Life Extension

One might suppose that scientists everywhere are working on a cure for aging and death.  Apparently not.  

A couple of days ago I somehow happened upon a video on Youtube about longevity.  I had heard a little about recent breakthroughs along this line.  Breakthroughs?  One study with surprising results:  https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/nov/28/scientists-reverse-ageing-mice-humans


Mice given the enzyme telomerase not only lived longer but became younger.  Aging was not only slowed, but reversed. Older mice with a variety of conditions recovered and grew nice lush coats in addition to being able to reproduce.  Yes, very interesting. 

What's telomerase?  Telomerase is the enzyme involved in lengthening telomeres, which keep chromosomes working properly.   

Is the internet buzzing with the news?  Not so much.  Is that the whole story?  Does this mean that the tragic disease progeria can be cured?  No, this was the first thinking.  As it happens, progeria is caused by a genetic defect causing a certain protein to accumulate in the body and become toxic.  In fact, this happens with all of us, but much more so in those with progeria.  

I tried to watch and read more about the longevity subject and found what amounted to ads for TA-65, which is a nutritional supplement to enhance the lengthening of telomeres, and a couple of other similar products with even less clinical evidence of enhancing telomeres than TA-65 has.   Oh, and a weight loss brand, Isagenix, with shakes that have supplements.  Both of these products are pricey, about $400 to $600 a month.  

I saw a documentary on telomeres.  It made the point, in a labored way, of the fact that chromosomes are capped with telomeres, and that as the chromosomes replicate the telomeres shorten and eventually wear out altogether, causing cell death.  

And?  And nothing.  A factoid.  The example of the telomere being similar to the plastic cap on a shoelace was used endlessly, as if anyone watching this had no brain at all to absorb scientific information.  

So, I went on an endless boggle of documentaries explaining the need for plastic caps on shoelaces, and what becomes of shoelaces that don't have them anymore, and all sorts of videos of shoes being laced with defective shoelaces.   One researcher even explained that telomeres are plastic caps on chromosomes.  

After a while I understood that it's not that they think I'm stupid.  It's that that's all they know.  

Over and over when I've gotten wind of some "breakthrough," the researcher will explain that they're not looking for something that is missing in the diet, or an herb we can take,  they're looking for a way to make whatever it is into a drug that a pharmaceutical company can sell.  

My, there is a dearth of researchers in this field.  There seemed to be around five researchers in the world, showing up over and over in every documentary, that was either about the mouse experiment or the shoelaces.   Plus, any news was several years old.  Each time the news includes the caveat that cancer cells need telomerase to reproduce and that surely we would all die of cancer if we had more telomerase, even though none of the mice studied developed cancer.  

What is the supplement that encourages the production of telomeres?  Astragalus root.  Why not just take that?  Oh no, no, no!  Because they isolate the compound it contains in a lab in a special way.  Hmmph.