Gene therapy, calorie restriction and eating plenty of liver: Here are the top 6 anti-aging science breakthroughs of 2023

The Internet is full of snake oil salesmen selling anti-aging products, but forensic scientists are also researching the mechanisms of aging, looking for ways to turn back the clock.

The New Year is our annual reminder that time keeps moving forward, no matter how much we want to slow it down—or turn back.

Taking a look to 2023, scientists are unlocking the secrets of aging, uncovering new potential treatments and giving more weight to tried-and-true healthy lifestyle habits.

In one case, experimental gene therapy makes use of natural proteins.

In practice, scientists have discovered how beneficial hydration is.

Over time, our skin loses its elasticity, and our brains slow down. Changes in gene expression can make us more susceptible to age-related diseases.

Dead cells accumulate in our bodies as our recycling mechanisms slow down. And in the end we die.

These biological signs of aging are viewed as basic facts of life. However, a growing number of scientists are questioning this idea.

Do we have to get old? Or is aging a disease that can be treated?

So, as one year ends and another begins, we're counting down the top six scientific findings in the field of anti-aging science.

While some of the treatments tested in these studies are not ready for prime time, many are low-tech and free — all about changing habits rather than purchasing expensive drugs or devices.

1. Reduce stress to lower your biological age

Relaxation may be one of the keys to a longer life, according to research published in May in the journal Cell metabolism.

Scientists have found that mice and people who endure stressful experiences such as surgery or illness show increased signs of biological aging.

However, relieving stress can reverse the changes.

Researchers from Harvard University and Duke University measured DNA methylation as a marker of biological age. DNA methylation is how our bodies turn certain genes on and off.

Over time, turning certain genes on or turning others off can increase your risk of developing some cancers or forms of dementia.

In mice and stressed people, their DNA methylation patterns changed after stress, causing their biological age to exceed their chronological age.

These changes occurred over short periods of time – days or months. However, partially or completely relieving stress reverses these changes just as quickly.

So, even if you can't have blood tests to track your biological age, relieving stress whenever possible may help you live longer.

2. Cutting calories provides the same life boost as quitting smoking

People who reduce their calorie intake by just 25 percent can slow their biological aging by 3 percent — reducing their risk of premature death as much as quitting smoking — according to a February 2017 study. Aging nature.

This research was conducted over two years, with 185 people completing DNA analysis. It was conducted by scientists at Columbia University.

As in the stress study, the researchers looked at DNA methylation.

Although there was not a significant difference between the 68 who reduced their calories by 25 percent and the 117 who did not, the scientists found that there was a statistically significant difference. rate of change In methylation.

Over the two-year period, methylation changes occurred about three percent slower in the group that ate slightly less.

In other words, these people's biological clocks were slowing down enough to make a difference over several years.

This could correspond to a 10 to 15 percent reduction in the risk of premature death, the researchers wrote. The same benefit for smokers who quit smoking.

3. Gene therapy reverses aging in mice

In a yet-to-be-published study in January, mice injected with the experimental gene therapy lived 109% longer after treatment than mice that received a placebo.

In a “breakthrough” experiment, scientists studied mice that had genetic mutations that made them age faster than usual.

When the mice were 124 weeks old (the equivalent of about 77 years in humans), they used a harmless virus to make small tweaks to their genetics, programming them to produce a set of proteins called Yamanaka factors.

These proteins have been known to play a role in maintaining cell health since the early 2000s.

Giving mice antibiotics stimulated their bodies to produce Yamanaka factors.

Mice that received the gene therapy lived another 18.5 weeks, but mice that received the placebo lived only 8.9 weeks.

The mice that received the treatment also had less weakness and had healthier hearts and livers.

This gene therapy is not yet available to people, but experts say it could be available within five years.

4. Veggies, sleep and lots of liver

A combination of diet and lifestyle changes reversed aging in a group of six healthy women, according to a March study in the journal aging.

It can be difficult to commit to drastic changes in diet and exercise, but these strategies have some important benefits over exotic medications or supplements: They are much cheaper and easily accessible to most people.

In this study, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University asked participants to stick to an eight-week plan that included plenty of fresh vegetables, seeds, and liver.

They also asked the women to exercise five times a week, get seven hours of sleep each night, and do a 10-minute breathing exercise daily.

It's no secret that a plant-based diet is good for you. The same applies to sleep, exercise and relaxation.

But the results of this study help explain why, and even suggest that sticking to a simple routine of sleep, diet and exercise can reduce your biological age.

DNA methylation measurement showed that although participants adhered to the diet only 84% of the time and the lifestyle 77% of the time, their biological ages had declined since the beginning of the study.

On average, their biological ages decreased by five years, from 56 to 52 years. The biological age of one person decreased from 57 to 46 years.

It's not clear what's the important factor here – whether it's the liver, exercise, or everything together.

But it's clear that standard health advice still stands, and the science backs it up.

5. Boost your mitochondria

Mitophagy-inducing coumarin (MIC) improved the cell's ability, or mitochondria, to dispose of and recycle waste, according to a November study in the journal. Aging nature.

This is important because one thing that happens as we age is that our cells lose their ability to clean out dead cells and other waste in our bodies.

In this study, scientists from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging treated roundworms and laboratory-grown rat cells with MIC.

It enhanced mitochondrial function and improved the removal of unwanted cells – resulting in a longer cell life.

Coumarin is found in cinnamon and tonka bean, among other natural sources. But the researchers used concentrations greater than those typically found in foods.

The study has not been conducted in humans, so more research is needed before humans try taking this substance.

But it appears to work on a protein that humans also have, suggesting the compound could one day help people.

6. Drink plenty of water

Drinking plenty of water helps slow aging and prevent chronic health conditions, according to a January study Biomedicine.

This is a bit of a freebie, but it's always good to be reminded how important it is to stay hydrated.

In a study of more than 11,000 people over the age of 30, scientists at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute found that high sodium levels are associated with a higher risk of chronic diseases like heart failure and stroke than people in the middle range.

Study participants with higher sodium levels were also more likely to die at a younger age. Previous research has shown that proper hydration can extend life by up to 15 years.

They looked at sodium because it's a marker of hydration. The more water you drink, the more electrolytes such as sodium in your body.

The researchers behind this study did not specify exactly how much water people should drink, but the standard recommendation of eight cups a day remains a solid foundation for lifelong health.

Some of these life-extension breakthroughs may not be available to the general public yet, but those like diet, hydration and exercise can make a big difference.