age" (in other words, an autopsy fails to find any significant disease).

Scientists have identified a number of so-called "longevity genes." Increase the production of these genes and these strains of species have substantially longer life expectancies.

This approach offers the potential of manipulating female eggs or sperm in a way that guarantees longer and more disease-free life.

Of course, each of these breakthroughs in prolonging life has, so far, been confirmed only in animals whose lives are remarkably different from man. They are very inbred, are identical to each other, live in sterile, highly controlled environments at a constant temperature, always eat the same food — every aspect of their existence is rigidly controlled.

Not so for man. We live in the "wild," as it were.

Our genetic profiles vary significantly, making each of us, from a research point of view, far different from each other. How we age depends on a complex interaction between the individual and his environment over time, but the best predictor of longevity is having long-lived parents. In other words, our genetic composition can predict our life expectancy and susceptibility to disease.

But this is substantially modified by our diet, the stressors in our lives and our ability to cope, smoking or exposure to environmental pollutants, our socioeconomic status, the level of public health programs and sanitation and many other inputs.

While we cannot choose our parents, we all have the capacity to live healthier lives. Eat right, exercise and learn how to cope with stress and a longer and better life will be assured. But these benefits are small compared to the dramatic prolongation of life seen in calorically restricted mice. While some studies have shown that restricting food intake and exercise leads to positive changes in a series of blood tests that are associated with a longer and healthier life, no strategy in man currently offers the prediction of living to 120 years or more.

The more we learn about the aging process and the better we understand the mechanisms leading to the common diseases afflicting us, the more the promise of a fountain of youth becomes a practical reality. We may well find a magic pill that offers the hope of greater longevity and — who knows — even immortality. Life teaches us that nothing is ever impossible.

Dr. David Lipschitz is the author of the book "Breaking the Rules of Aging." To find out more about Dr. David Lipschitz and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. More information is available at: www.drdavidhealth.com