Scientists edge closer to a ‘fountain of youth’ pill

Could a “fountain of youth” pill be on the horizon? Scientists say they have discovered a chemical compound that has the potential to reverse the effects of obesity and aging. As a result, it could vastly improve the quality of life of older people.

The compound seems to work on mice. The next step is to find out whether it works on people. Scientists believe that it might do so.

In the study, researchers learned that the chemical compound, called BAM15, helped older overweight mice lose weight. It also cut inflammation related to age, added strength and muscle, and increased physical activity.

Frailty and weakness offset

In the study, scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, tested BAM15 on mice who were the equivalent of 60 to 65 years old in human years. They found that the chemical compound offset the frailty and weakness that is associated with sarcopenic obesity. Sarcopenia is the natural loss of muscle tissue as a result of aging.

The mice were all fed diets high in fat content so that they became obese. When they were given BAM15, however, they became stronger, lost weight, and were more active.

Typically when an older person loses weight you also lose muscle, explains lead author of the study and exercise physiologist Dr. Christopher Axelrod. In this study, however, the muscle mass in the older mice actually increased by about 8 percent. At the same time, their strength gained by 40 percent. They also shed more than 20 percent of their fat.

Muscle loss is a concern in elderly

Loss of muscle mass is usually not a worry in younger adults who are obese, says Axelrod, who is director of Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Integrated Physiology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory. As people age, however, that changes, he explains. Older adults who suffer from sarcopenic obesity also suffer from the acceleration of muscle loss. As a result, they become less active. That, in turn, puts them at a higher risk for falls, a poorer quality of life, stroke, heart disease, and premature death, Axelrod says.

The chemical compound works by reducing the efficiency of the mitochondria, which are the cells’ power plants. As a result the mitochondria burn up more energy. This is known as mitochondrial uncoupling.

Not yet a miracle drug

The scientists are reluctant at this stage to call BAM15 a “miracle drug.” They say more research needs to be conducted to determine whether it is effective on people. They add, however, that the early results are promising.

The findings on BAM15 are particularly important when it comes to boosting older adults’ quality of life, the scientists explain. It also is particularly significant for the fast growing number of people who suffer from obesity. Delaying, reversing, and preventing the effects of sarcopenic obesity might let people live healthier and longer lives.

Significant role

The data show that mitochondrial uncouplers might play a significant part in improving the time during which a person enjoys good health into advanced age, says Dr. John Kirwan, executive director of Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

Here are some of the ways in which scientists believe that BAM15 improves key determinants of aging and health:

• It removes the cells’ power plants—mitrochondria—that are damaged;

• It creates additional mitochondria that are healthy; and

• It cuts back on inflammation that is age-related and linked to loss of muscle.

Health span is more important

Extending a person’s health span is more important than extending their lifespan, Kirwan points out. If you could add 20 to 30 years to a person’s life, what point would there be in doing that if their quality of life over those years was awful?

The findings are published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.

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