Latest Valter Longo Stories
Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online A study from the University of Southern California (USC) recently found that a normal, low-protein diet could slow signs of Alzheimer’s and boost memory in mice. The Alzheimer’s Association defines the disease as a form of dementia related to difficulties with behavior, memory and thinking. In the study, mice with advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease were put on a new diet. They were given specific amino acids every other...
New study finds that short fasting cycles can work as well as chemotherapy, and the 2 combined greatly improve survival Man may not live by bread alone, but cancer in animals appears less resilient, judging by a study that found chemotherapy drugs work better when combined with cycles of short, severe fasting. Even fasting on its own effectively treated a majority of cancers tested in animals, including cancers from human cells. The study in Science Translational Medicine, part of...
Long-term study of remote community finds almost no cancer or diabetes in individuals with genetically low growth hormone activityA 22-year study of abnormally short individuals suggests that growth-stunting mutations also may stunt two of humanity's worst diseases.Published in Science Translational Medicine, part of the Science family of journals, the study raises the prospect of achieving similar protection in full-grown adults by other means, such as pharmaceuticals or controlled diets.The...
Preliminary Study Raises the Possibility of a Drug That Would Protect Patients Against Many Side Effects of ChemotherapyThe researchers who proposed limited fasting as a protective strategy against chemotherapy now say that drugs currently in development may be able to do the job without the hardship and risks of fasting.In a study published online Feb. 9 in the journal Cancer Research, a team led by USC Davis School of Gerontology associate professor Valter Longo reports that mice with...
University of Southern California scientists say they have discovered glucose to glycerol conversion in long-lived yeast provides anti-aging effects. Researchers said they discovered yeast cells maintained on a glycerol diet live twice as long as normal -- as long as yeast cells on a severe caloric-restriction diet -- and are more resistant to cell damage. The scientists said their study is the first to propose that dietary substitution can replace dietary restriction in a living species. If...
Cell biologists have found a more filling substitute for caloric restriction in extending the life span of simple organisms. In a study published May 8 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, researchers from the University of Southern California Andrus Gerontology Center show that yeast cells maintained on a glycerol diet live twice as long as normal -- as long as yeast cells on a severe caloric-restriction diet. They are also more resistant to cell damage.Many studies have shown that...
Scientists have extended the lifespan of yeast, microbes responsible for creating bread and beer, by 10-fold. That's twice the previous record for life extension in an organism. The breakthrough could ultimately inform efforts to extend human lives. Instead of one week, the yeast lived for about 10 weeks through genetic tinkering and a low-calorie diet. "We've reprogrammed the healthy life of an organism," said Valter Longo, a biologist at the University...
