London: Coming soon: A pill that will help
you live past 100, say scientists.
An international team is on track to develop what it
claims is the "long life" super pill which could help people
live a long and healthy life well above 100 years.
And, the scientists say that the drug, designed to
mimic the actions of three genes which aid longevity, could be
ready for testing within three years, British newspaper `The
Daily Telegraph` reported.
It follows the discovery of three different genes
which all significantly increase the chances of living past
100. Two of the genes increase the production of the so-called
good cholesterol in the body, reducing the risk of heart
disease and stroke, while the third helps to prevent diabetes.
People with the gene variants are also 80 per cent
less likely to develop Alzheimer`s, studies have shown. The
genes were discovered in a group of Jews with an average age
of 100.
Dr Nir Barzilai, the Director of the Institute for
Ageing Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said
that several laboratories were now in the process of creating
the pill that to trigger the same effects as the genes.
He expects the first of the drugs to be ready for
testing within three years.
PTI
