A long and healthy life is our eternal quest. According to a new study published in the journal Nature Aging, scientists at the University of Edinburgh in the UK have identified two blood proteins that can affect people’s longevity and health – apolipoprotein a (LPA) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1). According to the largest study of aging genes, developing drugs that target these two proteins may be a new way to slow the aging process.
Many complex factors determine the rate at which we age and die; these include genetics, lifestyle, environment, etc. This study reveals the role that proteins play in this process.
Some people are born with higher or lower levels of certain proteins due to genetics, and these protein levels in turn can affect a person’s health.
This time, the researchers combined the results of six large genetic studies on human aging, each of which contained genetic information from hundreds of thousands of people.
Of the 857 proteins that were studied, the researchers identified two that had a significant negative impact on various anti-aging measures. People who inherited DNA that led to elevated levels of these proteins were weaker, had poorer self-assessed health and may have relatively shorter life spans than those who were not genetically affected.
The first protein, LPA, is produced in the liver and plays a role in blood clotting. High levels of LPA increase the risk of atherosclerosis and may trigger heart disease and stroke; the second protein, VCAM1, is found primarily on the surface of endothelial cells, controls the dilation and contraction of blood vessels, and plays a role in coagulation and immune response.
Drugs that treat disease by lowering LPA and VCAM1 levels may have the added benefit of improving fitness and prolonging life, the researchers said.
A clinical trial is currently testing a drug that lowers LPA as a way to reduce the risk of heart disease. There are no clinical trials on VCAM1 yet, but studies in mice have shown that antibodies that lower levels of this protein improve cognitive performance in older mice.
Dr. Paul Timmers, principal investigator at the Centre for Human Genetics Research at the University of Edinburgh, said, “Identifying these two key proteins could help prolong life. Drugs that lower the levels of these proteins in our blood could allow the average person to live as long and healthy a life as those born with lower levels of LPA and VCAM1.”
