Skip to main content RSS Info Close Search Facebook Twitter
Location
Category
Providers / Vacancies
Feedback

To live longer, mix with the young

Longevity may be linked with time spent with members of the younger generation, according to an animal study  published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

It also provides insights into the treatment of age-dependent diseases in humans.

Researchers at the University of Iowa studied the behaviour of a mutated short-living version of fruit flies (Sod flies), that were placed in a vial with younger non-mutant flies.

They also paired older mutant fruit flies with younger mutant flies in separate vials.

They found that the mutant flies raised with the younger control flies, lived twice as long as mutants housed with other mutants.

Subsequent testing also showed that the mutants housed with their younger, longer-lived relatives had improved physical responses and better survived environmental stresses, compared to fruit flies that remained among the mutant population.

This could have implications for human health, since the enzymatic mutation in the insect’s genetic code mirrors deficits in diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s Diseases.

“This study shows that the lifespan of Sod flies is plastic and can be conditioned by social interactions, corroborating the enduring notion that human patients of certain age-dependent neurological diseases, may be benefited by an appropriate social environment,” the authors write.

Visit:

www.pnas.org

Share this article

Read next

Subscribe

Subscribe to our Talking Aged Care newsletter to get our latest articles, delivered straight to your inbox
  1. Eighty years after getting married, this couple lives together...
  2. Who says your age should limit your dreams?
  3. Data from a recently released report highlights a concerning...
  4. With an ageing and growing population, data from the...
  5. Approximately 411,000 Australians are estimated to be living...
  6. How could you benefit from attending university as an older...

Recent articles

  1. What is a lesser known impact of hearing loss for older...
  2. Are there options for older Australians to live in the same...
  3. The new initiative brings older Aussies together to see the...
  4. A collaboration between Dementia Australia and VistaPrint...
  5. How can you look after yourself during the expected heatwaves...
  6. How is an interactive app being used in aged care settings to...
  7. How could the upcoming strengthening of super standards save...
  8. Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett, a Western Australian volunteer,...
  9. Why is an illegal website targeting older Australians?
  10. Eighty years after getting married, this couple lives together...
  11. How does heart health impact your risk of dementia?
  12. Instead of going to the hospital, could older Australians...
  1. {{ result.posted_at | timeago }}

Sorry, no results were found
Perhaps you misspelled your search query, or need to try using broader search terms.
Please type a topic to search
Some frequently searched topics are "dementia", "elderly" etc
Close