Wonder Enzyme Could Extend Lifespan

A team of researchers at the University of Virginia seeking to identify the mechanisms that drive healthy aging and longevity have found a promising approach to delay aging by decreasing toxic byproducts of fat.

They found that a “wonder enzyme” responsible for breaking down and eliminating alcohol from the body that also contributes to longevity and aging more healthily. They named the mechanism AMAR (alcohol-dehydrogenase-mediated anti-aging response), which is the Sanskrit word for immortality.

The researchers tested this mechanism on microscopic worms (Caenorhabditis elegans), which share more than 70% of our genes and are a preferred model to study aging. Activating the AMAR mechanism promoted longevity in C. elegans, which lived 50% longer and also had better health signs. A similar benefit was found on yeast.

AMAR extends healthspan and lifespan, at least in part, by detoxifying the body of glycerol and glyceraldehyde, age-associated and aging-promoting alcohols that naturally accumulate in the body over time. The researchers suspect that because glycerol and glyceraldehyde are toxic, health-draining by-products of fat, they could be contributing factors in health issues over time. AMAR may combat and break down the build-up of the harmful by-products, leading to more years of good health.

The researchers now plan to test if genetic activation of the enzyme extends the lifespan of mice. “We are eager to perform these searches for activators because we see that the activation of these enzymes not only extends lifespan but it also reduces the severity and delays the onset of age-related diseases including obesity, loss of muscle function, and neurodegeneration," says ead researcher Eyleen Jorgelina O’Rourke. "With age-related diseases currently being the major health burden for patients, their families and the healthcare system, targeting the process of aging itself would be the most effective way to reduce this burden and increase the number of years of independent healthy living for all of us.”