Pauls Springer Blog
The Daily Express leads with: “NEW PILL CAN ADD 20 YEARS TO LIFE” – Scientists find elixir of youth.
Sounds to good to be true – and it is – but the truth actually seems quite promising.
Reports on the wonder-drug in question, rapamycin, also appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times on the same day, reflecting findings published in “Nature”. Behind the headlines in the papers, the story was that rapamycin – originally found in soil bacteria from Easter Island -increased longevity in mice. Will it let people add 20 years? We shall see, but certainly the excitement seems based on a real possibility for once. On the upside we have a drug which already helps with organ transplants and diseases in people (not just mice). It’s currently in use. On the down-side it will take quite some time to find out if and how it can be a “longevity pill”, and anyone taking it now as a DIY remedy for ageing is far more likely to wreck their health and promote it. Kids: don’t try this at home. Deadly side effects including suppressing the immune system. Nevertheless, this is exciting news and the Express (except for its “sell newspapers” headline), got it pretty right. Google “rapamycin” to learn more about this remarkable substance.
Your rapamycin search will also lead you to calorie restriction, which is likewise showing evidence of extending lifespan. Reduce calorie intake and live longer. Evidence is mounting up. The Wall Street Journal health blog quotes “Any degree of restriction beyond what you're currently eating will confer health benefits and will slow the ageing process” and also talks about the extremes where “people restrict their eating to a level not much above starvation levels in the hope of living longer”. Don’t know if they’ll live longer, but we’re sure it will seem longer. A few years less and a lot more fun sounds good to us.
Paul S. – 9 July 09
