Sreemoyee Chatterjee
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Sreemoyee Chatterjee | Published : October 24, 2018 6:18 PM IST
This cocktail of drugs can increase life expectancy © Shutterstock
Here's a unique anti-ageing breakthrough. Scientists may soon be able to double human's life expectancy after extending the lifespan of worms with the help of a cocktail of drugs. Not just extension of lifespan, the breakthrough can also reduce risks of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. That's what a study published in Developmental Cell has shown. The researchers who tested it on the worms found that a combination of two pharmaceutical drugs can double the lifespan of microscopic worms known as Caenorhabditis elegans. The drugs were seen to massively reduce the rate of ageing and the new research shows that there is immense possibility that the drugs will work with the same potential on mammals.
The cocktail of drugs included rapamycin that is administered on humans after organ transplants to prevent the body from rejecting the new organ. Earlier studies have shown that this drug has the potential to increase the healthy lifespan of many organisms including this microscopic worm, fruit flies and mice, highlighted a recent media report. When provided with another pharmaceutical compound, the experts found that rapamycin not only increased the worm's lifespan but also gifted a good health without any side effects.
Dr Jan Guber, principal investigator from Yale-NUS College and lead researcher, reportedly said: ""Many countries in the world are facing problems related to ageing populations. If we can find a way to extend healthy lifespan and delay ageing in people, we can counteract the detrimental effects of an ageing population, providing countries not only medical and economic benefits, but also a better quality of life for their people. We would benefit not only from having longer lives, but also spend more of those years free from age-related diseases like arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, or Alzheimer's disease."
"These diseases currently require very expensive treatments, so the economic benefits of being healthier for longer would be enormous," he reportedly added.
