Aging can be measured by more than just the candles on our birthday cake. It can also be measured through chemical changes in our DNA – what scientists call “biomarkers”. But what happens if we alter this process at a cellular level? Can we stop aging in its tracks?
In a Benjamin Button-esque feat, in a study at UCLA researchers gave 9 participants a combination of growth hormone and diabetes medication in an attempt to stop shrinking in the thymus which occurs after puberty.
The results were surprising even to researchers who found that, on average, not only did biological aging halt, but participants regained 2.5 years of biological age over the one year study. In other words, on several markers of biological age, the study participants’ results looked younger than when they started.
Although the study was small and not very controlled, this does open up the possibility of medically halting aging, at least on a biological level. We here at the Optimist Daily, who are young at heart and celebrate the good things in life, are watching out for more ways we can stay young.
