“He rained down manna upon them to eat and gave them food from heaven.”---Psalm 78:24-25
“This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.”---John 6:50-51
There are just a few things we really know, the rest is all supposition. We knew for certain that the Earth is round, that it circles a sun in the company of eight similar orbs---Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Then, a planetary referee walked into the room holding up a red card and Pluto was disqualified and sent weeping from the field. Something about insufficient heft.
We knew that the British and the Irish Republican Army would never reconcile, that the years of hatred, bombs, bloodshed and failed promises had created a perpetual motion machine of animosity which would not be stilled until the impossible date that Hell froze over. Then one day, it did.
When we saw the field of sixteen candidates take the stage for the first Republican debate of the 2016 presidential election, we knew for certain that the orange-haired bully with the overlong tie didn’t sniff a chance to win his party’s nomination. When he did, we were doubly sure he’d be routed in the general election. You saw how that went. There are few things we really know, the rest is all supposition.
Once, we knew there was a Santa Claus. We knew that our parents never made mistakes. If we were boys, we knew that we’d never get married. We knew that there would always be drive-in movies and record stores in the mall. We knew that credit cards would never work because people would buy up heaps of stuff and nobody could make them pay the bill. We knew that rental car companies were insane to lend their brand-new vehicles to customers who would promptly drive them to Guatamala. And more than anything, we knew that human beings would live to seventy or eighty years, then sputter, flop over and die. It’s ridiculous to imagine otherwise. If you don’t believe us, check our track record for accuracy. You’ll be impressed.
Onward, Through The Fog!
If there’s anything we can believe in these days of leaping computer wizardry and ongoing medical breakthroughs, it’s that almost nothing is impossible. If Death is a higher mountain than most, it just requires better climbing tools. Let’s take a look at what’s available.
1---Rapamycin. In 1964, a group of Canadian scientists descended on remote Easter Island to study the health of the local population. Working in the shadows of the island’s famous statues, they gathered a variety of soil samples and other biological material, unaware that one sample would yield an unexpected treasure, a bacterium which secreted a new antibiotic, one which proved to be a potent anti-fungal chemical. The compound was called rapamycin, after the traditional name of the island, Rapa Nui.
Skip forward to the present, where rapamycin is used in most of the world’s hospitals, where its ability to suppress the human immune system makes it invaluable when given to transplant patients to halt organ rejection. Rapamycin’s ability to stop cells from dividing has also formed the basis for potential anti-cancer drugs. And now, the chemical has shown an even more interesting capacity. It can expand lifespan, at least in mice.
Eight years ago, David Harrison, Randy Strong and Richard Miller, leading a team of 13 American scientists, found that capsules of rapamycin could extend the lifespan of mice by up to 14%. This is especially compelling given that the mice involved were already twenty months old at the time of the experiment, the equivalent of 60-year-old humans. Harrison put the results into stark context: “By comparison, preventing ALL atherosclerosis and cancer deaths in humans would increase lifespan by less than 9%.”
Rapamycin works by blocking a single protein, an enzyme now called TOR (target of rapamycin). It is the first protein that has been shown to influence lifespan in every one of the four model species that scientists commonly use to study aging: yeast, worms, flies and mice.
In 2016, researchers at the University of Washington tested the effects of rapamycin on dogs and were shocked to discover improved heart functionality after just a few weeks. Since dogs age very quickly compared to humans, this allows scientists to study the entire aging process in a short amount of time. The UW team recruited 40 dog-owners, who were each required to medicate their pets (some with placebos) three times a week for ten weeks, at which time echocardiograms were taken. The dogs getting rapamycin improved dramatically and the ones which arrived in the worst condition saw the most improvement.
Owner Lynn Gemmell insists that her dog, Bela, has turned back into a puppy. “Look how fast she’s getting that ball!” Gemmell remarks, certain (but not guaranteed) that her dog has received the rapamycin and not a placebo. “I mean it’s so obvious she’s changed.”
Naysayers warn that any drug which slows aging might instead serve to delay the onset of several major diseases at once, but rapamycin has been approved by the Food & Drug Aministration for organ transplant and cancer patients. In a 2014 study by the drug company Novartis, rapamycin appeared to bolster the immune system in older patients. With an eye toward changing the way millions grow older, Novartis has begun taking steps to position a version of rapamycin as the first true anti-aging drug. Says Matt Kaeberlein, a scientist at the University of Washington, “I view it as the ultimate preventative medicine. We have the potential to delay the onset of all these diseases at the same time by understanding and intervening in the molecular processes that drive aging. We now know that this is possible.”
2---Deprenyl. Discovered in Hungary more than 30 years ago, Deprenyl is a neuro-protective drug which has prolonged life span in many rodent studies and also in dogs. In the 1990s, under the brand name Selegiline, it became a standard treatment for Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s patients who take Selegiline live longer than matched patients who take only the standard treatment, L-Dopa. More recently, the same drug (brand name Emsam) has been prescribed for depression and ADD. There is a small cult of people taking it daily for life extension, though some claim it has an effect on mood and personality.
