Healthy Life Extension

Can We Live Forever?

posted on July 26, 2011

Dear Future Centenarian,

You can find out if we can live forever or not by tuning in to the Discovery Channel, Wednesday, July 27th at 10 PM. Watch Morgan Freeman’s “Through the Wormhole.”

The answer you get may surprise you.

The first thing you’ll see is why, according to the laws of physics, we can’t live forever.

But hold on. As it turns out, there may be a loophole, which is covered in the second segment of this four part presentation. In fact, there’s another loophole which is not even covered there.

So can we, or can’t we? Whatever conclusion you come away with, you’ll be refreshed by the entertaining presentations.

There may be some confusion as to the airing date. If it’s not on Wednesday, simply click on the following link, and be sure to watch all four segments. Each is less than three minutes long on average.

In fact, why bother watching your TV at all when you can get instant online gratification now?

By the way, did you ever question the role God may play in the quest for immortality? Don’t skip ahead in the four segments, because each is important, and it all takes less than twelve minutes total. But Part IV gives you a fascinating answer to what role God may play in this whole scenario, whatever your religious beliefs or non-beliefs may be.

Enjoy:

http://science.discovery.com/videos/through-the-wormhole-can-we-live-forever/

Long Life,
David Kekich

P.S. Several issues ago, I discussed how you can discharge built-up electric charges from your body accumulated by the electromagnetic waves that we’re constantly bombarded with. Essentially, I recommended getting grounding pads or sheets that you plug into the electrical ground on your electrical outlets.

However, some contrarians have found that in the United States, where over 70% of electrical current is returned to the earth, you may get opposite results from plugging into the ground of your electrical outlets if you don’t live in a sandy soil area. One expert says because your outlets are directly connected to your electrical panel, you may actually get an increased electrical charge. This is not true in Europe where the current returns on a wire that goes back to the substation.

That same expert says earthing pads or bed sheets still work, but only if you use them unplugged to your electrical outlet ground. He went on to say you can ground yourself by simply standing on a sheet of aluminum foil in your bare feet, or with socks, for as little as 90 seconds.

I’m not sure who is right, so I now take the conservative approach. I unplugged my earthing pad.
____________________________

LATEST HEADLINES FROM FIGHT AGING!

CALORIE RESTRICTION SLOWS DNA METHYLATION IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS Friday, July 22, 2011 http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/07/calorie-restriction-slows-dna-methylation-in-the-hippocampus.php
DNA methylation is proposed to be a good biomarker of aging, and here researchers show that calorie restriction slows the progression of DNA methylation in the hippocampus - continuing the expected trend of calorie restriction slowing near every identified biological change that occurs with aging: "Aberrant DNA methylation patterns have been linked to molecular and cellular alterations in the aging brain. Caloric restriction (CR) and upregulation of antioxidants have been proposed as interventions to prevent or delay age-related brain pathology.

Previously, we have shown in large cohorts of aging mice, that age-related increases in DNA methyltransferase 3a (Dnmt3a) immunoreactivity in the mouse hippocampus were attenuated by CR, but not by overexpression of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). Here, we investigated age-related alterations of 5-methylcytidine (5-mC), a marker of DNA methylation levels, in a hippocampal subregion-specific manner. Examination of 5-mC immunoreactivity in 12- and 24-month-old wild type (WT) mice on control diet, mice overexpressing SOD1 on control diet, wild type mice on CR, and SOD1 mice on CR, indicated an age-related increase in 5-mC immunoreactivity in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, CA3, and CA1-2 regions, which was prevented by CR but not by SOD1 overexpression. ... These findings suggest a crucial role for DNA methylation in hippocampal aging and in the mediation of the beneficial effects of CR on aging."

