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Regular aerobic exercise later in life prevents genomic instability characterized by DNA damage and telomere dysfunction, according to a study. "These new findings will greatly impact our understanding of the mechanisms of how aerobic exercise improves vascular health at the level of genomic stability," says Jisok Lim, Ph.D. Late-life exercise used to be thought of as ineffective. However, existing studies indicate aerobic exercise later in life lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease-related mortality. Yet, specific factors contributing to this effect have not been completely understood. Researchers examined whether regular exercise with aging may prevent DNA damage and telomere dysfunction. Telomeres...

Accelerated aging — when someone’s biological age is greater than their chronological age — could increase the risk of cancer tumors. That’s according to new research presented this week at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in San Diego, California. “Historically, both cancer and aging have been viewed primarily as concerns for older populations,” Ruiyi Tian, MPH, a graduate student at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and one of the study researchers, told Fox News Digital. “The realization that cancer, and now aging, are becoming significant issues for younger demographics over the past decades...

A study provides compelling evidence for clinical practice to direct efforts toward preventing white matter damage in individuals with hypertension in order to protect against cognitive decline and dementia. Gray matter is where the brain cells exist, whereas white matter constitutes the network of nerve fibers that provides the communication connection between different areas of gray matter. The study, led by Dr. Jing Du, found that compared with gray matter, white matter is more vulnerable to raised blood pressure. "Because gray matter has a greater amount of small blood vessels, and therefore a greater supply of blood compared to white...

·"The Fountain of Youth" 1546. By Lucas Cranach the Elder - Unknown source, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30264218 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A biomedical sciences professor studying T-cells and their effect on cellular senescence believes she may have found a real-life fountain of youth hiding within our own bodies. Although still in the development stages, the professor’s pioneering method may indeed increase health and “reverse” aging for older patients while also preventing aging-related declines in younger patients. HUMANITY’S ENDURING QUEST FOR THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH The idea of a Fountain of Youth that could reverse aging and help people stay young indefinitely was made most...

A woman's fertility normally decreases by her late 30s with reproductive function eventually ceasing at menopause. It is known that a small molecule called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) plays a critical role in this decline, and scientists have revealed how this happens and have identified potential new approaches to enhance reproductive longevity. NAD+, which is present in all cells throughout the human body, begins to decline with age and maintaining optimal levels is vital for key cellular functions and healthy aging, said Perrone. Recently, it became clear that the same decline was occurring in the ovaries, contributing to the natural...

A team of reproductive biologists has found that spermidine, a polyamine metabolite, helps oocytes clear away damaged mitochondria in mice, thereby improving mitophagy during female reproductive aging. Prior research and anecdotal evidence have shown that many animals experience declining fertility as they grow older. In this new effort, the research team found a link between spermidine levels in aging mice and fertility issues. The researchers began by measuring spermidine levels in ovarian tissue samples of mice of different ages—they found that as the mice grew older, their levels of spermidine were reduced. They also noted that the quality of oocytes...

The pursuit of understanding the secrets behind exceptional longevity isn't easy. Now our recent study has unveiled some common biomarkers, including levels of cholesterol and glucose, in people who live past 90. Our research included data from 44,000 Swedes who underwent health assessments at ages 64-99. These participants were then followed through Swedish register data for up to 35 years. Twelve blood-based biomarkers related to inflammation, metabolism, liver and kidney function, as well as potential malnutrition and anemia, were included. All of these have been associated with aging or mortality in previous studies. We found that, on the whole, those...

A new review highlights the significant role of dietary lipids in preventing brain aging and cognitive decline. As the global burden of aging-related brain diseases, particularly dementia, continues to rise, this research offers promising insights into potential nutritional interventions that could improve brain function during aging. The review focuses on the intricate relationship between lipid homeostasis and brain aging, emphasizing the importance of maintaining synaptic plasticity to prevent cognitive impairment. By examining evidence from epidemiological and animal studies, the research team demonstrates the crucial functions of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), specifically phospholipids such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, and plasmalogen, in promoting...

The search for functional natural compounds that can improve age-related cognitive decline has recently emerged as an important research focus to promote healthy aging. Trigonelline (TG), a plant alkaloid found in coffee, as well as in fenugreek seed and radish, was anticipated to possess cognitive enhancement properties. In a study, researchers investigated the effects of TG on memory and spatial learning (acquiring, retaining, structuring, and applying information related to the surrounding physical environment) from both a cognitive and molecular biology perspective in an integrated manner using a senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) model. Following oral administration of TG to SAMP8...

Since the discovery of hallmark features of senescence such as cell cycle arrest, apoptosis resistance and development of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), efforts in understanding how senescent cells drive aging have grown exponentially. Targeting senescent cells with senolytics or senomorphics hold the potential to mitigate the vast majority of age-related disorders. However, the major challenge in developing novel senotherapies is the paucity of antiaging agents that have decent safety profiles. Prof. Sun Yu recently performed large scale screening of a natural medicinal agent library for senotherapeutic candidates and validated several agents, which showed their excellent potential to serve as...

