Aging dogs may hold the key to anti-aging therapies
The issue of aging, DNA methylation and its effects on aging is well studied. However, the use of modifications to DNA in order to reverse or reduce aging is still an unexplored area. Researchers have shown that caloric restriction, rapamycin and other interventions can reverse or slow age-related DNA. Understanding cross-species aging through similar DNA behaviors could open up more opportunities to investigate therapeutics that minimize lifetime risks for age-related illnesses like Alzheimer’s and cancers.
The study, published in Cell Systems, sought to dispel one of the biggest myths surrounding dogs. As Sara Tabin explained in a Forbes article, the relationship between human and dog years is not linear but based on a formula that is logarithmic. The researchers at the University of California, San Diego, created the following formula:
Age in human years = 16 log(age in dog-years) + 31. The \”ln\” stands for natural logarithm.
Source:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ninashapiro/2020/07/11/the-answer-to-anti-aging-therapies-may-lie-in-your-aging-dog/
