Has science finally cracked the secret of eternal youth?

IT seems like something from the realm of science-fiction.

Some people can halt – and even reverse – the ageing process in their thirties, scientists say.

A team who measured the effects of getting older on nearly 1,000 men and women found that over a 12year period, three of the participants had shown no deterioration.

They had biologically aged zero years, and had even begun to look younger. These people may hold the key to developing what would in effect be a fountain of youth, say the team from universities in Britain, the US, Israel and New Zealand.

While some cheated the ageing process, however, others were found to have aged biologically by three years for each calendar year.

The study focused on 954 people in the New Zealand city of Dunedin who have been tracked for several years. The researchers devised a measure called ‘biological age’ to assess how worn out the participants’ bodies were internally.

Using their assessment, they found some of the 38-year-olds had a body age more like 60. A few were up to eight years ‘younger’ than their real age. And three had not ‘aged’ at all over the tested period.

Further tests revealed that those who seemed older on the inside also appeared older to others who were asked to guess their age.

The authors wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science journal that three of the participants appeared ‘to grow physiologically younger during their thirties ... Study of such individuals may reveal molecular and behavioural pathways to rejuvenation’.

Lead researcher Dan Belsky, geriatrics professor at Duke University in the US, said: ‘Most studies of age- ing look at seniors, but if we want to be able to prevent age-related disease, we’re going to have to start studying ageing in young people.’

The scientists measured the function of kidneys, lungs, the metabolic and immune systems, and dental health. They also measured telomeres – the ‘caps’ on the end of DNA strands that stop them unravelling which have been found to shorten with age.

This allowed them to calculate a ‘biological age’ for each participant. The biological ages ranged from under 30 to nearly 60, even though all the test subjects were 38.

Those who were more advanced in biological ageing also scored worse on balance and co- ordination tests usually given to over-60s, and had more difficulty with activities such as walking upstairs.

The researchers say the ultimate goal is to be able to intervene in the ageing process itself, rather than addressing killers such as heart disease or cancer in isolation.

Professor Belsky said: ‘As we get older, our risk grows for all kinds of different diseases. To prevent multiple diseases simultaneously, ageing itself has to be the target. Otherwise, it’s a game of whack-a-mole.’

Professor Terrie Moffitt, also of Duke University, said there was nothing unique about Dunedin and the pattern is likely to be repeated in similar populations elsewhere.

She said that smoking and serious mental illness can speed up the ageing process, while intelligence seems to keep the body young.

This may be because a healthy brain is a sign of a healthy body, or because intelligent people have less physically demanding jobs, live in less polluted areas and take more care of their health.

The researchers also believe genes play a role – and pinning this down could lead to new anti-ageing drugs. Until then, said Professor Belsky, the best way to hold back time is to eat well and exercise.

‘Pathways to rejuvenation’