Women already have a longer life expectancy than men. Recent research has found that inactivating a protein in mice makes all the mice healthier and the female mice live longer. Male mice, though healthier, did not live significantly longer.
The National Center for Health Statistics reports that, in 2006, women had a 5 year greater life expectancy than men. If the new research is applicable to humans this difference may get even bigger in the future.
Calorie restriction is a way of eating, that has restricted calories but is nutritionally adequate, that may extend lifespan and lower the risk of age-related diseases. Though the evidence in humans is controversial, it has been shown in species ranging from monkeys to worms that restricting calories results in healthier and longer lives.
Analysis of humans who follow calorie restriction suggests that it can have positive benefits such as lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and fasting glucose. There is a society called the Calorie Restriction Society that promotes and has information about how to follow calorie restriction.
Most of us are unable to follow the dietary guidelines for calorie restriction, since not only is it hard to eat so little, but to not be deficient in nutrients such as vitamins and minerals takes planning and work.
Research in a number of calorie restriction systems has identified a number of proteins that are involved in the calorie restriction response. The new research knocked out (inactivated) the gene for an enzyme (S6K1) that is thought to play a role in the calorie restriction response.
Comparison of mice with the knocked out gene and normal (control) mice showed significant differences including being leaner, healthier and more active.
However, there were differences between the male and female mice. Though the male mice were healthier they did not have the big increases in life expectancy that the female mice did. The average life expectancy of the normal female mice was 790 days, and for the experimental females it 950 days.
The experimental adult female mice had stronger bones, had better performance at motor tasks, better balance, better brain function and better insulin control which makes them less likely to get diabetes.
This research may open the way to development of drugs that mimic the effects of calorie restriction, without having to restrict calories. Metformin which is used for treating diabetes, is known to affect S6K1. I am sure that some companies have already started screening drugs to see if they inhibit S6K1. An drug that would make you healthier generally, lowers the risk of age-related diseases and while increasing life expectancy will be a gold mine.
photo credit: atl10trader
