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And this breakthrough could also reduce the risk of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, according to the study published in Developmental Cell.
The researchers found that by combining two pharmaceutical drugs, the lifespan of microscopic worms called Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) almost doubled.
Medications have worked by dramatically reducing the rate of aging and research has laid the "crucial foundation" for the same effect in mammals.
A team of researchers led by Dr. Jan Gruber, principal investigator of Yale-NUS College, administered compounds targeting different aging pathways of C. elegans.
One of the drugs was rapamycin, administered to humans after an organ transplant to prevent the body from rejecting this organ.
However, previous results have shown that it can increase the lifespan of many organisms, including C. elegans worms, fruit flies and mice.
When it was administered with another pharmaceutical compound, the team discovered that rapamycin not only massively prolonged the life of a worm, but that it also spent a higher percentage of its life in good health. no side effects.
Dr. Guber said, "Many countries around the world are facing problems related to the aging of the population.
"If we can find a way to prolong the healthy life span and delay the aging of the population, we will be able to counteract the adverse effects of the aging of the population, offering countries not only medical and economic benefits, but also a better quality of life for their populations.
"We would benefit not only to extend our lives, but also to spend more time without age-related diseases, such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer or Alzheimer's disease.
"These diseases currently require very expensive treatments, so the economic benefits of being healthier longer would be enormous."
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