Aging Well
January 2017
in “
Chemistry & Industry
”
TLDR Eating fewer calories may slow aging and removing old cells can increase lifespan in mice.
In 2017, researchers investigated various mechanisms of aging and potential treatments to improve health span. They discovered that stem cells in mice alter their circadian functions to better handle stress as they age, with these changes being tissue-specific, indicating that anti-aging strategies might need to be customized for different tissues. A low-calorie diet was found to preserve youthful circadian functions in stem cells, potentially explaining the diet's ability to slow aging. Additionally, the removal of senescent cells in mice was associated with a 35% increase in lifespan. These findings suggest that targeted therapies could be developed to slow aging and prevent age-related diseases, although the effects of calorie restriction have not been fully confirmed in humans.