The aging process can be reduced by increasing telomere lengths, according to research published Tuesday in Aging Cell, a peer-reviewed journal.
Scientist Maria Blasco, a molecular biologist at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, tested TA-65, the natural telomere growth supplement, to show that aging could be reversed without cancer risk, something that earlier research claimed about increasing telomere length.
Her team tested TA-65 on female mice and found that the supplement activated telomerase and lengthened the telomeres in mice.
Dr. Mark Stibich, an adjunct faculty member of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, explained telomeres' role in aging for About.com in an (article called "Telomeres and Aging — Understanding Cellular Aging". He says a telomere is like a bookend on the long strand of DNA called a chromosome. It keeps the chromosome from fusing or binding where it shouldn't and plays a key role in cell division.
"Each time a cell divides, the DNA unwraps and the information in the DNA is copied. The process does not copy all of the DNA information — the telomeres are not copied. When the cell is finished dividing, the DNA comes back together. The telomeres lose a little bit of length each time this happens."
The DNA strands are snipped at the telomeres, which don't contain important coding. That protects the DNA. But they get shorter each time a cell divides.
The mice Blasco's team fed food spiked with TA-65 in the study showed lower insulin levels, hair regrowth and increased skin plumping, all things that could be associated with not aging.
It builds on research out of Harvard that showed that activating telomerase can partially reverse age-related degeneration in mice, resulting in new growth of the brain and testes, improved fertility and the return of a lost cognitive function. The release accompanying that study noted that: "Importantly, the animals showed no signs of developing cancer. This remains a concern because cancer cells turn on telomerase to make themselves virtually immortal."
It also emphasized that it was, like the newer study, research done using animals, not humans. Human application, testing and recommendations are in the future, but it is hopeful, scientists say.
Not everyone's hyped about the Blasco finding, as The Daily Beast's Thea Singer found when she tried to unravel the claims. The scientific community includes both cheerleaders and skeptics.
The enzyme telomerase is known to lengthen telomeres. TA-65, according to the new study, is a telomerase activator (hence the name). "Studies suggest that telomerase can also be activated naturally through exercise, meditation, and other healthy lifestyle changes. But taking a pill is, of course, easier," she notes.
"But the changes didn't last," Singer continues, "and overall longevity didn't change. Nor did average telomere length of the treated mice — a measure that countless previous studies have deemed the more important measure."
TA-65 is owned by a company called www.tasciences.com/TA Sciences, which is a subsidiary of Geron Corp., under a patent for cosmetic and nutraceutical applications. And a look at the site shows that the pursuit of youth is not a cheap one. TA-65 costs $200 to $667 a month, depending on the strength of the dose.
EMAIL: Lois@desnews.com