{"id":564,"date":"2017-03-21T01:19:27","date_gmt":"2017-03-21T01:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshmitteldorf.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=564"},"modified":"2017-04-13T11:19:11","modified_gmt":"2017-04-13T11:19:11","slug":"new-database-of-lifespan-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2017\/03\/21\/new-database-of-lifespan-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"New Database of Lifespan Trials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Human Ageing Genomic Resources<\/a> announced last week their <\/span>on-line database<\/span><\/a> of animal studies that evaluated drugs and supplements for extended lifespan. \u00a0HAGR is a project of the University of Liverpool, spearheaded by <\/span>Jo\u00e3o Pedro de Magalhaes<\/span><\/a>, who has been an activist-scientist in aging research since his days as a grad student at Harvard.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The database is a great resource for researchers, and helps assure that we have no excuse for overlooking a substance or a perspective or a particular result. \u00a0Maintaining and updating it will continue to be an important and demanding project.<\/span><\/p>\n

The full database covers 1316 studies, and I will review here just those on mice and rats. \u00a0My reason is that life extension in simpler animals turns out to be too easy. \u00a0There is much we can learn about universal biochemistry from studies in worms and flies, but most of the successes there fail when the (longer and costlier) studies are done in mammals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a spreadsheet<\/span><\/a> extracting just the 93 studies on mice and rats. \u00a0You can view it online, and if you download it or copy it into your own GoogleDrive account, you can sort and edit and re-arrange it at will.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Old News<\/b><\/p>\n

Rapamycin: Has the most studies and the best data. \u00a0Clearly works, but has side effects and it is not yet clear if it is appropriate for general use. \u00a0Make your own decision. \u00a0[<\/span>read more<\/span><\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n

Metformin<\/em><\/strong>: We have extensive experience with humans, and clear indications that it lowers cancer rates and ACM*, but there are dangers and side-effects. [<\/span>read more<\/span><\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n

Melatonin<\/em><\/strong>: Good evidence for modest life extension in rodents. For some people, it\u2019s also a good night\u2019s sleep; for others it can lead to grogginess or depression. <\/span><\/p>\n

Aspirin<\/em><\/strong>: \u00a0The best evidence for lower cancer and ACM* is in humans. \u00a0Most people can tolerate a daily mini-aspirin without stomach complications. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Epithalamin<\/em> <\/strong>(and other short peptides): \u00a0This is work by Anisimov in St Petersburg, and it is so promising that I can\u2019t understand why it isn\u2019t being replicated all over the world. [<\/span>read more<\/span><\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n

Deprenyl<\/em><\/strong>: \u00a0Old studies, but they show consistent, if modest life extension. \u00a0It affects CNS in ways that you might feel, might like or might not. \u00a0[<\/span>read more<\/span><\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n

Vitamin E<\/em><\/strong>: \u00a0This is just one study, dosage equivalent to hundreds of pills a day, mice kept in shivering cold conditions. \u00a0[<\/span>ref<\/span><\/a>] \u00a0In a large human study, antioxidant vitamins <\/span>increased<\/i><\/b> mortality. [<\/span>ref<\/span><\/a>] <\/span><\/p>\n

Acarbose: A diabetes drug that blocks the digestion of carbohydrates. \u00a0Side effects and toxicity make it less promising than metformin as a general recommendation. \u00a0[<\/span>drug info<\/span><\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n

C60 Fullerene<\/em><\/strong>: \u00a0Just one study in 6 rats, with spectacular results. \u00a0Replication has failed [private communication from Anton Kulaga]. \u00a0Nevertheless, there are thousands of people experimenting on themselves. [<\/span>read more<\/span><\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n

Curcumin<\/em><\/strong>: There are major questions about absorption and dosage, but no question that anti-inflammatories are a good general strategy, and curcumin is a good anti-inflammatory. [<\/span>read more<\/span><\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n

Green tea<\/em><\/strong>: \u00a0Small but consistent life extension from polyphenols extracted from tea. \u00a0From a number of high-profile experimentalists, 2013<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Resveratrol<\/em><\/strong>: Works great in simpler animals, including some vertebrates, but in mammals life extension has been limited to overweight mice on a high-fat diet. [<\/span>read more<\/span><\/a>]<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The New Part<\/b><\/p>\n

BHT<\/em><\/strong>: \u00a0This is an anti-oxidant and chelating agent, which means that it is attracted to metal ions, it pulls them out of circulation and takes them out of commission. \u00a0This sounds good when it\u2019s removing mercury or lead, but less\u00a0good when it\u2019s removing iron and dangerous if it\u2019s removing zinc or other essential trace minerals. \u00a0BHT<\/span>\u00a0has long been used as a food packaging additive to preserve freshness, and it is still avoided by natural foods types. This Russian study [2003<\/a>] found 17% life extension in mice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Creatine<\/em><\/strong>: \u00a0Used by body-builders, it encourages muscle growth by blocking myostatin. \u00a0It also increases nerve growth, and slows shrinking of the brain. \u00a0In one promising mouse study [<\/span>2008<\/span><\/a>], average lifespan increased 9%.<\/span><\/p>\n

Icariin<\/em><\/strong>: This is an active ingredient in the traditional Chinese herb which in the West is known as Horny Goat Weed. \u00a0One mouse study<\/a>, 6% increase in lifespan.<\/p>\n

VI-28<\/em><\/strong>: Another Chinese herb. \u00a0Just one study<\/a>, up to 14% increase.<\/p>\n

Royal Jelly<\/em><\/strong>: \u00a0Queen bees are genetically identical to worker bees, yet they live 100 times longer. \u00a0Is it the royal jelly they are fed? \u00a0One mouse study [2003<\/a>] showed a 25% increase in mean lifespan, but no increase in max lifespan.<\/p>\n

N-Acetyl Cysteine<\/em><\/strong>: \u00a0Glutathione is an antioxidant associated with mitochondria. \u00a0Unquestionably, glutathione is a good thing. \u00a0Too bad we can\u2019t just eat it. \u00a0The next best thing is to take the precursor, NAC, which seems to lead to increased glutathione throughout the body. This one study [2010<\/a>] came out of the same prestigious group at Jackson Labs that brought us rapamycin. \u00a0Mean lifespan increased a stunning 25%. Two reservations: (1) they used enormous dosages, and (2) the mice on high-dose NAC ate less, so they probably benefited from caloric restriction.<\/p>\n

Ginkgo biloba<\/em><\/strong>: Extract from the stinky fruit of an ancient oriental tree. \u00a0Traditionally used as a neuroprotective and concentration enhancer, for which it is mildly effective. \u00a0In 1998<\/a>, a single study found 17% life extension in rats. \u00a0Who knew?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bottom Line<\/b><\/p>\n

Clearly there is a great deal of promise here, but there is also much work to be done before we have it sorted out.<\/p>\n