It's true, although the connection had been suspected for years before that. It has also been established that diet can have a huge impact on aging. An otherwise healthy adult can extend their lifespan markedly by restricting their diet to about 70% of the calories normally consumed. Hard work or exercise is also key to longevity. By keeping the body at the very edge of starvation, the aging process slows dramatically. John Dobson is an excellent example of this philosophy. He has always eaten sparsely and enjoyed hard physical labor- and remained vital into his '90's. If I could live to 300, I wouldn't worry about Social Security. Another decade or two of work and saving would guarantee a fantastic retirement income thanks to the miracle of compound interest. --- "Don J. Colton" <djcolton@piol.com> wrote:
A few years ago Geron (stock symbol: GERN) claimed that they had determined the major cause of aging. It involved the deterioration of telomerase in normal cells. Their President predicted that within 20 years we would be able to reverse aging and live a good life to about the age of 300. I am not sure he still believes that, but if it occurred what would it do to social security and retirement plans.
Cancer cells do not experience aging like normal cells hence Geron recently seems to be targeting the destruction of telomerase in cancer cells.
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