A team of scientists may have just discovered a new secret to extend human life span. Making sure that there is the right amount of iron in our blood could guarantee longevity.
The research team at the University of Edinburgh examined data on the lifespan of 1,75 million people, an absolutely impressive number.
Among these 60.000 subjects who have reached an unusually advanced age: in their bodies, scientists have found a clear link between iron levels in the blood and a longer life. These, in summary, are the results research published Thursday in the journal Nature Communications.
Towards the longevity "pill".
The peculiarity of the research lies in the fact that the team discovered that more genes capable of regulating iron levels in the blood were often found in long-lived people. Now the team hypothesizes from this new awareness the next development of drugs that prolong the lifespan.
Iron in the blood and longevity: the missing link
The discovery of the Edinburgh team would seem to fill a gap of knowledge and finally explain sensibly the link between life span, diet and disease.
“We are very excited by these findings as they strongly suggest that high levels of iron in the blood shorten our healthy life years. In the near future, keeping these levels under control could prevent age-related damage."
Paul Timmers, one of the main authors of the research, expresses enthusiasm in a press release. “We hypothesize that our findings on iron metabolism may explain why very high levels of iron-rich red meat in the diet are linked to age-related conditions such as heart disease.”
New bases
Timmers warned, however, that the implications for diet and any potential treatment are speculative for now, and far beyond the scope of this new study.
Even so, in any case, the study lays important foundations for future attempts to understand the mechanisms underlying longevity.
A secret, apparently, kept in iron.
