Posts Tagged ‘aging’

In 2003 researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York isolated a gene, called CETP, which is associated with longevity in a population of Ashkenazi Jews. Now, the same researchers have found the gene in an elderly group of racially and ethnically diverse Bronx residents who have been followed for 25 years as a part of the current study on aging. Participants who carried two copies of the favorable CETP gene variant had a 70% reduction in their risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease, compared with participants who carried no copies of this gene. It’s believed that 1 in 5 people carry the CETP gene, but only those who have two copies of it (one from each parent) will inherit its benefits, including an increased likelihood of living to 100 years old. How will this affect us? Scientists are already working on a drug to mimic the effect of the gene. [via Science Daily]

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You’ll likely be hearing (if not already) juice makers and berry growers tout the benefits of blueberry juice on memory. For the first time researchers have shown that a few daily glasses of blueberry juice can boost memory in older adults with early signs of memory loss. Blueberries, like tomatoes, grapes and tea, contain polyphenols which are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, it’s theorized that these substances can combat oxidative stresses that can lead to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. The recent study is published in the current issue of the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. However, it must be noted that the researchers only studied a total of 18 patients – 9 were given blueberry juice and 9 given placebo – making this an extremely small study which may not necessarily extrapolate to an entire population of people. Therefore, the jury is still out on this one. Although drinking blueberry juice will likely not worsen your memory, there are other means that have been shown to slow memory loss, including keeping mentally active, exercise, cultivating a strong social network, stopping smoking, and getting plenty of sleep. [via Medical News Today]

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Telomeres have been a focus of anti-aging research for quite sometime. Unfortunately, no breakthroughs have yet revealed any glimmer of the fountain of youth. Telomeres are pieces of DNA that cap the ends of our chromosomes. Each time a cell divides (which is required for us to stay alive) telomeres get shorter and shorter until they reach a point where division is halted, thus putting bodily cells into a state where they can no longer renew themselves – thus is part of the aging process. However, new research focusing on Ashkenazi Jews has found that those who lived the longest had inherited a hyperactive version of an enzyme called telomerase that is able to rebuild telomeres. “In effect, centenarians tend to have a top-notch body mechanic at work 24/7 repairing the hardware that runs the body, versus a normal person whose body’s cellular control center is left to wear out with time.” Will this startling research lead to future advances in the pursuit of longevity? Only time will tell. [via Yahoo! News]

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An article published in the British medical journal Lancet says that that the process of aging may be “modifiable.” Meaning that advances in science and medicine are allowing us to slow down the rates of aging. Researchers say that most children born in wealthy nations this century will likely live to become centenarians – not surprising given that life expectancy has been increasing rapidly in countries such as Japan, which has the world’s longest life expectancy, where more than half of the country’s 80 year-old women are expected to live to 90. The greying population will soon transform the face society, and retirement ages will likely be pushed back, said Richard Suzman, an expert on aging at the U.S. National Institute on Aging. “We are within five to 10 years of a watershed event where there will be more people on earth over 65 than there under five,” he said. “Those extra years need to be financed somehow and we need to start thinking about it now.” [via CBS News]

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You think by now scientist would have figured out why our hair goes gray as we age. However, only recently do we know that it’s not necessarily from attainment of wisdom. A team of European scientists just discovered that going gray is caused by a build up of hydrogen peroxide, which our hair follicles normally produce in small amounts. But as we age, wear and tear of our hair follicles renders them unable to properly process the hydrogen peroxide. The peroxide then winds up blocking the normal synthesis of melanin, the substance that gives hair its natural pigment.

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