In research institutions around the world, scientists have found a way to extend the lifespan of typical laboratory mice by up to 50%. Can humans achieve the same result? Live Long Die Young, produced by Australia’s ABCTV Catalyst series, explores this fascinating product.
What factors ultimately determine our longevity? The answer might surprise you, because recent findings in the science of aging disprove most of what we’ve been told for decades. As the film demonstrates, researchers have extensively studied people who have reached or exceeded the age of 100. Each of these subjects differs in terms of lifestyle choices, diet and exercise routines. Ultimately, lifelong smokers or people who exercise little can defy standard medical expectations and live into advanced age. Some people are even affected by extremely rare diseases and still seem to be unaffected by the most common causes of death. But what to do?
According to experts interviewed for the film, the secret may lie in their cellular codes. Currently, they are working to discover common variations in their DNA signature, which may help explain why some people live far beyond the average Westerner, while others do not. This same field of research is also being done in animals. Taken together, their data could open new directions for disease prevention.
Towards the end of the movie, host Anja Taylor goes on a five-day fast, which can have profound life-enhancing and anti-aging benefits. The program, which consists of soups, teas and tiny portions, is based on a series of laboratory experiments that have extended the lifespan of mice by 11 percent and reduced their incidence of disease and inflammation. The effects of fasting on insulin and glucose production, weight loss, and white blood cell counts are interesting.
Live Long Die Young is entertaining and informative, advocating a field of study that affects all living things on Earth. We are all going to die, but the tools to die with dignity and disease-free are likely within our reach.
