by Nina
Just a part of NY Times Diagram |
As some of you may know by now, my husband, Dr. Brad Gibson, is a medical researcher who works at a research institute where the focus is on aging and age-related diseases. So I hear about a lot of studies that claim to have discovered this or that supplement or food that will slow aging or lengthen our life spans. We are often quite skeptical, especially when we learn about how the studies were done. Because it is expensive and time-consuming to test human beings (and sometimes unethical), these studies are often done on worms and flies. And concluding that the effects are going to be the same on human beings is rather a stretch.
I was motivated to write about this today after seeing a wonderful graphic in the Sunday New York Times in the article A Handy Guide to Longer Living Through Science! (I’m pretty sure the title is ironic.) I actually started to laugh when I read that the study that proved green tea extends life was done on flies (and the one that proved that it won’t was done on mice). A lot of the other studies on supplements were done on worms.
There’s a reason for this. Worms and flies have very short life spans and also visible signs of aging. Yes, older worms get quite wrinkly, for example. So it’s easy to change something about their diet and then see an obvious result, either in a longer-than expected life span or some other physical change. But does that mean the same thing would happen in a human?
Brad says:
“I suppose its no accident that the artist who created the graphic used a “mouse maze” of conflicting, supporting or just plain absurd experimental results that have been published in the last three years alone to illustrate the disarray of lifespan research. While we all would have our favorites, for example, “worms live longer in outer space” or “men decrease women’s life spans” (sorry, dear), these studies point to several underlying assumptions (or misassumptions) about how scientists go about studying longevity or health span. For one, we use a number of model organisms, with worms, flies and mice being the favorites. This is obvious to anyone thinking about conducting such a study, as these animals live anywhere from a couple of weeks to 2-3 years at most. Two, as we compare results of similar regimens across these organisms, we get a lot of contradictory results—maybe not a huge surprise. However, the more troubling truth is that even when we use the same model organism, the results can be very different (Rapamycin slows aging in mice, Rapamycin doesn’t slow mice aging). The reasons behind this are complex, but could be due to differences in mouse strain, or the lab they are raised in (different gut microbiome!). My read on this? Here goes: avoid gimmicky lifespan-increasing supplements and drugs and, of course, get plenty of exercise like yoga, as all studies seem to indicate a big beneficial effect in daily exercise.”
So have fun looking at this graphic summary of recent studies on aging. I myself was thrilled to see that the study that showed coffee extends life was done on humans! But wait—there was another study done on humans that shows coffee decreases life spans. Sigh.
Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° To order Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being, go to Amazon, Shambhala, Indie Bound or your local bookstore.
Thank you for addressing these issues via reference to the New York Times article. One hears about these so called "clinical studies," and claims about the life extending benefits of a wide array of supplements in daily and news flashes. Although it's always been my view that such claims were unlikely to be substantiated by double blind studies conducted on humans and adhering to standard research protocol, I was amused to find out that worms, mice and flies were used as the basis for the claim. The problems is that the general public doesn't have a hint. I'm in my sixties, I drink coffee regularly. I eat a cup of fresh blueberries every day and take a multi-vitamin daily with my largest meal. I've been doing yoga on and off since the 1970s but have made it my primary form of exercise for the last 8 years or so. I have the blood pressure and agility of someone in their twenties or early thirties. My blood work is picture perfect. I have worked in high stress occupations throughout. During my recent annual exams, I noticed that my doctors continue to be intrigued by my continued vitality while they search for some ailment more becoming to someone who is on Medicare as it is their expectation that we should all fall apart by at least age 65. I have told my doctors repeatedly about the health benefits of yoga and meditation and I've noticed that now that I have attained true senior citizen status – they're starting to listen. Before they thought I was just plain lucky or had those elusive "good gene."
There is a lot of what I call "food superstition" out there. It's really misplaced mysticism.. IMO, a result of the rise of secular culture. People don't realise that our bodies can thrive on a wide range of foods. There really isn't an "optimal mix", and certainly no diet that will make you live forever. Worse yet, we moralise it, by believing that cancer is caused by eating certain foods.. so if your diet isn't "approved", and you get cancer, it's your fault… which is horrible, it's just blaming the victim… Let's get a little sanity about this shall we? We don't choose our food preferences, and being born with one particular set over another doesn't make you a more moral person, and it won't guarantee long life and good health. This is all just superstitions.