The dream of eternal youth is old: Whether blood or other essences, nothing is left unturned to stop aging. In fact, there are now means that significantly slow down the life clock.
About a third of the aging process is determined by genes. Everyone has the rest in their own hands. But are hyaluronic acid, young blood or special active ingredients real youth elixirs? How can aging be manipulated?

Hyaluron as fountain of youth?
Scientists around the world are tracking down the mechanisms of aging. They are targeting an animal that does not win a beauty award, but is, by comparison, ancient: the naked mole rat. The rodent lives up to 30 years. A Methuselah age for such a small creature. Rodents of similar size only live a few years. So what does the naked mole rat have that others don't? Researchers are convinced that a special substance is responsible for the longevity of the animals: hyaluron. An active ingredient that is used in anti-aging creams and beauty salons for the skin. Naked moles have a lot of it in the body. Hyaluron ensures that your skin always remains supple. And apparently also to ensure that the animals do not get sick. A real wonder substance. But does it also work for people?
Wonderful: Chocolate keeps you young!

Sport keeps you young and fit - they say. Researchers conducted a study on this. She was particularly interested in the so-called telomeres, the ends of the chromosomes. With each cell division these ends shorten. From a critical length, the cells can no longer divide and die. Telomeres are therefore considered markers of our biological age.
For the study, 250 elderly people did 30 minutes of exercise a day for six months. The subjects' telomeres lengthened by up to 20 percent within six months. The active seniors had turned their biological age back by 15 years. But movement doesn't seem to be everything.
In a study, scientists took a close look at chocolate: certain ingredients, cocoa flavanols. Dark chocolate has a high percentage of it. The conclusion will delight "sweet mouths": dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 70 percent and above keeps the brain fit. Combined with a daily sports program, this leads to a measurable “rejuvenation effect”.

Meat turns on the life clock?

Scientists also keep an eye on the microorganisms in the intestine. Up to 100 trillion bacteria ensure that the intestinal ecosystem remains in balance. But with increasing age the number of "good" bacteria decreases. The intestinal mucosa is no longer well protected and becomes more permeable. Harmful germs are on the advance, promote inflammation and thus weaken the body. Nutritionists know that high-fiber food counteracts inflammation. It supports the multiplication of useful bacteria and helps to restore balance - the intestine remains "young". It is not only what we eat that is decisive, but also how much or rather how little. Experiments with mice show that abstinence is apparently another anti-aging factor. Animals that received 40 percent less food became older and less likely to get sick. Because: With food deprivation, the cells start a kind of self-cleaning. In order to still gain enough energy, they begin to digest “waste” from their metabolism. This recycling process is called autophagy: the cells detoxify and thus protect themselves from cell death for longer. But studies also show that there is no need to starve. Meat, for example, turns the life clock faster than vegetables.

Rapamycin against aging

Rapamycin was discovered in the Easter Islands almost five decades ago, a substance that is effective against fungi. The drug is now also used by us, for example in organ transplants. It suppresses the body's defense system so that a new organ is not rejected. Researchers believe that rapamycin can not only suppress the immune system, but also aging.

Is there a youth elixir?

In a controversial animal experiment, researchers from Stanford University cut open an old and a young mouse on the fuselage and sewed them together. The animals now shared a blood circulation for several weeks and exchanged their blood. Then the animals were separated again. Performance tests showed that the old mouse with the young blood was actually fitter afterwards. Their skills were similar to those of young mice. The researchers suspect that proteins in the blood plasma trigger the rejuvenation effect. They found that identified the proteins that play a role in aging. They hope to find an effective remedy for Alzheimer's with the proteins from young blood plasma. But using blood as a youth elixir - scientists warn against this.







choroba mitochondrialna, transport białek, mitochondria, starzenie się, choroby neurodegeneracyjne

Naukowcy znaleźli sposób na odwrócenie efektów starzenia. 2023.