Methionine Metabolism as Fingerprint of Extreme Longevity?
In centenarians, a tightly regulated metabolism of the amino acid methionine is correlated with extreme longevity
To study old age
In previous posts, we dove into various methods that are currently being pursued to mitigate the effects of senescence, from blood dilution over drugs and supplements, to stem cells.
(Of course, this is not to say that lifestyle, exercise, diet, genetics, and environment are irrelevant. Quite the opposite, paying attention to these factors is, at the moment, probably our best bet to age healthily.)
However, as noted in our explorations of these interventions, the results that are touted in the media and spur our imagination are more often than not achieved in mice or other model organisms. And if there are human studies, these assess the efficacy of an intervention through biomarkers — which may or may not truly reflect various aspects of the aging process. (Finding very accurate biomarkers of aging is still a work in progress, see for example the recent work on ‘aging clocks’.)
To get human data we would ideally run 50+ year randomized controlled trials in large groups and different populations. Good luck getting funding for that.
