Monday, January 2, 2012

Canada: Nutritional supplements slow aging in mice

      The entire article can be found here in CBC news. The article says it might be possible to "cure" aging. This language is a bit strange. I did not know that aging was a disease. I thought it was a natural process common to all living beings. However, the idea of extending our life span is no doubt something that many of us would desire as long as we remained relatively healthy.
    Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario  found that mice that took their supplement actually learned tasks faster as they aged! Instead of their motor functions slowing down as is common as people age they acted like restless teenagers! This could be embarrassing for teenagers if the same thing happens with grandpa and grandma when they partake of this potent cocktail of nutrients.
   The researchers were able to double the lifespan of crickets. Although most of the supplements used in the experiments can be found at health food stores, researchers warn that they have not been tried on humans and their safety is not at all assured when used by humans. This probably will not matter. I hope that the health food industry is not helping to finance the research! Much more including some of the ingredients is available at the link above.


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