Fountain of Youth: PHA-4 Gene?

You may think that, as a chiropractor, I am opposed to any and all drugs. Well, by and large, there is some truth to that. However, developments in anti-aging medicine hold the promise to not only extend our lives, but to greatly improve the quality of our lives. And in that regard I am very open-minded.

A team of scientists at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California are closing in on the secret to keeping your youth over the span of your whole life. And the amazing thing is this new drug they are working on is said to even have the potential to double a person’s life span and take care of incurable diseases too! Andrew Dillin is considered by many to be the best young scientist in the world. Dillin believes that one day in the near future we can, as he says, change the aging program. He and his lab mates may hold the key that could extend people’s youthfulness well into their later years and even double their lifespan. For another article on this topic click here.

But hold on, the gene discovered by Dr. Dillin and his colleagues, known as PHA-4, was discovered in worms, not humans. In worms, the gene plays a key role in the embryonic development of the intestine, and also coordinates other genes that influence how the adult worm's body responds to a restricted diet. Now here is where it gets interesting. Humans possess at least three genes that are very similar to PHA-4. A future drug that turns those human genes on could yield a health and longevity response, Dr. Dillin said.

Ok, while ground-breaking research is exciting, it seems the potential implications to a fountain of youth discovery will most certainly be far-reaching. Doubling lifespans brings up many ethical and moral issues. Booming world population levels already pose grave risks towards our environment. Greatly extending lifespans accelerates the population explosion. On a practical level, living to be 250 years old, even in good genetic, biochemical, and hormonal balance; will lead to a new set of health issues. One of which is the accumulation of toxins in our bodies. The simple truth is the longer we live, the more toxins accumulate in our systems.

Today there exists many steps that can be taken to both extend and improve the quality of our lives. And luckily in regards to various issues associated with such long and healthy lifespans, there is a natural filter for who is entitled to have access to this information. Each individual has to decide to make the effort, and most people are unwilling. Others are just confused about who to trust and where to start.