Live to 100 super pill could end diabetes and heart disease and Alzheimers

Wed, 03 Feb 2010
A new super-pill could put an end to diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimers disease and allow the majority of people to live to 100. However, despite the widespread media attention surrounding the pill, it remains a work in progress and is only now under development by scientists. The super-drug, which could have an enormous role in the future of diabetes care, is based upon three recently-identified genes that promote a long and healthy life. By manipulating these so-called ‘longevity genes’, breakthrough can be made in relation to ageing and disease treatment.

Dr. Nir Barzilai, a prominent geneticist, will feature on BBC2 programme Horizon tonight to explain the pill. Those whose DNA features the genes are protected against poor diets, smoking, obesity and a lack of exercise.

Dr. Barzilai, from the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, was reported in diabetes news as commenting: "The advantage of finding a gene that involves longevity is that we can develop a drug that will imitate exactly what this gene is doing. The biology we're trying to uncover is that if we can imitate that, long life can be really terrific.'

The third longevity gene is known to prevent diabetes, but already the sweeping claims of the study are being cast into doubt. Further details about the study and comments from diabetes experts are likely to emerge in the near future.

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