Recent Study Reveals Drugs Can Extend Lifespan

Recent Study Reveals Drugs Can Extend Lifespan (National Cancer Institute - Unsplash)
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A recent study from the University of Auckland found a way to extend lifespan. Test conducted on mice showed an increase in lifespan and physical strength. So, can this trial be applied to humans?

A study from the University of Auckland found that drugs that have been used to fight cancer also have surprising effects. The drug can increase the life span and prevent the aging effects of mice.

They tested the drug on mice at the age of one year. The results of the experiment revealed that the life span of mice that received the drug increased by an average of 10% – to about three years.

The healthy mice were given control containing Alpelisib, an anti-cancer chemotherapy drug.

The researchers’ surprising findings showed that mice that received the drug not only lived longer but they showed greater strength and fitness growth in their old age, including improvements in coordination and strength.

The researchers targeted an enzyme called PI 3-kinase with Alpelisib, a method that has been studied for decades as an experimental cancer treatment.

Professor Peter Shepherd explained that metabolic pathways are activated by many hormones such as insulin, and prolonged exposure to these hormones can have detrimental consequences.”

However, this trial did not show a positive effect on all types of rodents. These drugs can make them healthy in some ways but also bring negative effects in other ways.

Furthermore, researchers are still very cautious about testing similar treatments in humans, although they also remain confident that they will gain greater insight into the mechanisms of aging.

Furthermore, Shepherd reminded that chemotherapy drugs were short-term medical interventions. He strongly discourages people from trying to follow the example of the mice experiment and using it long-term to extend their life.

According to him, this discovery is a first step; as the gateway to humanity’s eternal quest for immortality.