Even with technological advancements, researchers have difficulty treating aging among humans. But the high-tech tool known as CRISPR, gene-editing equipment, shows a promising result in curing rapid aging within humans.
However, science does not seem to dwell sometimes with technology, and the possible solution to slow or even reverse aging could already be an outdated method.
Introduction of Reverse Aging
In a report by Popular Mechanics, a team of researchers from Israel made use of two key biological clocks to experiment. The participants in the study were instructed to undergo oxygen therapy inside a pressurized chamber.
According to scientists, the cellular structure of humans undergoes division as the person gets older. The DNA sequences, which are called telomeres could shrink as a result. The outcome will be death for the cell when the telomeres decrease in size, but it is not exactly bad for the human body.
What happens next will be the prevention of the cancer cells' growth, so they will not replicate anymore. However, this event happens in exchange for genetic aging.
The cells involved in the process are the geriatric cells. They will later become senescent cells that contribute to rapid aging that continues for a long time.
How The Experts Arrive in the Experiment
To carry out the study, the researchers gathered 35 adults whose ages range from 64 and above. They have undergone oxygen therapy for 60 sessions daily within three months as part of the clinical trials.
Furthermore, the blood samples of the participants were required before the process. Specifically, they got the blood samples after the first two months of the trial and two weeks after the trials were done.
It was reported that no one from the subjects had gone through medication and diets, but the researchers discovered that their telomeres showed an increase in cellular length. This meant that the senescent cells, on the other hand, have decreased. The use of pressurized oxygen chambers was no longer new in finding out the key to cure aging.
Researchers had already used Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for a century, not only in curing the said condition but also to seek treatment for decompression sickness and carbon monoxide poisoning, the common problems encountered by deep-water divers.
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How Does the Oxygen Therapy Work
The patients were instructed to breathe pure oxygen inside a chamber. By doing this, it is expected that their body will be saturated with oxygen. However, some effects might happen in said state. For example, the participant could experience oxygen starvation or hypoxia.
This kind of therapy was previously conducted for brain stimulation and improving cognitive skills. However, this present study is the first time that the experts have used it for reverse aging.
"Since telomere shortening is considered the 'Holy Grail' of the biology of aging, many pharmacological and environmental interventions are being extensively explored in the hopes of enabling telomere elongation," Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine professor Shai Efrati said.
The team discovered that the length of the telomere has significantly improved, and this could be a cornerstone of the scientific steps to reverse aging biologically.
In past studies, the use of danazol, a pharmacological drug, can increase the length of the telomere. Besides drugs and therapies, the lifestyle of the people through their diet and physical activities have been found out to also contribute to improving the size of telomeres.
The only downside of the oxygen therapy is its duration inside the pressurized chamber, as patients do not find it compelling. It is, however, a cheap alternative compared to medical drugs.
To read the full study entitled "Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases telomere length and decreases immunosenescence in isolated blood cells: a prospective trial," visit this the scientific journal Aging.
Related Article: [STUDY] Scientists Reprogram Human Cells to Slow Aging; Clues Why Vessels Harden as People Age, Revealed
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Written by Joen Coronel
