Researchers have found that blocking fat transport can influence longevity, pointing to the possibility that manipulating fats and lipids can have a hand in improving life expectancy.
In a study published in the journal Autophagy, researchers who worked on nematodes and mice discovered that a naturally-occurring protein that transports fats in the body impedes important cell functions related to increasing lifespans as well. When vitellogenin (VIT), a worm yolk lipoprotein, was blocked, it increased lifespans in nematodes by up to 40 percent. In mice and people, as well as other mammals, the corresponding protein is apolipoprotein B (apoB), the reduction of which is already targeted by some treatments for cardiovascular disease.
According to the researchers, VIT prevents an organism from living longer by impairing cellular ability to utilize fat for better, healthier purposes. It determines what happens to fat within cells in the intestine and its reduction means that fat can be used in a number of other ways.
Lipophagy refers to the breakdown of large amounts of built-up fat and their utilization for other functions. Based on observations from the study, health and longevity benefits that usually come with higher levels of lipophagy are negated when there is a high amount of VIT.
In mice, aside from controlling apoB, longevity was also associated with dietary restriction. Earlier studies have shown that eating less usually leads to longer life in animals and this current research has found that putting mice on a calorie-restricted diet led to less apoB production.
The usual purpose of VIT is to direct fat away from the intestine and into the reproductive system to provide nourishment for eggs and assist in reproduction. This is a function similar to apoB, said Lapierre, except fats from the liver and intestine are transported to other tissues where they will either be stored or used.
Think of fat as fuel that's spread thin when VIT or apoB are at work. Reducing the proteins will then help in ensuring that fat is kept in the intestines, helping an organism carry out the needed functions to support longevity. In nematodes, at least, this has been proven.
In humans, the strategy is seen as promising in preventing age-related diseases.
The study received funding support from the American Federation for Aging Research and the National Institutes of Health. Other authors include: Nicole Seach, C. Daniel de Magalhaes Filho, Hope Henderson, Anna Petrashen, Julissa Gonzalez, Jade Laguer, Malene Hansen and Andrew Dillin.
Photo: Daniela Malide/NIH | Flickr
