Israeli scientists say they have found a way to reverse human aging process

Specifically, the study focused on whether the process could reverse two key indicators of biological aging: the shortening of DNA telomeres and the resulting accumulation of senescent cells.

A telomere is the end of a chromosome. Telomeres are made up of repeating sequences of non-coding DNA that act as bumpers to protect the chromosome from damage during replication. Each time replication occurs, these bumpers take a hit making them shorter and shorter.

Once the telomere reaches a certain length, the cell can no longer replicate itself, which leads to senescent cells: aging, dysfunctional cells that ultimately lead to cognitive or age-related disabilities and even diseases, such as the cancer.

Some 35 adults over the age of 64 participated in the study and received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) using 100% oxygen in an environmental pressure greater than absolute atmosphere to increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the tissues of the body. body.

Every 20 minutes, participants were asked to remove their masks for five minutes, bringing their oxygen back to normal levels. However, during this time, the researchers saw that fluctuations in the concentration of free oxygen were interpreted at the cellular level as a lack of oxygen – rather than interpreting the absolute level of oxygen.

In other words, repeated intermittent hyperoxic exposures (increased oxygen level) induced many mediators and cellular mechanisms typically induced during hypoxia (decreased oxygen levels) – what Efrati explained is called the hyperoxic-hypoxic paradox.

“The fluctuation in oxygen that we have generated is what’s important,” he said. The Jerusalem Post. “During this process, a state of oxygen scarcity occurred, which caused cell regeneration.” The interior of a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber at the Aviv Clinic in Florida. (Aviv Clinic)

Practical ramifications include improvements in attention, information processing speed, and executive functions, which normally decrease with aging and are of concern to over 50% of people over 60.

The participants did not undergo any changes in lifestyle, diet or medication during the duration of the study, which could have affected the results.

“We are not [just] slow the decline – we are going back in time, ”Efrati said.

According to their work, the changes were equivalent to the way participants’ bodies looked at the cellular level 25 years earlier.

Efrati has been studying how to reverse the aging process for a decade and runs the Aviv clinics in Florida. This study, he said, is the first evidence that the cellular basis of the aging process can be reversed, adding that it “gives hope and opens the door for many young scientists to target aging as a reversible disease ”.

It could also allow doctors and scientists to find a way to monitor the length of telomeres and develop drugs that could help them grow back when needed.

Will it make people live longer?

The duration of the effect has yet to be determined in long-term follow-ups, Efrati said. But he added: “Probably yes. We know that people with shorter telomeres die sooner, so that makes sense.

Another drawback of the study was the limited sample size.