Discovery: Protein Increases Lifespan Of Mice By 16 Percent

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Things are looking up for aging mice and, if this research pays off, for aging humans, too. Researchers have found that a long-suspected anti-aging protein called sirtuin can make male mice live about 16 percent longer than average, the first such advance for mammals in a field that has thus far only offered the blessings of extended life span to yeast, nematodes and fruit flies.

Things are looking up for aging mice and, if this research pays off, for aging humans, too. Researchers have found that a long-suspected anti-aging protein called sirtuin can make male mice live about 16 percent longer than average, the first such advance for mammals in a field that has thus far only offered the blessings of extended life span to yeast, nematodes and fruit flies.

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The findings, by scientists at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, appear this week online in the journal Nature.

Although the Israeli scientists cannot explain why female mice didn’t also live longer like the males, an accompanying commentary describes the findings as bringing the field of anti-aging research to a new level of maturity.

For further information: http://nocamels.com/2012/02/anti-aging-protein-linked-to-longevity-in-mammals/

Photo:  http://www.dfw.state.or.us/species/mammals/rats_mice.asp