Fasting could help slow down aging says new study

There is a great deal of ongoing research looking for cures to human aging in the outside world. A new study at Georgia State University indicates that the solution may actually lie within. Scientists at this institution have demonstrated that it may be possible to slow vascular aging with a molecule that is produced in the body during periods of fasting or calorie restriction. Vascular aging is an age-related degenerative change in which there is stiffening of the arteries. It is the result of longstanding mechanical stress which leads to fraying of the elastic fibers in the walls of the arteries, causing them to gradually become less elastic. There are other factors involved in vascular aging as well, such as changes in collagen protein and glycation end products. “As people become older, they are more susceptible to disease, like cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Ming-Hui Zou, senior author of the study, director of the Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine at Georgia State, and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Molecular Medicine. “Age is the most important so-called risk factor for human disease. How to actually delay aging is a major pathway to reducing the incident and severity of human disease.” The scientists involved in the study looked at the relationship between fasting or eating fewer calories and the rate of aging. This has been a largely unexplored area of human physiology until now. The researchers discovered that a molecule called beta-hydroxybutyrate can delay vascular aging by acting on endothelial cells, the cells that line the inner walls of blood vessels. One of the key features of senescent cells in the body is their inability to multiply by cell division. Beta-hydroxybutyrate can stop cell aging by promoting cell multiplication. The compound acts on a stem cell factor known as Oct4 and accelerates its by binding to a specific protein. This leads to an increase in the production of a factor that is essential to protect against age-related DNA-damage. The entire physiologic process results in keeping vessels healthier for longer. The researchers believe Oct4 is a potential pharmaceutical target in anti-aging therapies. The ability to keep the vascular system young can translate into a reduction in many age-related diseases, and ultimately, into a longer lifespan for humans. The group published their findings in the journal Molecular Cell.