As people get older, their bodies begin to slow down. Cells don’t repair as well, and the risk of illness goes up.
Scientists have been trying to find ways to slow this natural aging process, but no perfect answer has been found yet.
One method that has shown good results in animal studies is called caloric restriction. This means eating fewer calories while still getting enough nutrients. Animals that eat this way often live longer and stay healthier.
But this kind of strict diet is hard for most people to stick to. It can also lead to problems like low energy, bad mood, or not getting enough nutrients.
To solve this, researchers have been looking for medicines that can give the same benefits as caloric restriction without needing a strict diet. Some drugs have been tested, like metformin (used for diabetes), rapamycin (used after organ transplants), and resveratrol (found in red wine).
But none of them have been perfect. Some have to be injected, some don’t last long in the body, and others cause serious side effects.
Now, scientists from the University of Liverpool have found something that may work better. It’s a drug called rilmenidine, which is already used in many countries to treat high blood pressure. It’s a pill, easy to take, and usually has only mild side effects.
In their study, researchers gave rilmenidine to small animals like roundworms, fruit flies, and mice. The animals were either young or already older when they started taking the drug. In both groups, the animals lived longer and stayed healthier. These effects were similar to what happens when animals are on a calorie-restricted diet.
The scientists discovered that rilmenidine affects a part of the body called the I1-imidazoline receptor nischarin-1. This receptor helps the body manage energy and stress. When rilmenidine activates it, the body responds as if it’s on a low-calorie diet, even when food intake stays the same.
This makes rilmenidine especially exciting. It’s already approved for use, it’s safe for long-term use, and it doesn’t need injections or hospital visits. This means it could be a strong choice for testing as a medicine to slow aging in humans.
As more people live longer, the need to stay healthy in old age becomes more important. Even small improvements in aging could help people avoid diseases like heart problems, memory loss, and weakness. It could also reduce healthcare costs and help people live more independent lives.
Using existing drugs like rilmenidine for new purposes is called drug repurposing. It can speed up the process of finding new treatments because the drugs have already been tested for safety. This could be a faster and safer way to help people stay healthy as they age.
More studies are needed to see if rilmenidine helps humans in the same way it helps animals. But this research is a hopeful step. We may not be able to stop aging completely, but we are getting closer to finding safe, easy ways to slow it down and live better lives.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about unhealthy habits that could increase high blood pressure risk, and eating eggs in a healthy diet may reduce risks of diabetes, high blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and results showing 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
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