Israeli scientists say they have found a way to reverse the human aging process

Specifically, the study focused on the possibility that the process could reverse two key indicators of biological aging: the shortening of DNA telomeres and the consequent accumulation of senescent cells.

A telomere is the end of a chromosome. Telomeres are made up of repetitive sequences of non-coding DNA that act as a bumper to protect the chromosome from damage during replication. Each time the replica takes place, these bumpers take a hit, making them shorter and shorter.

Once the telomere reaches a certain length, the cell can no longer replicate, which leads to senescent cells – aging, malfunctioning cells that ultimately lead to age-related cognitive or other impairments and even diseases, such as cancer.

About 35 adults over the age of 64 were involved in the study and administered hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) using 100% oxygen at ambient pressure above an absolute atmosphere to increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the body’s tissues.

Every 20 minutes, participants were asked to remove their masks for five minutes, bringing their oxygen back to normal levels. However, during this period, the researchers saw that fluctuations in free oxygen concentration were interpreted at the cellular level as a lack of oxygen, rather than interpreting the absolute oxygen level.

In other words, repeated intermittent hyperoxic exposures (increased oxygen level) induced many of the mediators and cellular mechanisms that are usually induced during hypoxia (reduced oxygen levels) – something Efrati explained is called the hyperoxic-hypoxic paradox.

“The fluctuation in oxygen that we have generated is what’s important,” he said The Jerusalem Post. “During this process, a state of oxygen deficiency occurred, which caused cell regeneration.”

Practical ramifications included improvements in attention, information processing speed, and executive functions, which normally decline with aging and about which more than 50% of people over the age of 60 express concern.

Participants underwent no lifestyle, diet or medication changes during the duration of the study, which could have skewed the results.

“We’re not slowing down the decline – we’re going back in time,” Efrati said.

According to their work, the changes were equivalent to how the participants’ bodies were at the cellular level 25 years earlier.

Efrati has been studying how to reverse the aging process for a decade. This study, he said, is the first evidence that the cellular basis of the aging process can be reversed and said it “gives hope and opens the door for many young scientists to target aging as a reversible disease.”

It could also allow doctors and scientists to find a way to monitor telomere length and develop drugs that could help them regrow when needed.

Will it make people live longer?

The duration of the effect has yet to be determined in long-term follow-ups, Efrati said. But he added: “Probably yes. We know that people with shorter telomeres die sooner, so it makes sense.”

Another drawback of the study was its limited sample size.