Caring for an elderly or permanently disabled family member is a gut-wrenching experience for many families. Not only that, but it’s expensive, often exhausting personal savings and resources. The United States, like many other rich countries, is aging fast, and that means more Americans with diminishing cognitive function and physical disabilities as well as the loss of independence. Providing such care is intensive. In the case of nursing homes, where residents have the most severe needs, round-the-clock attention is especially expensive. Most fund these things through the Medicaid program, but this can come with an unreasonably steep cost. The private...

Britain’s ageing population poses a long-term threat to the economy and will affect interest rates for decades to come, Andrew Bailey has said. The Governor of the Bank of England identified changing demographics as one of two biggest problems facing the UK and similar countries in the years ahead, along with stagnant productivity since the financial crisis. He suggested that these challenges would have more of an impact in the long run than the war in Ukraine and the Covid crisis, which have combined to drive inflation to its highest level in decades. Setting out the challenge from these two...

A news release from the Census Bureau published on Thursday morning summarized three-quarters of a century of American history succinctly. It was titled, “America Is Getting Older.” This is the Census Bureau, so the assertion was backed up with data. The median age in the U.S. rose to 38.9 years in 2022, up 0.2 years from 2021. Over the past year, 46 states saw increases in their median ages. Four states (and D.C.) saw no change. This isn’t surprising but is, instead, a continuation of a long-standing trend. But there is an important detail that’s easy to overlook here: The...

Jury is still out on whether taurine supplementation could provide antiaging benefits to humans Researchers first sifted the amino acid taurine from a sample of ox bile in 1827. Today, it’s better known as one of the main ingredients in many energy drinks. But it may do more than drive sales of these beverages. A study published today in Science suggests boosting taurine levels increases life span in mice and improves the physical condition of middle-aged monkeys, hinting it could do the same for people. “This might be something that could be used to fight aging-related diseases or increase life...

A new research paper was published in Aging, titled "Potential reversal of biological age in women following an 8-week methylation-supportive diet and lifestyle program: a case series." In this study, researchers reported on a case series of six women who completed a methylation-supportive diet and lifestyle program designed to impact DNA methylation and measures of biological aging. "The modifiable lifestyle intervention used by participants in this case series was first investigated in a pilot clinical trial in which participants (all men between the ages of 50-72 years) reduced their biological age by an average of 3.23 years as compared to...

With the passage of time, our body’s repair systems break down; nasty glitches accumulate in our DNA and proteins, metabolism stutters, and cells stop dividing. We are all on a slippery slope to the grave, but research in worms, flies, mice, and monkeys shows that there is nothing inevitable about how fast we slide. Dietary and lifestyle changes – and, perhaps, anti-aging drugs – can slow aging and boost our span of healthy years. A new discovery suggests that a protein in the brain may be a switch for controlling inflammation and, with it, a host of symptoms of aging....

Decline in the hypothalamic Menin may play a key role in aging, according to a study. The findings reveal a previously unknown driver of physiological aging, and suggest that supplementation with a simple amino acid may mitigate some age-related changes. Leng and colleagues showed that Menin, a hypothalamic protein, is a key inhibitor of hypothalamic neuroinflammation. They observed that the level of Menin in the hypothalamus, but not astrocytes or microglia, declines with age. Another change was a decline in levels of the amino acid D-serine, known to be a neurotransmitter and sometimes used as a dietary supplement. The authors...

Rejuvenating an older person's blood may now be within reach, based on recent findings. An anti-inflammatory drug, already approved for use in rheumatoid arthritis, can turn back time in mice and reverse some of the effects of age on the hematopoietic system. "These results indicate that such strategies hold promise for maintaining healthier blood production in the elderly," Mitchell says. The researchers only identified the drug after a comprehensive investigation of the stem cells that create all blood cells and the niches where they reside in the center of the bones. Mitchell took a closer look at the stem cells'...

Bridget Fonda hit headlines on Wednesday after she was photographed out in public for the first time in more than a decade. The 58-year-old former actress — who quit Hollywood in 2002 and hasn’t walked a red carpet since 2010 — looked unrecognizable as she ran errands in Los Angeles. (snip) Fonda has proven that even the most glamorous stars change over the years, and she joins a growing number of former pinups who are defiantly owning their age and prioritizing personal comfort over public expectations. Other ’80s and ’90s heartthrobs, however, have taken a different route — sparking speculation...

The United States' 92 nuclear reactors currently in operation have a mean age of 41.6 years, the third oldest in the world. As Statista's Katharina Buchholz reports, the only nuclear fleets that are older are those of Switzerland (46.3 years) and Belgium (42.3 years). Also older are the singular reactors in use in Armenia and the Netherlands.You will find more infographics at StatistaThe U.S. was among the first commercial adopters of nuclear energy in the 1950s, explaining the number of aging reactors today. A building boom between the 1960s and 1970s created today’s nuclear power plants in the United States....