Originally published September 18 2005
As researchers study longer lifespan possibilities, columnist cites overpopulation concerns
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
When mice were genetically engineered to produce excess amounts of a hormone that results from the Klotho gene, they were able to live a 31 percent longer life, and since the same hormone is found in humans, researchers are looking into whether it is possible to extend the human life span as well, however a columnist for the Cavalier Daily argues such science could be dangerous in the wrong hands and warns that extending the human life would only add to the problem of overpopulation in the world.
Water demand already has tripled since the 1950s while the amount of fresh drinking water has declined because of over-pumping and contamination.
For example, war-torn Angola has the highest fertility rate on the African continent -- 7.2 children for every woman of reproductive age -- and is expected to undergo a population explosion, increasing to 20 million by 2015.
The Klotho gene -- named for the Greek goddess who spins the thread of life -- was discovered in mice in 1997 by Pathologist Dr. Makoto Kuro-O et al at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Eight years ago they determined that a damaged form of the Klotho gene causes mice to experience all the hallmarks of aging in humans -- hardening of the arteries, thinning bones, withered skin, weak lungs -- and to die prematurely.
Mice completely lacking the gene began showing signs of premature aging around three to four weeks of age and died after about two months, whereas a normal mouse lifespan is two years.
When the Kuro-O team recently genetically engineered mice to produce excess amounts of the hormone, they discovered that the genetically engineered males lived 31 percent longer than normal males, and genetically engineered females lived 19 percent longer than their normal counterparts, according to the journal Science.
The team discovered that the hormone produced its effect by increasing the body's insulin resistance, a phenomenon that has been shown to correlate with extended lifespan.
"It's definitely the way you would go about designing molecules that would promote healthy aging and longevity in people," claimed Anna McCormick of the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the new research.
While I worry that people will use this hormone for their benefit, I worry more that the Indian and Chinese governments will insert altered forms of the Klotho gene in their citizens to prevent them from living long and healthy lives.
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