Researchers Eager To Test Anti-Aging Drug On Humans

Via Flickr user (cc) guido_castillo

Humans have been on a search for the proverbial fountain of youth long before Ponce de Leon’s quest led him to Florida in 1513. Every year, Americans spend millions of dollars on face creams that allegedly reduce wrinkles and supplements that are supposed to boost testosterone levels. But no one has ever come close to discovering an anti-aging drug until now. Last month, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis and Keio University in Japan announced they may have discovered a compound that reverses the aging process in humans.

The international group of researchers has been studying a compound called nicotinamide mono nucleotide (NMN). Its been shown to reverse diabetes and counter declines in metabolism, eyesight, and glucose intolerance in mice. It also activates proteins known as sirtuins which decrease in production as we age. Studies show that mice that were administered NMN lived longer and aged slower that mice that had not.

The results of the researchers’ tests in mice have been so positive that NMN will become the first anti-aging treatment to be tested on humans. Next month, scientists will administer NMN to ten human subjects to see if the compound stops the effects of aging. “We’ve confirmed a remarkable effect in the experiment using mice, but it’s not clear yet how much [NMN] will affect humans,” Professor Shinichiro Imai of Washington University said in a statement. “We’ll carefully conduct the study, which I hope will result in important findings originating in Japan.” If NMN is approved for use in humans, it will be the first anti-aging drug to be made available to the public.