Josh Mitteldorf, a writer on aging, comments: “I know people who have taken Selegiline as an anti-depressant with results noticeable from the outside. They were inspired to new creative projects, full of enthusiasm, less realistic about follow-through and detail.”
Dr. Joseph Knoll, the Hungarian neurochemist and pharmacologist (and a Holocaust survivor) who developed Deprenyl, first synthesized the drug in his Budapest laboratory in 1961. Deprenyl, he claims, induces irreversible inhibition of monoamine oxidase-B (MOA-B), thus increasing the availability of dopamine, particularly in the substantia nigra. MOA-B also plays a role in the age-related loss of cognitive function. Deprenyl has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment not only of Parkinson’s but also Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias and depressive disorders and has been shown to boost mental performance and enhance sexual function.
The average life span of a human being is 70 to 80 years, with a maximum age of 120. Lab animals in Deprenyl studies showed a 40% increase in maximum life span, the human equivalent of living 150 years. Since Deprenyl’s mechanisms of action are the same in all mammalian brains, its life extension effects have a high likelihood of affecting humans, just as its mental benefits do. Dr. Knoll discounts concerns about personality disorders, pointing out that virtually all testing results have found it extremely safe, with fewer side effects than placebo in numerous studies.
3---Metformin. We have mentioned Metformin in prior columns on this subject, but hard as it is to believe, not everyone reads each week’s Flying Pie. And Metformin, an inexpensive and reliable diabetes drug, may be the best life-extension product on the market. Here are some comments from Dr. Ward Dean, a noted anti-aging practitioner:
“I have been recommending Metformin since the early 1990s as the most effective anti-aging drug there is. Recently, the Life Extension Foundation made the same claim on the cover of their magazine.
As we age, we all gravitate toward diabetes. I consider Metformin to be a metabolic rejuvenator. It actually restores our ability to handle carbohydrates to a more youthful state. In addition to normalizing blood sugar and insulin, it lowers cortisol, helps normalize blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, stimulates the release of growth hormone and enhances the immune system. The only side effect I see is stomach upset and diarrhea, and that only occurs with 10% of users, practically all of whom can build up a tolerance to it. I routinely recommend 1500 mg per day, although I often recommend as much as 2000 mg. I don’t see much benefit in going any higher than that. If gastric distress is an issue, take whatever dose you can tolerate. Anyone with impaired kidney function should take Metformin only under the care of a physician.
Metformin is also an effective weight-loss drug. My patients also tell me they feel better on Metformin, they have more energy. Metformin normalizes insulin, blood sugar and a number of other age-related parameters. Metformin really is a true anti-aging, life-extending drug. I think everyone over 35 should be taking Metformin.”
4---Vinpocetine-Hydergine. The Life Extension Foundation, based in
Fort Lauderdale, has been a reliable source of information on anti-aging products for decades. They have this to say about VH:
“These two drugs provide a wide range of anti-aging effects in brain and other cells that you cannot easily obtain with any other therapy. Vinpocetine-Hydergine have been shown to improve blood supply to the brain, increase the amount of oxygen delivered to the brain, increase oxygen USE by the brain, enhance metabolism in brain cells and protect the brain during decreased or insufficient oxygen supply. VH also slows the deposit of age pigment in the brain, prevents free radical damage in brain cells, increases intelligence, memory, learning and recall. It will enhance the use of glucose by brain cells. It will increase ATP levels in the brain, stop blood from becoming sticky and raise brain levels of serotonin.” And on a good day, it will walk your dog to the park, though the Life Extension Foundation would never admit it.
Vinpocetine is a periwinkle herbal extract, of all things, which has been around since the early eighties. It should be cheap but isn’t, mainly due to FDA interference in the shipment of drugs from overseas. Hydergine is more affordable at effective dose ranges of 4 to 12 mg a day. Most generic brands of ergoloid mesylate are comparable to the Sandoz Hydergine brand. If money is no object, Vinpocetine can be ordered from Europe.
5---Melatonin. Surprised? Many of us who take Melatonin as a sleep aid are not aware that it’s the most documented anti-aging therapy in the world. It not only protects us against neurological aging, but possibly against every age-related disease known to mankind. It is a highly potent antioxidant, has been shown to protect against various forms of cancer and has extended lifespan in laboratory animals. Melatonin has also been used by physicians in high doses as an effective treatment for a variety of diseases. It is relatively inexpensive and non-toxic. And, of course, it helps about 80% of people with insomnia get to sleep. Melatonin, alas, will not walk your dog to the park but it will keep him from baying at the moon.
So there you have it. A fine collection of life extension gear to help you leapfrog to centenarian status and beyond. And don’t worry about being mottled and creaky, they’re working on that, too. Before long, you’ll be 150 and look 35, which could make dating confusing unless you’re Jerry Lee Lewis. And the movies will be more interesting. I can hardly wait to see I Was A Teen-age Methuselah. Some people, of course, will have to get right to work making preparations for the onslaught. For one thing, they’ll have to triple the parking at the Cracker Barrel.
That’s all, folks….
bill.killeen094@gmail.com
