Aging Facts

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• Vitamin C can be ingested in Large amounts and does not seem to cause any detrimental affects. However, our bodies will only process it in the amounts that it needs it. Therefore taking large doses of vitamin C does not seem to offer any particularly beneficial results.

• It has been found that in Fat-specific Insulin Receptor KnockOut mice (FIRKO mice) that the average life expectancy is 18% higher than that of normal mice. These mice also have reduced fat mass and a normal calorie intake.

• A mammals ability into a water soluble form, the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene correlates with that animals maximum life span.

• In the long lived transgenic fruit fly Drosophila Melanogaster, a 50% increase in maximum life expectancy was gained by the overexpression of the enzyme which is responsible for the synthesis of glutathione.

• In the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans a mutation in the age-1 gene was found to increase the average life span by 65% and the maximum lifespan by 110%.

• The rate of DNA repair and life span is directly correlated in mammals.

• Drosophila Melanogaster fruit flies, which were bred for 15 generations only from eggs laid at the tail end of the natural reproductive cycle were able to achieve maximum life spans that were 30% higher than controls.

• In a study on the hearts and brains of 8 non-primate species of mammals, a direct correlation was found between the maximum longevity of the organism and the oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

• A study of the pigeon and several species of mammals pointed towards a linear relationship between maximum longevity and oxidative damage to protein.

• By over expressing human catalase in transgenic mice and targeting it to mitochondria, the maximum life span of subject mice has been extended by approximately 20%.

• In 7 mammalian species (mouse, hamster, rat, guinea-pig, rabbit, pig and cow) a comparison showed that the rate of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production in the mitochondria of the heart and kidney were inversely correlated with maximum longevity.

• There is a positive correlation between lower rates of free radical production and higher rates of DNA repair in maximum mammalian longevity. There is also a negative correlation between antioxidant enzyme levels and maximum mammalian life span.

• The levels of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and Mn-SOD (superoxide dismutase) have been found to be expressed more in mammalian females than in their male counterparts. This has led to the speculation that this may be the reason why female life expectancy is higher than that of males.

• In mammals it has been found that there is a direct correlation between maximum longevity and mitochondrial membrane saturation.

• The rate of telomere shortening has been shown to be inversely related in selected species of mammals and birds to maximum longevity.

• An inverse relationship has been found between the number of double bonds in liver lipids and maximum life expectancy in mammals.

• Despite both rats and pigeons having a very similar metabolic rate and cardiac output, they have very different life spans. 4 year maximum for rats and 35 year maximum for the pigeon. A comparison of the heart mitochondria in these two species showed that the pigeon mitochondria leak fewer free radicals into the cytoplasm than do the rat mitochondria.

• The animal with the longest life expectancy is the giant tortoise. It can live for up to 177 years in captivity.

• The animal with the shortest life expectancy is the Gastrotrich. This is an aquatic animal with a life expectancy of just three days. Note here that despite popular belief, the Mayfly does not live for one day. It lives in its larval (aquatic form) for quite some time before metamorphosing and emerging into the atmosphere.

• The ten most potent dietary sources of antioxidants are TOMATOES, BERRIES, SPINACH, WHOLE GRAINS, GARLIC, BROCCOLI, TEA, SOY, CARROTS and RED GRAPES. For full descriptions of each of these foodstuffs and what exactly they contain, see The Top Ten Antioxidant Foods

• The oldest human being on record was Jeanne Calment. She died in 2005 with an undisputed age of 122.

• Jeanne Calment is the only human being who is undisputed to have lived for over 120 years.

Mark S D'Arcy

Articles

  • What is Gerontology

    I think it might be worth defining on this site (just so there is no confusion) what exactly the science of Gerontology is.

    The subject known as Gerontology is the study of the process of aging throughout the lifespan of an individual. This multi-disciplinary subject analyses a variety of aspects of aging, including the physical, mental and social changes in individuals as they grow older. Professionals from a variety of diverse, but interconnected fields are known collectively as gerontologists.

    Gerontology covers such varied subjects as the effects of our aging population on society, including the financial effects of pensions, health insurance and retirement planning. How society itself views the elderly is also encompassed in this field.

    Gerontology distinguishes itself from geriatrics, the branch of medicine that studies the diseases of the old.

    12:18 10 October 2007
  • Research into Aging

    There are several other ways that are being looked into that may offer may anti-aging/life extension benefits that have not been mentioned as yet. IGF-1 has shown to be extraordinarily effective in reversing the aging process (up to 10X more effective than HGH). Resveratrol (found in red grape skins and hence red wine) has shown much promise in many studies; to the extent that several MIT researches doing one of the studies started supplimenting with it. Folate and B12 taken daily over a few months has been shown to drastically reduce the damage/mutation that can occur to DNA.

    With regard to calorie restriction Many studies suggest that it is not infact the calorie restriction as previously thought but rather maintaining low insulin levels, which happens to be a by product. So it is as much about what you eat as how much you eat. You could still each 3000 calories a day as long as they were from foods that didnt spike your insulin levels and mess with your insulin sensetivity ie not eating many simple carbohydrates etc

    There is also the energetic side of body or life force or call it what you will that when boosted has been shown to reverse chronic illness and aging with no form of supplements etc. Most of the centurian populations like the hunza etc incorporated some sort of meditation or practice that maintained their life force either knowingly or otherwise along with a good diet, exercise, sun etc and low stress.

    On a final note the human body is so remarkable and truely an amazing creation and we are still only so limited in our understanding of it and how it really works that rather than mess with it and start trying to fix or add this or that or think we can make part of it better we should instead address the cause of most of these problems. We drive ourselves and our bodies into the ground eat rubbish etc and program ourselve with mindless entertainment and wonder why we are falling apart and expect to be able to take a few pills and make it all better.

    We are creating and living in a society that is becoming void of any real sustanance whether it be nutritional, emotional or intellecutal. I am not pretending that i have all the answers but i know that if we keep heading in this direction i wouldnt want to live forever even if it were possible. What you do with your life is probably more important than how long it is. In any case given the right environment the body will flourish and the fact that it is still doing as well as it is despite what it is now subjected to is nothing more than a testement to how great it actually is.

    Rhonda Watson

    12:07 17 September 2007

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