The lack of a certain protein, Menin, can make us age faster. But scientists have found that this process can be slowed down by taking dietary supplements. This makes us smarter, healthier bones, thicker skin and longer life-spans.
A recent study suggests that a decrease in the hormone Menin may be connected with aging. The research suggests that taking some special types of amino acid supplements could reduce the effects of aging. The team behind this research is led by scientist Lige Leng from Xiamen University, China, and their work was released on March 16th in an online journal called PLOS Biology.
The hypothalamus is involved in aging of our bodies. It does this by making inflammation in our brains and everywhere else that gets worse over time. This type of inflammation can cause multiple problems related to getting older.
Scientists recently studied the effects of Menin, a protein found in the hypothalamus part of the brain, on aging. They noticed that with age, Menin levels decreased in the hypothalamus but not in other cells nearby. To test this further, they made mice without any Menin. These mice had lower bone mass and skin thickness than usual, were less smart than before and their life spans were shorter too! All these signs showed that a decrease in Menin causes some of the problems faced while aging.
When Menin was not present in the body, an amino acid called D-serine was also decreased. This amino acid is known for being a brain messenger and it’s often found in foods like soybeans, eggs, fish and nuts. The researchers found out that the reason why the levels of D-serine were dropping was because when Menin disappeared, an enzyme used to help create it stopped working.
Scientists wanted to know if reversing age-related memory loss could also reverse signs of aging. To test that, they gave gene for memory to elderly mice. After thirty days, their skin and bones got stronger plus their learning, thinking and balancing skills improved too. This is because more D-serine was in the hippocampus, which is part of the brain responsible for learning and memory. Even without giving genes to the mice, just by giving them D-serine supplements for three weeks showed an improvement in their thinking skills but not how they look on the outside.
Scientists still don’t know much about how Menin affects getting older. They are also unsure of the things that make it weaker and whether taking a supplement called D-serine might lead to more unknown changes down the road. Additionally, they don’t understand how much aging can be slowed or for how long if this pathway is used correctly.
Dr. Leng believes that a specific protein called Menin could be the reason why people get old. He also said that it might help link different aging-related factors like genetics, inflammation and metabolism together. Additionally, he suggested that D-serine may be useful for treating age-related cognitive decline.
Researchers found that when mice get old, the signaling of Menin in the part of their brain known as the ventromedial hypothalamus decreases. This decrease causes physical and mental decline which can be reversed by increasing the amount of Menin in this location. The effects of this are due to changes in inflammation levels and metabolism, as well as a lower concentration of a chemical called serine in the hypothalamus.
Recently, scientists discovered a way to use embryonic stem cells to make corneal epithelium. They also found that altering the Hypothalamic Menin gene in animals could slow down aging and improve memory. This was published in a scientific journal called PLoS Biology on March 16th 2023 with the DOI number 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002033.
