Jasmin Fox-Skelly writes Turning back the clock. Eliminating a certain pain receptor in mice helps them live longer.
A new study finds that mice bred without a specific pain sensor, or receptor, live longer and are less likely to develop diseases such as diabetes in old age. What’s more, exposure to a molecule found in chili peppers and other spicy foods may confer the same benefits as losing this pain receptor—meaning that humans could potentially benefit, too.
People who live in chronic pain have shorter lifespans.
So researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, California, bred mice without a pain receptor called TRPV.
Found in the skin, nerves, and joints, it’s known to be activated by the spicy compound found in chili peppers, known as capsaicin. Surprisingly, the mice without TRPV1 on average 14% longer than their normal counterparts, the team reports today in Cell. When the TRPV1-less mice got old, they still showed signs of fast, youthful metabolisms. Their bodies continued to quickly clear sugar from the blood—a trait called glucose tolerance that usually declines with age—and they burned more calories during exercise than regular elderly mice.
The reason ... may lie in the TRPV1 receptor's role in regulating insulin, a hormone that clears sugar from the blood stream. In the pancreas, TRPV1 neurons stimulate the release of a substance called CGRP, which prevents insulin from entering the bloodstream. With less insulin, it’s harder to control blood sugar. Mice without the TRPV1 gene had low levels of CGRP, which meant that they had more insulin, explaining their enhanced ability to manage glucose levels.
Research has already shown diets rich in capsaicin are linked to lower rates of diabetes and metabolic diseases.
David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School in Boston, not affiliated with the study noted, “It is striking that the mice without TRPV1 were protected from some of the ravages of old age, including declines in metabolism, cognition, and physical activity.”
These findings add to the already overwhelming evidence that high blood sugar wreaks long-term havoc on our health. Perhaps, this could even be one of the reasons even small amounts of regular exercise seem so beneficial to our health. I found that exercise always make me feel much better physically, and mentally. One of the big mysteries of my life is why I do not do it more often.
I have lost a pound a week since January of this week.
So this is more good news reiterating how important it is to keep our blood sugar low.
Keep healthy kogs.
12:24 PM PT: Does anyone know how to cut and past in an iPad on the DKos editor? My PC keyboard broke so I'm sort of out of commission here unless I can figure this out. I had this already cut and pasted in my cue. - HD