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Israeli researchers claim to have partially reversed cellular aging using a somewhat controversial treatment. Although this is only a small study, it improves our understanding of the aging process in humans.
Shortening of the telomeres, the caps at the end of each of our chromosomes, is one of the major underlying mechanisms of aging. Cell division shrinks these telomeres each time it occurs, leaving each new chromosome slightly shorter than its predecessor.
This, in turn, increases the risk of mutation down the line, which can often lead to age-related diseases like certain types of cancer.
Israeli scientists, led by Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Shair Efrati, say they can now partially reverse this process by lengthening the length of these telomeres in the body. using hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).
They placed 26 volunteers aged 64 and older in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for five 90-minute sessions each week for three months, taking samples regularly throughout the process.
At the end of the study, the researchers were pleasantly surprised to find that some of the patients’ telomeres had lengthened by up to 20%.
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The aging process is not a direct result of telomere reduction, but keeping the cover on the chromosomes means better cell performance until old age. Avoiding telomere shrinkage can be helped with quality sleep, exercise, and good nutrition, but the application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy also appears to promote healthier telomeres in the body.
However, the researchers agree that their study was based on a small sample size, needs to be replicated, and that the technique has previously been tried without success.
Additionally, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can be a somewhat controversial topic, as there have been extraordinary and poorly substantiated claims that it can treat conditions ranging from aseptic bone necrosis, global cerebral ischemia to autism.
Efrati describes the comprehensive knowledge and understanding of telomere shortening as “The ‘Holy Grail’ of the biology of aging.”
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In order to “turn back time” to the aging process, we would need to recover some of the pieces of genetic code lost during cell division. This happens in certain tissues that line our gut, via an enzyme called telomerase, another avenue of in-depth research.
However, telomerase reactivation is a technique used by some cancers to replicate, so scientists should also proceed with caution while exploring this particular avenue.
The aging process goes far beyond telomere shortening, so humanity is still a long way from discovering the fountain of youth, but early indications are that HBOT may improve health in older people.
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