http://health.msn.com/womenshealth/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100162017
"Aging and our new prospects for longevity.
By Rich Maloof for MSN Health & Fitness
Had you been born in the year 1850, no one would have expected you to live much past the age of 38. The life expectancy of a newborn in 1925 was still only 57 years. Today, our young ones may live well past the projected average age of 78.
Those are some terrific leaps in life expectancy, and the extra years represent the ultimate gift of modern medicine. Researchers are now on the cusp of therapies to extend our lives ever longer.
...
Greetings, SIR2
One researcher on the path is Dr. Lenny Guarente, professor of biology at MIT and author of Ageless Quest: One Scientist’s Search for Genes That Prolong Youth. Building on earlier yeast studies, Guarente and fellow researchers found eight years ago that a gene called SIR2 could extend life span in roundworms.
He explains in simple terms, “If, by genetics, you move an extra copy of the SIR2 gene into a host—whether it’s a roundworm, yeast or a fruit fly—the host lives longer. Conversely, if you knock the gene out, they live shorter.”
Mammals have seven SIR2-like genes now known as sirtuins, and Guarente believes this gene pathway may provide the key to governing longevity in mammals. “The one sirtuin everyone is interested in now, the top dog, is SIRT1,” Guarente says. “It’s hard to believe that one gene could be so dominant in something like aging, but SIRT1 is shown to do so many important things in cells. It’s just counterintuitive that something would have broad benefit against several diseases.” But SIRT1 and its sirtuin brethren appear to pack a powerful punch."
So who wants to live a long life?
"Aging and our new prospects for longevity.
By Rich Maloof for MSN Health & Fitness
Had you been born in the year 1850, no one would have expected you to live much past the age of 38. The life expectancy of a newborn in 1925 was still only 57 years. Today, our young ones may live well past the projected average age of 78.
Those are some terrific leaps in life expectancy, and the extra years represent the ultimate gift of modern medicine. Researchers are now on the cusp of therapies to extend our lives ever longer.
...
Greetings, SIR2
One researcher on the path is Dr. Lenny Guarente, professor of biology at MIT and author of Ageless Quest: One Scientist’s Search for Genes That Prolong Youth. Building on earlier yeast studies, Guarente and fellow researchers found eight years ago that a gene called SIR2 could extend life span in roundworms.
He explains in simple terms, “If, by genetics, you move an extra copy of the SIR2 gene into a host—whether it’s a roundworm, yeast or a fruit fly—the host lives longer. Conversely, if you knock the gene out, they live shorter.”
Mammals have seven SIR2-like genes now known as sirtuins, and Guarente believes this gene pathway may provide the key to governing longevity in mammals. “The one sirtuin everyone is interested in now, the top dog, is SIRT1,” Guarente says. “It’s hard to believe that one gene could be so dominant in something like aging, but SIRT1 is shown to do so many important things in cells. It’s just counterintuitive that something would have broad benefit against several diseases.” But SIRT1 and its sirtuin brethren appear to pack a powerful punch."
So who wants to live a long life?