Innovative treatment proven to rewind time on human aging – BGR

• Scientists have developed a new therapy that they believe can actually reverse aging at the genetic level.
• By breathing pure oxygen into a hyperbaric chamber five days a week for three months, the team were able to effectively reverse the age of chromosomal telomeres.
• More research is obviously needed in this area, but the results so far are promising.

Life as we know it marches on an inevitable path that we know as aging. Humans have a limited lifespan due to the nature of our DNA (and, actually, all DNA, as far as animal life on Earth is concerned). But by identifying how our DNA changes as we age and actually reversing the damage done over time, researchers in Israel appear to have taken a small step towards creating a science-based fountain of youth.

How Telegraph reports, the Tel Aviv University team of scientists focused on a part of the chromosomes called telomeres. Telomeres, which are found at the ends of our chromosomes, are longer when we are born and get shorter over time. They act as a protective feature of our genes, and as they get shorter with age, DNA damage can occur and our bodies begin to degrade as a result.

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Hence, the researchers devised a new therapeutic approach to address the problem of aging. They wanted to see if oxygen could work to reverse and revitalize DNA, effectively rewinding time by lengthening telomeres and strengthening its defenses.

In a three-month trial, volunteers aged 64 and over sat in a hyperbaric chamber and were asked to breathe through a mask. The mask provided 100% oxygen and each participant sat in the chamber for 90 minutes, five days a week. At the end of the test period, the researchers examined the participants ‘DNA and found that the individuals’ telomeres were “young” again. Scientists say telomeres looked as they would when participants were in their 20s, which is truly an incredible achievement.

Additionally, oxygen therapy could be combined with other types of anti-aging therapy to further increase longevity in animal life, which includes humans. The net result of using multiple therapies has not been studied in great detail, and although the DNA of study participants shows concrete benefits at the microscopic level, it is still unclear how these changes translate when it comes to lifespan. Will these participants live longer? If so, for how long and are there any potential drawbacks to this type of therapy?

These questions and others will need to be answered before anyone can claim to have found a way to extend human life beyond what would be possible with a healthy lifestyle.

Mike Wehner has been reporting on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones and the technology of the future. Most recently, Mike worked as a Tech Editor at The Daily Dot and appeared on USA Today, Time.com, and countless other websites and print media. His love of the news is second only to his addiction to games.