The World Authority For Unbiased Longevity News™️

Our Mission: SuperAging™
(n.) Using new medical science and biohacking to slow down the aging process, repair existing damage and live a dramatically longer life in peak physical and mental health.

Credit: https://neurosciencenews.com/iron-blood-aging-16655/

New study of 1 million samples now links the body’s iron levels to longevity

January 8, 2021

A new study published in 2020 has found a link between blood iron levels and longevity
Analyzing genetic information from millions of samples, the study examined the lifespan, healthspan, and longevity of individuals
Using the data collected, researchers inferred that having too much iron in the blood could potentially decrease the number of years in life expectancy

A recent study published in 2020 has found evidence that blood iron levels could play an important role in determining how long you live. The research examined genetic information derived from more than one million people across three public databases. It focused on three key features of aging: the lifespan, the healthspan (the years lived without disease), and longevity (the ability to reach old age). During the analysis, 10 fundamental regions of the human genome were studied and shown to be related to these measures of long life, as well as genes linked to how the body metabolizes iron. The study showed that having too much iron in the blood increases the risk of dying at a much earlier age. According to data analyst Paul Timmers from the University of Edinburgh UK, these findings strongly link high levels of iron in the bloodstream to a reduction in the number of healthy years in one’s life. Therefore, keeping these levels in check could greatly reduce age-related damage. “We speculate that our findings on iron metabolism might also start to explain why very high levels of iron-rich red meat in the diet have been linked to age-related conditions such as heart disease.” During the study, researchers employed the Mendelian randomization technique to the data to reduce bias, and attempt to base their deductions from causation rather than correlation. Because genetics have about a 10 percent influence on lifespan and healthspan, it was difficult to determine the exact genes involved in aging, as well as the effects that lifestyle habits such as drinking and smoking had on the samples. Nevertheless, one of the advantages of this study was its massive size and scope. In fact, the researchers were able to discover five genetic markers that were initially not considered significant at the genome-wide level. Some of these include FOXO3 and APOE, which have now been singled out as extremely vital in human health and the aging process. “It is clear from the association of age-related diseases and the well-known aging loci APOE and FOXO3 that we are capturing the human aging process to some extent,” the researchers commented. While it might still be early in terms of investigating the association of iron metabolism to aging, one can see the development of drugs in the near future designed to minimize iron levels in the blood. This could potentially add years to life expectancy! Aside from genetics, blood iron is also influenced by one’s diet. In fact, this has already been tied to a number of age-related diseases such as liver disease and Parkinson’s. It also affects the body’s ability to fight infection as we age. This recent study can now be added to a growing body of evidence that overabundance of iron in the bloodstream can have a massive influence on our health and longevity. “The 10 regions of the genome we have discovered that are linked to lifespan, healthspan, and longevity are all exciting candidates for further studies,” says Joris Deelen, a student of the biology of aging at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Germany. Ultimately, the goal is to discover how aging can be regulated, and to come up with ways in which one can improve their health while aging gracefully.

References: https://www.sciencealert.com/study-of-more-than-1-million-people-finds-intriguing-link-between-iron-levels-and-lifespan

New study of 1 million samples now links the body’s iron levels to longevity

Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply