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If researchers could reproduce the biochemical basis for the health- and longevity-enhancing results of exercise, the resulting drug would no doubt be as popular as calorie restriction mimetics. Exercise and calorie restriction are the two gold-standard items for health: little else even comes close yet. From EurekAlert!, news of small steps on this path: researchers "identified two signaling pathways that are activated in response to exercise and converge to dramatically increase endurance. ... Previous work with genetically engineered mice [had] revealed that permanently activating a genetic switch known as PPAR delta turned mice into indefatigable marathon runners. In addition to their super-endurance, the altered mice were resistant to weight gain, even when fed a high-fat diet that caused obesity in ordinary mice. On top of their lean and mean physique, their response to insulin improved, lowering levels of circulating glucose. ... We wanted to know whether a drug specific for PPAR delta would have the same beneficial effects."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/si-eia072808.php
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

All of the rare accelerated aging conditions appear to be caused by one aspect of "normal" aging exaggerated and run wild to cause great biochemical damage. Researchers now think they understand what underlies another of these conditions: "Sufferers of the disease, called dyskeratosis congentia, tend to have problems in tissues in which cells multiply rapidly - skin, hair, nails, tongue, gut and bone marrow - and usually die between the ages of 16 and 50 from bone marrow failure, or the inability to replenish their blood cells. ... Each time a cell divides, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes shorten - and when these caps are gone, so are we. Now, by using an unconventional strategy to shorten telomeres in mice, [researchers] have not only created the first faithful mouse model for studying [dyskeratosis congentia], but they have revealed the molecular defect behind the disease. ... these results suggest that in patients suffering from dyskeratosis congenita, the enzyme telomerase can't elongate telomeres as fast as the nucleases chew them away. ... Clearly, the next step is to understand how telomeres are degraded in human cells. We need to identify the nucleases at work and find out how they are regulated."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://newswire.rockefeller.edu/?page=engine&id=791
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

Scientists here demonstrate the connection between reduced dietary protein and a better immune response, already known from the practice of calorie restriction: "Manipulation of dietary variables is one the most described events to retard the aging process and maintain immune function. The present study deals with the effect of variable dietary protein-carbohydrate ratios (without caloric restriction) on the alteration of immune response of male albino rats ... These results thus suggest that diets with variable dietary protein-carbohydrate ratios act as an exogenous modulator of immune response with age and [a low protein] diet may be beneficial to slow down/reduce the impairment of immune response in aged individuals." For comparison, you might also look at studies of methionine restriction without overall calorie restriction. Greater control of diet over the years adds up, and every extra year of health gained can make a big difference when the pace of medical development is rapid.

View the Article Under Discussion: http://pmid.us/18656703
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

Researchers continue to work on our understanding of the aging brain. From EurekAlert!: "During sleep, the hippocampus, a brain region important in learning and memory, repeatedly 'replays' brain activity from recent awake experiences. This replay process is believed to be important for memory consolidation. [Researchers] found reduced replay activity during sleep in old compared to young rats, and rats with the least replay activity performed the worst in tests of spatial memory. [The researchers] recorded hippocampal activity in 11 young and 11 old rats as they navigated several mazes for food rewards. Later, when the animals were asleep, the researchers recorded their hippocampal activity again. In the young animals, the sequence of neural activity recorded while the animals navigated the mazes was repeated when they slept. However, in most of the old animals, the sequence of neural activity recorded during sleep did not reflect the sequence of brain activity recorded in the maze. ... These findings suggest that some of the memory impairment experienced during aging could involve a reduction in the automatic process of experience replay."

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/sfn-ait072408.php
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/

So many, many people still believe that the result of longevity science will be that you are older and ever more frail for more years, with no hope of death. This is absolutely false: the goals are in fact rejuvenation of the old, repair of the biochemical damage of aging, and the extension of healthy, youthful life. But still people have the fate of Tithonus in mind, sunk into the collective consciousness through a hundred similar cautionary tales. So you'll see this sort of doleful op-ed from the Daily Mail: "To some of us, [longevity] seems a ghastly prospect. I am 62, and find life terrific. I get more work done than ever before, because my children have long ago left home and I remain fit. I take pills to keep my blood pressure down and waterworks functioning. ... It seems to some of us terrifying to imagine that we might survive to 100. Surely, the drear misery and loneliness that accompanies such age is not worth it for a birthday party, telegram from the Queen and maybe a paragraph in the local newspaper. Once mobility is gone, once the simplest actions of daily life become dependent upon others, it is hard to sustain self-respect. If science indeed continues to lengthen our lives, I believe that we shall have to be given a choice about opting out." The work of advocacy and education must continue - this is a sign that much remains to be done.

View the Article Under Discussion: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1038717/MAX-HASTINGS-Growing-old-Britain-happy-experience-The-longer-live-worse-quality-life-becomes.html
Read More Longevity Meme Commentary: http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/