agingdef_admin

The lab mouse’s organs are failing. It lies hunched and motionless, just days from death. It has progeria, a disease of accelerated aging.

But the rodent is in for a surprise. Researchers give it an age-reversal cocktail, and before long, the mouse is active, energetic and full of life.

If you’re thinking this is too good to be true, that there must be a catch, you’re right…

A few days later the mouse is dead.

Oops!

But even in the face of this setback, scientists believe the technology that gave this mouse a new lease on life—at least temporarily— will be developed and safely applied […]

A friend tells me that every few years she meets up with 50 or so of her school friends and swaps stories. Sadly, she notes, there are fewer folks to talk with at each reunion, but there’s something else she finds intriguing about these get-togethers.

All of the attendees at these shindigs are basically the same age, but their appearance and health status are all over the board.

Sure, there are some who’ve clearly had “some work done,” yet that can’t fully explain how many of her peers seem to be aging so much faster than others.

It turns out that she’s not […]

I have quite a few relatives who made it into their late eighties or even their nineties. My brother and sister and I often say we hope we have their genes.

But recent research suggests genes may not matter all that much.

Consider British zoologist and painter Desmond Morris. Having looked at the lifespan of his recent ancestors, he became convinced he’d die at the age of 60.

Reasonably enough, he decided that life was too short to waste any time, and he became a prolific author and artist. In 1967, at the age of 39, he found fame after his book The […]

In all species, from fruit flies to mice to monkeys, a single strategy reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. It staves off age-related neurodegeneration. It consistently prolongs life.

The secret: Eat less.

By this point it’s close to being an established law of life extenstion. But why does calorie restriction work?

A new study takes us closer to understanding this process.

The Most in-Depth Cellular Aging Study Ever

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, have been exploring the molecular mechanisms behind calorie restriction for many years. They want to know why it influences cellular aging in […]

You may be one of an estimated three million Americans who suffer from a hidden health condition that can cause digestive problems, allergies and a host of autoimmune issues.

The latest research shows that this condition can not only cause illness, but also can shorten your life expectancy.

What’s worse, you might not even know you’re suffering, because this health problem can begin without a single symptom and doctors don’t routinely test for this.

The behind-the-scenes health problem shared by millions of unsuspecting Americans?

Celiac disease.

It’s the autoimmune reaction to gluten, which consists of certain proteins found in wheat, barley and rye, and in […]

For many women approaching middle age, their biggest health concern is wrinkles and weight gain. But according to the latest research, what they really should worry about is their heart health.

Researchers from Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai are pointing to first-of-its-kind research that suggests women’s blood vessels age far more quickly than men’s. As a result, they’re at greater risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.

This flies in the face of the stereotype that “men die young of heart attacks while women all live into their eighties.” It’s not so, and believing this may cost you your life. Here’s […]

Your doctor can start this medical approach early, even by the time you’ve turned 40. No, it’s not a medical treatment — it’s an attitude. An attitude among physicians that pigeonholes patients based on doctors’ expectations of what happens to the body at a certain age.

New York gerontologist Mark Lachs is disturbed by medical stereotyping, explaining that “treating patients based on their age means you can miss very significant, treatable conditions.”

Researchers point to another form of ageism operating at a doctor’s subconscious level, which some have dubbed left-digit bias. They say this ageism leads to decisions that can have life […]

As early as your thirties, you start to lose muscle mass. This condition, called sarcopenia, causes the loss of up to five percent of muscle mass every decade thereafter.

Exactly why muscle loss happens isn’t known. But the results of a breakthrough study could help you keep your muscles in good shape for a lot longer. In fact, the future of your muscle strength might hinge on triggering an enzyme called AMPK.

Your body is constantly making and breaking down mitochondria, the “power plants” of cells, to meet your cellular energy needs. This process of clearing away damaged or old mitochondria is […]