EAT LESS LIVE LONGER

Skinny or obese that’s the question here!

Interesting news crossed the world the other day. Scientists discovered that the intake of calories governs our life or to be precise our lifespan. How and why? Well, the fact that calorie restriction noticeably extends lifespan was discovered long time ago, in the 1930. What bothered them is what is at the root of this unusual effect. Now, in nematode worms a so called ph4 gene has been determined, which is the explanation for the longevity boosted by severe calorie restriction.

Is this ph4 gene a real find? Of course, you will be able to live longer (as if this were nothing). Scientists hope that in the future “drugs that mimic the consequences of calorie restriction but negate the need for severe fasting regimes” could be produced. Moreover, the effect of dietary restriction could be beneficial in times of food shortage.

As mentioned, the study was carried out on nematode worms and it is not jet sure whether the longevity link can be applied on mammals, humans. In comparison to worms, human’s metabolism is far more complex. But one is for sure; if you overindulge, you will succumb to obesity and eventually die, and if you starve (reduce food too much), you will die too. We have to find the “sweet” middle. Honestly, we are all too often prone to eating when not hungry.

Will we become centenarians? As it seems, yes. Human lifespan has already doubled over the last century, and due to the advances in medicine and genetic science, prolonged existence is to be expected once geneticists unlock the key to the ageing gene. And I ask myself: will this elongated lifespan have an effect on the society, on our way of life? Not that it WILL, it has by now. The age of retirement is already 65 and this might be consigned to the history books. Instead, we may hang up our boots at the age 85. Modern economies will for sure not be able to support the increasingly numerous retirees.

Read the news under: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6612411.stm