lifespan tagged posts

Several different causes of ageing have been discovered, but the question remains whether there are common underlying mechanisms that determine ageing and lifespan. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing and the CECAD Cluster of Excellence in Ageing research at the University Cologne have now come across folate metabolism in their search for such basic mechanisms. Its regulation underlies many known ageing signalling pathways and leads to longevity. This may provide a new possibility to broadly improve human health during ageing.

In recent decades, several cellular signalling pathways have been discovered that regulate the lifespan of an organism and are thus of enormous importance for a...

University of Michigan researchers have discovered that oxidative stress experienced early in life increases subsequent stress resistance later in life. Oxidative stress happens when cells produce more oxidants and free radicals than they can deal with. It’s part of the aging process, but can also arise from stressful conditions such as exercise and calorie restriction.

Examining a type of roundworm called C. elegans, U-M scientists Ursula Jakob and Daphne Bazopoulou found that worms that produced more oxidants during development lived longer than worms that produced fewer oxidants. Their results are published in the journal Nature.

Researchers h...

Three generations. Women whose mothers lived into their ninth decade enjoyed 25 percent increased likelihood of also doing so without suffering from serious or chronic illness, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, hip fractures or other debilitating disabilities. Credit: © highwaystarz / Fotolia

Results show a 25% increased likelihood of living longer and healthier if mom lived to age 90 and a 38% increase if both parents did. The study, published in Age and Ageing, found women whose mothers lived into their ninth decade enjoyed 25% increased likelihood of also doing so without suffering from serious or chronic illness, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, hip fractures or other debilitating disabilities.

“Achieving healthy aging has become a critical public he...

Image: Old C. elegans expressing a specific alternative splicing event tagged by either green or red fluorescent protein, well-fed (left) or on dietary restriction (right). Worms on dietary restriction maintain a youthful splicing pattern (as seen in young worms) compared to the well-fed worm population at the same age. Credit: Image courtesy of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

For the 1st time, a causal link between RNA splicing and aging has been revealed. The finding sheds light on the biological role of splicing in lifespan and suggests that manipulating specific splicing factors in humans might help promote healthy aging...