Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Friday November 17 2017, @07:57AM   Printer-friendly
from the not-so-old-news dept.

Amish Mutation Protects Against Diabetes and May Extend Life

Amish people living in a rural part of Indiana have a rare genetic mutation that protects them from Type 2 diabetes and appears to significantly extend their life spans, according to a new study.

The findings, published on Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, shed light on the processes underlying cellular aging and could lead to new therapies for chronic diseases, some experts say. The researchers are planning at least one follow-up trial that will recreate the effects of the mutation so they can study its impact on obese people with insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.

The mutation described in the new paper affects a mysterious protein called plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, or PAI-1, that is known primarily for its role in promoting blood clotting. The mutation was first identified in 1991 in a secluded Amish farming community in Berne, Ind. An estimated 5 percent of the community carries the mutation, which causes them to produce unusually low levels of PAI-1.

Scientists have long suspected that PAI-1 has other functions outside of clotting that relate to aging. Dr. Douglas Vaughan, a cardiologist at Northwestern medical school, noticed, for example, that mice that had been genetically engineered to produce high levels of the protein age fairly quickly, going bald and dying of heart attacks at young ages. People who have higher levels of the protein in their bloodstreams also tend to have higher rates of diabetes and other metabolic problems and to die earlier of cardiovascular disease.

Also at Science Magazine, which notes a possible downside to the mutation:

The girl, who lived in an Indiana Amish community, nearly bled to death during what should have been routine scalp surgery. Now, more than 20 years later, scientists studying her and other Amish have discovered that the mutation that nearly killed her could have a good side. She harbors two mutant copies of a gene, and therefore lacks a protein that manages blood clotting, but researchers found that people with one inactivated gene copy outlive their peers by a decade and gain protection against diabetes.

A null mutation in SERPINE1 protects against biological aging in humans (open, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao1617) (DX)


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday November 18 2017, @01:08AM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Saturday November 18 2017, @01:08AM (#598480)

    There are so many factors in the wine thing: flavinoids from the reds, stress reduction from the alcohol, vasodilation from the alcohol, general lower stress from living in a society that condones regular wine consumption, lower stress from a lifestyle that includes taking the time to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine a night, etc. etc.

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2