The difference in life span of these species is determined by genes.
Scientists have found genes related to longevity in several species.
Among them, there are both "longevity" genes that prolong life and genes that shorten life.
There is a by-product of metabolism in living things, called reactive oxygen species, also called free radicals.
It is closely related to the occurrence of diseases such as aging and cancer.
Cell oxidation can lead to cell damage or aging,
The product of "Longevity" gene can prevent cell oxidation, thus making people live longer.
There are also some gene products that can repair damaged DNA.
Or control the aging process of cells by controlling the length of chromosomes, which can also make people live longer.
Scientists believe that there are at least hundreds of genes related to life span in organisms, and only a small part of them have been discovered. By regulating the expression of these genes, the life span of organisms can be changed. Like Mike, a geneticist at the University of California? 6? 1 Ross bred a fruit fly that can live for 70 80 days by mating with a long-lived fruit fly, which is twice as long as that of a normal fruit fly.
Although genes are very important in determining longevity, they are not the only factors that determine longevity. Many scientists believe that the effect of environment and living habits on longevity may reach 66%. ※. Therefore, people who want to live a long life should pay attention to the following points: insist on physical exercise, control diet and weight; Not addicted to alcohol and tobacco; Proper use of maintenance factors, especially maintenance factors C and E; Eat more vegetarian dishes and less meat; Eat more raw vegetables and fruits.
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Looking for an elixir of life
Mice supplemented with melatonin can prolong their life by a quarter.
Can this discovery make the human dream of immortality come true? Or wait for the medical community to continue to work hard.
(Associate Professor Jin, Department of Medicine, Taiwan Province National Defense Medical College)
Scientists in Italy and Finland recently claimed to have discovered a new gene related to longevity. They found that there are three variants of this gene, namely E 2, E 3 and E 4. They studied 185 centenarians in Finland, and found that the elderly with E 4 in their bodies have no chance to live long, because people with this gene variant have poor ability to transport fat in their blood and are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases and myocardial infarction. Many centenarians contain E 2 gene variants. It is considered that E 2 is helpful to enhance the function of endocrine system, and can better transmit physiological information between brain and organs, so that cells and tissues of the body can resist the invasion of diseases more effectively.
Metabolic speed affects life span
The latest research shows that accelerating metabolism helps to prolong life. Metabolic speed refers to the speed at which the body burns food and produces energy. John and his colleagues at the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom tested the metabolism of 42 mice and measured the oxygen they consumed before they died. It was found that the life span of a group of mice with fast metabolism was three times that of mice with slow metabolism.
This discovery is a challenge to the traditional theory. People used to think that animals with fast metabolism would die young. For example, elephants tend to live longer than small animals. But John believes that this conclusion comes from the comparison between different species. For organisms of the same species, fast metabolism leads to longer life span. Now, researchers plan to apply this theory to people, hoping to achieve the purpose of prolonging life by increasing metabolic rate.
Eating less is easy to live longer.
Many studies show that eating less can make people live longer. The University of California has done experiments to make experimental mice eat only half full, and their life span is longer than that of their peers who eat more 1 times. Ongoing experiments show that a strict low-calorie diet also helps to prolong the life span of primates. According to this calculation, people can live to be 140 years old if they eat only half a meal.
American molecular biologist Gulanti believes that if we can reduce glucose intake by 75%, we can extend our life span by 25%. There is a gene in animals that is very important to determine life span, and reducing calorie intake can enhance the activity of this gene. At the same time, controlling calorie intake also makes other genes more "silent", thus reducing the changes of harmful chromosomes and helping to prolong the life of animals.
The study found that beggars are healthier than the rich. The reason is that they never overeat and eat too much coarse grains. And because they seldom take antibiotics, there are more bacteria in the intestine that help digestion, which is beneficial to health.