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UCLA Biologists Delay the Aging Process In Fruit Flies
An anonymous reader writes:Life scientists at UCLA have located a gene in fruit flies which, when intentionally activated, increases lifespan by about 30%. The gene (called AMPK) is normal important as an energy sensor, usually triggered by cells with low energy levels. By triggering it at other times, the researchers slowed the fruit flies' aging process (PDF), even beyond the organ system in which the triggering occurred. "Walker said that the findings are important because extending the healthy life of humans would presumably require protecting many of the body's organ systems from the ravages of aging — but delivering anti-aging treatments to the brain or other key organs could prove technically difficult. The study suggests that activating AMPK in a more accessible organ such as the intestine, for example, could ultimately slow the aging process throughout the entire body, including the brain."
More old geezers like me hanging on for another 20 years, waiting to die, who can't pee, filling up the pockets of corporations that own nursing homes, as I endure a miserable existence, forgetting who I am and why I'm wandering around in my pajamas with no money.
Slowing the aging process doesn't add 20 years of the worst health at the end of the life but would extend each portion of the process.
IE, if the aging process was truly slowed 30% you'd get 30% longer years at 30, 40, 50 or whatever, not 20-25 years extra in the shape you'd be at 90.