Just ran across this piece. Interesting. Once again low insulin levels are
showing up as a marker for longevity as well as low temperature and high
DHEAs -- made me feel good -- my low carb eating has given me low insulin
levels; I habitually have a much lower temperature than is normal. Don't know
my DHEA though. Other researchers in Italy found that centenaurians who were
'healthy' had low insulin, low triglycerides and high HDL; factors which
correlated with their healthy aging. I have all three of those. Overall I'd
say that the longevity markers so far revealed are those most likely to
result from a restricted 'modern' carb diet or paleo plan.
Friday, 2 August, 2002, 00:19 GMT 01:19 UK Scientists unravel secrets of
long life
The research is based on a group of 1,500 people
By Richard Black
BBC science correspondent Scientists in the United States have discovered
three things which help predict how long someone is going to live.
In a study published in the journal Science, they report that the length of a
person's life is related to their body temperature, and to levels of two
chemicals, insulin and DHEAS, circulating in the blood.
If we can learn what these individuals are doing then perhaps we could help
the rest of us to live longer, too
Dr George Roth On average, people who have a lower body temperature live
longer, as do those with lower levels of insulin, and those with higher
levels of DHEAS.
The researchers are not entirely sure of the reasons behind this finding but
experiments with animals suggest it may be to do with a lower metabolic rate.
They say that unravelling the mechanisms behind the finding may lead to new
ways of helping people to live longer.
Of mice and men
The suggested link between lifespan and metabolic rate comes from experiments
in which animals are maintained on strict calorie-controlled diets.
These animals tend to live longer than normal - up to 40% longer. They also
have lower than average body temperature, low levels of insulin, and high
levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS).
George Roth from the National Institute of Ageing in Baltimore in the United
States has been working on a long-term study of factors affecting human
lifespan.
Called the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Ageing, it has been running since
1958 and has enrolled around 1,500 people.
Longevity clues
Following the lead given by the animal diet experiments, Dr Roth's team
decided to analyse body temperature and levels of insulin and DHEAS in men
enrolled in the Baltimore study.
"Men with lower temperature and insulin and those maintaining higher DHEAS
levels have greater survival than respective counterparts," he writes in the
Science journal. At present, there are not enough data to say precisely how
big these effects are.
The average human body temperature is around 37 degrees Celsius but
individuals differ by around a degree.
The men in the Baltimore study are not on diets. So something else must be
keeping body temperature and insulin down, and DHEAS up, in the men who are
living longer.
"It could be genetic, it could be something else in their lifestyle apart
from diet," Dr Roth told the BBC. "If we can learn what these individuals are
doing then perhaps we could help the rest of us to live longer, too."
See also:
29 Jul 02 | Health Positive thinking 'extends life'
15 Jul 02 | Health Sleep 'key to longer life'
04 Jul 02 | England 'No sex' rule for longer life
09 May 02 | Health Life expectancy to soar
18 Feb 02 | Boston 2002 Hunting 'longevity genes'
17 Feb 02 | From Our Own Correspondent China's secrets of long life
05 Apr 01 | Health Clever people 'live longer'
Internet links:
ScienceBritish Society for Research on Ageing
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Top Health stories now:
Namaste, Liz
<A HREF="http://www.csun.edu/~ecm59556/Healthycarb/index.html">
http://www.csun.edu/~ecm59556/Healthycarb/index.html</A>
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