Professor Michael Ristow and his Japanese colleagues from the Universities of Oita and Hiroshima have shown in two different tests that even low concentrations of lithium bring a considerable increase in longevity in humans as well as in other organisms (in this case a type of worm, the Caenorhabditis elegans.): the research was published on European Journal of Nutrition.
Lithium it is one of the nutrients present in plants and drinking water: "the scientific community does not yet know the physiological function of this element," says Ristow. "To evaluate its effects on humans, the researchers analyzed the mortality rate in 18 Japanese municipalities, and found an important correlation between the longevity of some areas and the amount of lithium present in drinking water. the same amount also to C.Elegans, and obtained the same results ".
In other words, although the mechanism has not yet been understood, scientists believe that lithium increases longevity: it is a basis for even broader studies, which provide the cue for the development of low-dose supplements as a dietary supplement.
"In the recent past we have already verified an important relationship between the amount of lithium present in drinking water and a low suicide rate, or a better level of psychological well-being in general. More studies will be needed, but it seems to us an element to investigate. ".
In vino veritas, in Litio iuvenes, apparently.