AN EXAMPLE OF LIFESPAN EXTENSION THROUGH INDUCED HORMESIS Thursday, July 21, 2011 http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/07/an-example-of-lifespan-extension-through-induced-hormesis.php
Hormesis is the name given to the processes by which a little damage at the cellular level can actually be beneficial, as it spurs repair and maintenance systems to greater efforts - the result is a net gain. Here researchers demonstrate one method of inducing hormesis in nematode worms: "As organisms age, cellular proteins, lipids and nucleic acids sustain damage that can lead to functional deficits in tissues and, ultimately, death. The free radical theory of aging proposes that aging results, at least in part, from damage to cellular components by reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Indeed, oxidative modification is a major form of damage detected in aging tissues. Here, we report that hormetic chemicals can be modified to optimize beneficial effects and minimize toxicity in C. elegans, a model for studying aging in whole organisms. C. elegans is well-suited to this problem due to the short lifespan, ease of genetic manipulation and transparent anatomy. First, we examined whether lifespan extension is common among biological toxins with various chemical structures and mechanisms of action. In a small screen of natural phytochemicals, we identified two ROS generating compounds, plumbagin and juglone, which extended lifespan at subtoxic doses. Mean lifespan extension by plumbagin was dependent on SKN-1, a cap'n'collar transcription factor that promotes antioxidant gene expression in response to oxidative stress. We further screened a collection of six plumbagin analogs, identifying three additional naphthoquinones that activated expression of a skn-1 target. One of these could extend lifespan over a larger range of doses than plumbagin, demonstrating the utility of stress hormesis mechanisms as promising prolongevity intervention."

SNAPPING OUT OF THE PRO-DEATH TRANCE Thursday, July 21, 2011 http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/07/snapping-out-of-the-pro-death-trance.php
From TechNewsWorld: "In America, a large part of funding for regenerative medicine comes from the Department of Defense, whose goal is to repair soldiers who come home wounded. That is an effort everyone recognizes as important. Yet, when it comes to repairing older people whose hearts and lungs are failing, society seems at peace accepting their demise because that is all humanity has ever known - a state of mind that some call the 'pro-death trance.' A Swedish hospital recently announced that a cancer patient was saved after doctors grew him a new windpipe in the lab using a synthetic structure and the man's own stem cells. That might have sounded like science fiction just a few years ago, but today it is landmark news.

Regenerative medicine has the ability to usher in radically longer and healthier lives, yet few are considering the implications. The ability to grow new replacement parts for humans when original organs break down is a game-changer when it comes to extending human 'health spans' - the amount of time one is alive and healthy. A handful of human subjects have already benefited from innovations in this area and dozens of organs have been successfully grown in the lab, including a rat heart. The coming changes will be enormous - but on the whole, positive. Why then, is there no sustained dialog about how to get to that point sooner? Humans now have the opportunity to live much longer and healthier lives - for the greater benefit of all. It is time to break free from the pro-death trance and work toward speeding the revolution."

GENE THERAPY VERSUS ATHEROSCLEROSIS Wednesday, July 20, 2011 http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/07/gene-therapy-versus-atherosclerosis-1.php
Via EurekAlert!, news of a promising study in rabbits: "A one-dose method for delivering gene therapy into an arterial wall effectively protects the artery from developing atherosclerosis despite ongoing high blood cholesterol. As applied in our study, the introduced genes can produce proteins that counteract the fundamental processes that drive atherosclerosis, including preventing lipid accumulation inside the artery wall and decreasing recruitment of inflammatory cells. We found both of these effects. Gene transfer would move the production of the therapeutic 'drug' (in this case a therapeutic gene) directly to the site of atherosclerosis development: the blood vessel wall. The approach maximizes delivery of the drug to the artery wall and minimizes side effects in the rest of the body.

The deployed gene produces a protein that is likely responsible for the beneficial effects of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, commonly known as good cholesterol. This substance is apolipoprotein A-1, or apoA-1. It pumps out harmful cholesterol from the scavenger-type cells that ingest fats and congregate in early atherosclerotic lesions. ApoA-1 appears to remove cholesterol from the lesions and is capable of transporting it to the liver, where it can be excreted from the body. Lack of a suitable vector to transfer apoA-1-manufacturing genes into the cells lining the arterial wall has hampered the progress of this approach. Normally apoA-1 is produced by cells in the liver, stomach and intestine and enters the artery wall only after circulating through the blood. [The] researchers successfully used a helper-dependent adenovirus (HDAd) as the vehicle to transfer a genomic clone of rabbit apo-A1 into the carotid artery. This large blood vessel sends oxygenated blood to the brain. After the vector was infused into the artery, the gene was taken up almost exclusively by the cells in the thin layer that lines the carotid's inner surface and is in contact with circulating blood."

