Many people dream that in their lifetime they will find a way to stop aging. Now you can stop dreaming. Real life has surpassed science fiction. Researchers were able not only to stop, but also to reverse the aging process - returning human cells back to their "young" state. True, so far only in the laboratory. Scientists hope that soon their discovery will allow the creation of drugs against natural tissue degeneration. And they indicate what foods we need to eat in order to achieve a similar effect in our body.
The main question: why are we getting old
Aging can be seen as a progressive decline in the quality of the human body. Most chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes and dementia, are associated with it. There are many reasons why our cells and tissues stop functioning. But lately, scientists believe that the main culprit is the accumulation of so-called "old" cells.
"Old cells" are damaged cells that not only do not work properly (for example, they stop dividing), but also disrupt the functions of the cells around them. They show a radically altered degenerative phenotype compared to their growing counterparts. The fewer aging cells inside you or the faster they are replaced by new ones, the younger you are physically.
Old cell.
The elimination of these old, poorly functioning cells in animals in 2011 showed a slowdown in the progression of diseases associated with aging. For example, it avoided the development of cataracts in mice.
Scientists are still not sure why we have more and more of these "old" cells as we grow older. Potential culprits include accidental DNA damage, the effects of inflammation in tissues, and damage over time to protective molecules (telomeres) at the end of chromosomes. Until the 70s, it was believed that each cell has a certain number of division cycles, after which it stops and dies, but then they proved that this is not the case: a cell can "become obsolete" at any time, with a certain chance, depending on the surrounding her environment.
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One of the latest theories that has gained popularity is that the reason for cell aging is the loss of their ability to turn genes on and off at the right time and in the right place.
Genes and their messages
As we grow older, we lose the ability to control our genes. Every cell in the body contains all the information necessary for the development of life: even from your saliva, in theory, you can grow your clone. But not all genes are “turned on” in different tissues and different situations. This allows heart cells to differ from liver or kidney cells, despite the fact that they all contain the same genes.
On the left is a normal cell, on the right is an old cell.
When a gene is activated by signals from inside or outside the cell, it sends out a molecular message (RNA). This message contains all the information needed to create what this gene will do. Since 2008, we have known that 95% of our genes can send several different types of messages, depending on the needs of the cell. This is how the cell “communicates” to its tissue what it needs for normal development. Each gene can be considered a “recipe” for what a cell wants to do: if it was born in a kitchen that makes chocolate pies, and all the shelves around are filled with only sugar and vanilla, this is its only way to ask the body to go to the store for new purchases. And if the recipes stop being sent, the cell gradually "loses weight" and stops performing its function.
The decision about what type of message a cell will emit at any given time is made by a group of about 300 proteins, which are now called "fusion factors" ("coupling factors"). Over time, the amount of such factors that are produced by the body decreases. As a result, there is an accumulation of "old" cells that are not able to turn on the genes they need and respond to changes in the environment.
Recent studies have shown that levels of these important regulatory proteins are decreased in blood samples from older adults, as well as in isolated human senescent cells of various tissue types.
How to restore "old" cells
Regulatory proteins and, consequently, genes in "old" cells can be made to work again. The cell does not die; it simply loses the ability to perform its function correctly. This means that you need to "shake it up" and let it return to performing its tasks again. Recently, Lorna Harris, Matt Whitman and their team at the University of Exeter demonstrated a way to get our cells back to their "young" state (read here for free).
Professor Lorna Harris.
In their report, the scientists explain how they have tried to find ways to kick-start the release of fusion factors. It turned out that if you treat old cells with a chemical containing a small amount of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), the number of "fusion factors" grows, genes begin to turn on, and the cell resumes its normal work.
Earlier this April, a team of 12 scientists showed that H2S reduces aging-related diseases in animals. But the substance is very toxic in high doses, and the researchers couldn't find a way to safely deliver it to the right part of the cell. Were tested various modulators - chemical compounds that could "float" to the cell, produce a chemical reaction with it, and give it hydrogen sulfide.
From a 2013 study, it was known that hydrogen sulfide donor GYY4137 could help with atherosclerosis when given to mice. It slowly releases H2S, mimicking the normal activity of a healthy body. With its help, scientists were able to deliver the H2S molecule directly to the mitochondria - the structure responsible for the production of energy in the cell.
Delivery of H2S into a human cell by different methods, the result is in 24 hours (the blacker - the older the cell, that is, the fewer regulatory genes in it).
The cells were given 100 μg / ml Na-GYY4137 for 24 hours (several other H2S donor variants AP39, AP123 and RT01 were also tested). Dr. Eva Latorre, who assisted in the study, was amazed at the scale and speed of the changes in the cells:
Professor Harris says in his talk:
Harris and Whiteman hope that with the help of such molecular tools it will be possible to eliminate "old" cells in living people and return them to normal functioning. They are not sure if this will drastically extend a person's life span (say, up to 150 years), but they say it will definitely improve the quality of life of older people, allowing them to reduce the effects of chronic disease, as well as reduce the chances of stroke, heart disease and cancer. …
Fountain of youth
From reading all these studies, I learned one important thing for myself. It turns out that eating garlic is very beneficial. It contains allicin (which is the reason for the characteristic pungent odor). And as a result of the reaction of allicin with erythrocytes, a small amount of hydrogen sulfide is formed. It helps reduce blood vessel tension (up to 72% in research). Hydrogen sulfide in small doses protects the body from cardiovascular diseases and shows anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, vasodilating and cytoprotective properties. It also (ladies, close your eyes) plays a role in the vasodilation of the penis necessary for an erection. And now it has also been confirmed that under favorable conditions it can reverse the aging process of cells, restoring the normal functioning of their genes.
One of the leaders of the scientific group investigating this effect, Dr. David Kraus, says that:
The researchers also propose using erythrocyte hydrogen sulfide levels to standardize garlic-based supplements.
After reading this, I’ll probably try to include garlic in my diet, even though I don’t like it. Unfortunately, it will not work here to "hack" the system by swallowing whole cloves to avoid a nasty smell. Allicin appears in garlic only if it is cut or bitten: when cells are destroyed, a chemical reaction occurs, and it is synthesized from the precursor of alliin and the enzyme allicinase. A clove eaten whole does not have any special medicinal properties, like heat-treated garlic (yes, all the garlic that you ate in pilaf or borscht does not count). But the crust of bread grated with a clove is already starting to work in full.
Resveratol study results (the same team worked with it in 2017).
The use of garlic is not recommended for kidney disease, cholelithiasis, stomach or intestinal ulcer, hepatitis and other liver diseases. An alternative that Lorna Harris and Matt Whiteman also tested earlier, albeit with less effect, are resveratol analogues. This substance can be found in red wine, dark chocolate, red grape and blueberry skins, cocoa, and peanuts. The biological effects are not as strong as in allicin, but resveratol also clearly rejuvenates human cells - at least in vitro.