Researchers from the University of Virginia have found a way that might slow down our aging process. They discovered that getting rid of glycerol and glyceraldehyde, which are bad substances coming from fat in our bodies, can help us age more slowly.
Researchers from the University of Virginia, led by Eyleen Jorgelina O’Rourke, want to learn more about what keeps people healthy and living longer lives. Their new research suggests that we can do so by decreasing the negative impact of two substances called glycerol and glyceraldehyde.
Scientists made a surprising discovery that the secret to staying healthy and living longer is related to two enzymes. These enzymes are connected with ethanol, which is the kind of alcohol found in beer and bourbon. Knowing this knowledge helps scientists look for drugs that can turn on an anti-aging process.
Discovering the Fountain of Youth
Scientists O’Rourke, Ghaddar and Mony are researching to find a way to slow down aging. To do this, they inspect tiny worms called C. elegans. These little creatures live in the soil and share 70% of our genes. Two Nobel prizes were even given out because of discoveries made using this worm!
Scientists had assumed, based on previous research in animals and human cells, that the key to a longer life was increasing autophagy, which is like a cell cleanup process. But when they tested it out in worms, they found that they were able to increase their lifespan by 50% even without any extra autophagy happening.
Scientists discovered a way to help animals live longer and healthier lives. They named it AMAR – short for Alcohol and Aldehyde-Dehydrogenase Mediated Anti-Aging Response. To do this they boosted the effect of a particular gene (adh-1) which made the animal’s body produce more of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase. This protected the animals from harmful elements like glycerol and glyceraldehyde, so they were able to live longer and healthier lives as a result.
The researchers wanted to make sure that the anti-aging enzyme they discovered had similar effects in people. So, they tested it on other lab models such as worms and mice, then later on yeast. After this, they looked into research related to fasting and calorie restriction in animals, including humans. When they did this, they saw increased levels of the enzyme in all mammal species they checked – including us!
The scientists think that, as we get older, our bodies make more of two chemicals called glycerol and glyceraldehyde. These come from fat in our bodies, which can build up and be bad for us if not controlled. That’s why they’re looking at AMAR to help us with this problem – so we can stay healthy longer and maybe even lose weight!
Dr. O’Rourke from the Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center at UVA wants to develop medicines that can fight against aging and age-related diseases. He believes this is the best way to help people live healthier lives for longer, reducing stress on our healthcare system and keeping families happy.
Increasing Alcohol Dehydrogenase Enzyme Activity Proven to Result in Longer Life
A group of researchers made up of Abbas Ghaddar, Vinod K. Mony, Swarup Mishra, Samuel Berhanu, James C. Johnson, Elisa Enriquez-Hesles, Emma Harrison, Aaroh Patel, Mary Kate Horak, Jeffrey S. Smith and O’Rourke have presented the results of their research in a scientific journal called ‘Current Biology’. This group has no financial stake in the work that they have gone through.
Researchers have discovered that increasing the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme (ADH1) can help people live longer. They published their findings in a scientific journal article entitled “Increased Alcohol Dehydrogenase 1 Activity Promotes Longevity” on February 17, 2023 in Current Biology journal with DOICode 10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.059.
This study was provided with funding from several sources such as the U.S. government’s National Institutes of Health, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Jeffress Trust, the W.M Keck Foundation, the Jefferson Scholars Foundation, a program called UVA’s Society of Fellows and some teaching grants for cell and molecular biology.