WHAT IS THE LIMITING FACTOR ON THE LIFESPANS OF THE OLDEST OLD? Tuesday, July 19, 2011 http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/07/what-is-the-limiting-factor-on-the-lifespans-of-the-oldest-old.php
Slate here ponders the consistency of the upper limits of the human lifespan: "Last month, a 114-year-old former schoolteacher from Georgia named Besse Cooper became the world's oldest living person. Her predecessor, Brazil's Maria Gomes Valentim, was 114 when she died. So was the oldest living person before her, and the one before her. In fact, eight of the last nine 'world's oldest' titleholders were 114 when they achieved the distinction. Here's the morbid part: All but two were still 114 when they passed it on. Those two? They died at 115.

The celebration surrounding Cooper when she assumed the title, then, might as well have been accompanied by condolences. If historical trends hold, she will likely be dead within a year. It's no surprise that it's hard to stay the 'world's oldest' for very long. These people are, after all, really old. What's surprising is just how consistent the numbers have been." Based on the work of the Supercentenarian Research Foundation we might suspect a single class of age-limiting process - something different from the collection of common issues and biological system failures that kill most people across their 70s, 80s, and 90s. Autopsies of supercentenarians revealed that they die from a form of amyloidosis, something that you will only rarely see in younger old people. Fortunately this is very amenable to foreseeable treatments - so as rejuvenation biotechnology advances, we need not worry too greatly about this apparently limiting process.

ON INCREASING YOUR CHANCES OF AVOIDING ALZHEIMER'S Tuesday, July 19, 2011 http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/07/on-increasing-your-chances-of-avoiding-alzheimers.php
In many ways, Alzheimer's disease looks a lot like type 2 diabetes - it can be argued that there are some biochemical similarities in the underlying mechanisms, Alzheimer's appears to be a lifestyle disease to some degree, and the two conditions have many of the same risk factors, such as obesity and being sedentary. So: "Over half of all Alzheimer's disease cases could potentially be prevented through lifestyle changes and treatment or prevention of chronic medical conditions.

Analyzing data from studies around the world involving hundreds of thousands of participants, [researchers] concluded that worldwide, the biggest modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease are, in descending order of magnitude, low education, smoking, physical inactivity, depression, mid-life hypertension, diabetes and mid-life obesity. In the United States, [researchers] found that the biggest modifiable risk factors are physical inactivity, depression, smoking, mid-life hypertension, mid-life obesity, low education and diabetes. What's exciting is that this suggests that some very simple lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity and quitting smoking, could have a tremendous impact on preventing Alzheimer's and other dementias in the United States and worldwide." Many lines of research demonstrate the importance of exercise for health in later life.

MARIA KONOVALENKO PRESENTS AT SINGULARITY UNIVERSITY Monday, July 18, 2011 http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2011/07/maria-konovalenko-presents-at-singularity-university.php
Longevity science advocate Maria Konovalenko recently presented at Singularity University; you'll find a link to the presentation materials in the post: "Last week I gave a talk at the Singularity University about how we can extend life. Those who have never heard about the Singularity University, should definitely check out what the SU is all about. I talked about the current records in life extension achieved in model animals, overviewed the main scientific approaches to fighting aging and looked at why activation of stress resistance genes may be a very good idea for extending our longevity.

I wrapped up by noting the potential profitable business side of life extension, which is creation of geroprotective drugs. You can find the presentation "The Best Strategy for 5,000,000,000 people" here. A couple of pictures from the place where great ideas and people are mixed together with the common goal of transforming the humanity. Although, it's such a pity that life extension doesn't get much attention." It is true the Singularity University crowd are less focused on radical life extension than on other transhumanist topics such as molecular manufacturing and strong AI.

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