Sounds quite weird, doesn’t it?
Who would think about Anti-Aging and Zombies together?
However, if you want to be “Forever Young” maybe it’s a way to counteract part of the process of growing old.
And if this headline is anything to go by; “Ridding body of old zombie cells slows aging process, study shows” then many people would say Zombies are bad news especially if they’re the zombie cells in your own body say scientists at the Mayo Clinic.
These cells, called senescent cells, are responsible for the health impairments often associated with ageing, such as dementia and cataracts.
One of the keys to longevity is to give your body a way to get rid of the cells – not simply because they become useless with age, but because by their presence in your body, they can cause the surrounding cells to not be as healthy as those cells would normally be.
In your body’s normal functionality, cells are supposed to divide, but senescent cells stop doing that and instead just sit in your body. The problem is, they don’t just sit quietly. They start trouble in the aging process by what they put out.
A substance called P16INK4A (found in the senescent cells) is a molecule that can create inflammation and destruction in normal cells. These cells are also responsible for suppressing tumours. When there is a mutation or the cells stop dividing, it can increase the risk of you getting certain cancers.
The body has a built in defence mechanism that’s supposed to get rid of these zombie cells, but as we get up in years, the immune system can’t always do this job and so age related problems then begin because of these cell activities.
These cells are forerunners that push aging in the body’s tissues.
You’ll find these cells present in conditions such as arthritis and in build-up in the arteries of the heart.
The key to stopping these cells from damaging other cells and causing ageing health problems is found in a scientific method of helping the body ditch the cells or rendering them ineffective against healthy ones.
Researchers have discovered that if they inject mice with a senescent cell created with a molecule that reacts to a drug designed to cause the cells to die, then it slows the aging process.
Anti-Aging Trials Show Good Results
By giving the mice the drug, current evidence shows they didn’t have the same age associated health problems that mice who were not given the drug developed. The mice in the study didn’t get cataracts, had better muscle tone and more energy.
The study offers hope that medicine can be created for humans that can stimulate the body into getting rid of the zombie cells and can stop the cells from damaging healthy ones.
With this development, it appears scientists may be able to help people age while keeping their health more intact than at present.
It is certainly an interesting piece of research – please tell us what you think in the comment box below?
Cheers – John.
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