Could pausing development slow ageing?
A new study says yes.
DoNotAge is planning multiple clinical trials in conjunction with Professor Eamonn Mallon,
Professor of Evolutionary Biology at University of Leicester. More details to follow.
It also just so happens that Professor Mallon and his team at the lab published a paper this week showing epigenetic ageing can be slowed dramatically.
The answer was simple; hit pause on early life development.
Researchers at the University of Leicester used the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis, a small insect with a functional DNA methylation system and a short lifespan, to test this idea.
They induced diapause (a kind of natural developmental pause) in young wasps.
The results were astonishing:
Lifespan increased by 36%
Epigenetic ageing slowed by 29%
As the wasps got chronologically older, they did not age at the same speed.
Their ageing slowed significantly.
The key ageing pathways that were involved were mTOR, insulin/IGF,
and FoxO (key pathways that regulate growth, metabolism, and lifespan).
This is the first direct demonstration that an insect epigenetic clock is plastic
and environmentally programmable, just like in humans.
"This opens the door to new models that help us understand,
and eventually control, biological ageing." - Professor Eamonn Mallon
We’re excited by this evidence supporting a core belief: ageing is malleable.
The earlier in life we intervene, the greater the potential impact.
Our future studies together with Professor Mallon and the team at University of Leicester
will explore further exactly how natural supplements slow the ageing process.
You can read the full study by clicking here
As always, the biggest thank you is to you.
Without you, we could not continue to fund research just like this,
and ultimately ageing would not get solved.
Thank you!