Scientists revealed in a groundbreaking study that they have successfully slowed aging process in mice, and they’re hoping the development will lead to an anti-ageing pill that would work on humans.
In a five-year study, published in journal Cell, researchers report that they have found a molecule that essentially reactivates faltering blood flow in elderly mice, Time Magazine reports. Compromised blood flow is a major component of ageing, as it deprives tissues and organs, including the brain, of the nutrients and oxygen they need to function.
The compound, called nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a form of vitamin B3 that is naturally produced by the body, was fed to the 20-month-old mice, an age comparable to 70 years in people. After being treated with NMN for two months, it increased muscular blood flow, enhanced physical performance and endurance, and the older mice eventually became as fit and strong as the younger ones.