NAC

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Breakthrough could lead to treatment for symptoms of growing old A new treatment for a rare disease could help scientists help slow down the ageing process in older people, it was claimed last night. The findings could have a major impact on scientists' understanding of how to slow the ageing process   Researchers investigating a lethal disorder which causes children to age at up to eight times the normal rate said they had reversed certain effects which cause sufferers' bodies to degenerate. The findings could have a major impact on scientists' understanding of how to slow the ageing process & lead to new treatments to prevent some of the harmful side-effects of growing old. Prof Chris Hutchison, of Durham University's Biophysical Sciences Institute, said: " What we have discovered is a means of slowing down the ageing process in children that have premature ageing disease. " In the long term that almost certainly has an implication for normal ageing. The findings are at a very early stage but they show the potential for helping people to live more comfortable & less painful lives when they reach 70 & 80 years of age & beyond. The research, published in the Human Molecular Genetics journal, was aimed at treating premature ageing diseases including progeria.  The disease makes children look much older than they really are & suffer from stunted growth, loss of body fat and hair, aged skin, joint pain & hip dislocation, & puts them at greater risk of heart attack & stroke. It is rare for sufferers to live beyond their early teens. Using a drug known as N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), scientists were able to limit & repair damage to the DNA & reduce levels of a harmful reactive molecule called reactive oxygen species, helping cells stay healthy for longer. Although NAC did not affect some types of cell damage, these can be controlled using dietary supplements & a combination of the two could help treat progeria, researchers said. Although the study is at a very early stage & the drug has not been tested in humans, it could lead to new therapies not only for progeria but for a range of health problems suffered by the ageing population. Professor James Goodwin, Head of Research at Age UK, said the research offered "valuable insights into the ageing process which have the potential to improve later life". He added: " To mitigate the years we spend in ill health it is clear that one of the most promising areas of research centres on slowing down the ageing process & tackling age-related illness." Dr Leslie Gordon, medical director for the Progeria Research Foundation, said: " Dr Hutchison's study has not only confirmed basic cellular defects in progeria, but has also identified potential ways to improve those defects. " This type of biological science is how progress towards treatments & a cure for children with progeria will advance." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8863233/ Breakthrough-could-lead-to-treatment-for-symptoms-of-growing-old.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2056433/ Forever-young-drug-allows-people-grow-old-gracefully-soon-reality.html?ito=feeds-newsxml and in 20 other newspapers / media.