| Briefly . . . |
Secrets of long life
CMAJ 2000;162:557
Researchers have extended the lifespan of mice by one-third, simply by removing a protein that usually reacts to oxidative damage (Nature 1999;402:309-13). The research provides clues to the aging process and hints at the possibility of greater longevity in mammals. Oxidation is known to contribute to aging and disease, and anti-oxidants such as vitamins C and E are touted as a way to stay healthier and live longer. Researchers have now found that a protein (p66shc) undergoes changes when faced with oxidative damage caused by ultraviolet light or hydrogen peroxide, for example. Mice genetically altered to lack the gene that creates the p66shc protein resist oxidative agents better and live much longer than regular mice, with no negative side effects yet identified. Hence, oxidation appears to play a key role in aging, and reaction to oxidative damage seems to be part of the mammalian make-up. But researchers are understandably reluctant to predict that this discovery will allow us to slow the aging process in humans.
 |
Send a letter to the editor Envoyez une lettre à la rédaction |
© 2000 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
