Everyone wants to know the secret to living longer. The Fountain of Youth. The Elixir of Life. The Philosopher’s Stone.
Well, researchers may have found the answer and they have two rare diseases to thank: Laron syndrome and acromegaly.
People with Laron syndrome naturally have more growth hormone in their bloodstream. Why? Because their body can’t absorb it. People with Laron syndrome are usually very short, with forms of dwarfism being very common.
Yet, while these people generally tend to be obese, they have a really low risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes.
How does that even work?
Well, that’s what these researchers set to find out. And in the course of their research,they realized they could apply what they learned about Laron’s to another, essentially opposite rare disease: acromegaly.
With acromegaly, people absorb too much growth hormone. Taking a daily injection prevents the body from absorbing growth hormone, so people with acromegaly can reduce how much IGF-1 is in their body overall.
Why is this significant?
It helps people not only combat acromegaly, it may also help them lower their chance of developing cancer or diabetes.
When this technique was use on normal mice, something incredible happen: the mice lived longer than normal.
While nothing can halt the advancement of time and the fact that we all grow old, the researchers believe they have stumbled on an amazing discovery. By helping people age in a healthy way, people will be able to live out their lives by continuing to do the things they enjoy.
It may not be the Elixir of Life and it will not provide immortality. But, this new discovery could revolutionize the way we approach getting older. And that is something to get excited about.
