ScienceDaily: Insulin Plays Central Role In Aging, Brown Scientists Discover
When the chemical messages sent by an insulin-like hormone are reduced inside the fat cells of the fruit fly, the fly's lifespan increases significantly, according to new research conducted at Brown University.
A similar phenomenon has already been observed in worms, according to Brown biology professor Marc Tatar. But never before, Tatar says, has it been seen in fruit flies whose 13,601 genes are shared in many ways by humans.
The experiment, detailed in the current issue of Nature, also sheds important light on the role insulin plays in the regulation of its own synthesis.
Block the hormone's action inside a few specific cells, the study shows, and the entire body stays healthier longer. Scientists previously thought insulin triggered other hormones to achieve this effect, but Tatar and his team found that insulin regulates its own production and that it directly regulates tissue aging. The principle: Keep insulin levels low and cells are stronger, staving off infection and age-related diseases such as cancer, dementia and stroke.
[...]
Tatar's research is part of a growing body of evidence linking low insulin levels to increased longevity. In recent years, scientists have found that mice and other animals live longer when they eat a low-calorie diet, which reduces insulin production.
"Aging regulation is a complex physiological process of nutritional inputs, metabolic regulation and hormone secretion," Tatar says. "But we still have so many unanswered questions."
This dovetails with the discovery of the "atkins hormone" in the liver, that mimics the beneficial effects of calorie restriction/starvation, when the body is on a ketogenic diet.
When the chemical messages sent by an insulin-like hormone are reduced inside the fat cells of the fruit fly, the fly's lifespan increases significantly, according to new research conducted at Brown University.
A similar phenomenon has already been observed in worms, according to Brown biology professor Marc Tatar. But never before, Tatar says, has it been seen in fruit flies whose 13,601 genes are shared in many ways by humans.
The experiment, detailed in the current issue of Nature, also sheds important light on the role insulin plays in the regulation of its own synthesis.
Block the hormone's action inside a few specific cells, the study shows, and the entire body stays healthier longer. Scientists previously thought insulin triggered other hormones to achieve this effect, but Tatar and his team found that insulin regulates its own production and that it directly regulates tissue aging. The principle: Keep insulin levels low and cells are stronger, staving off infection and age-related diseases such as cancer, dementia and stroke.
[...]
Tatar's research is part of a growing body of evidence linking low insulin levels to increased longevity. In recent years, scientists have found that mice and other animals live longer when they eat a low-calorie diet, which reduces insulin production.
"Aging regulation is a complex physiological process of nutritional inputs, metabolic regulation and hormone secretion," Tatar says. "But we still have so many unanswered questions."
This dovetails with the discovery of the "atkins hormone" in the liver, that mimics the beneficial effects of calorie restriction/starvation, when the body is on a ketogenic diet.
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