Could a rare mutation that causes dwarfism also slow ageing?
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Jaime Guevara-Aguirre (back left) and Valter Longo (back right) pose with several of the Laron study participants. Credit: Courtesy Jaime Guevara-Aguirre & Valter Longo
A rare form of dwarfism that affects only 400–500 people worldwide has caught the interest of scientists who study ageing and metabolic diseases. This is because a series of studies have associated the condition with a number of positive health effects, including protection against diabetes, cancer1 and cognitive decline2. Mice with a similar condition live for about 40% longer than do control animals3.
Although it is unclear whether people with the condition, known as Laron syndrome or growth-hormone-receptor deficiency, live longer on average than those without it, a study published today in Med shows that they do seem to be at lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease4. They have lower blood pressure, reduced artery fat build-up and a less thick carotid artery wall than do relatives who do not have the syndrome.
“In some sense, this was the most important of all studies,” says Valter Longo, a biogerontologist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and a co-author of today’s paper. “It was the last piece missing in showing that they seem to be protected from all the major age-related diseases.” Studying the details of the syndrome, he adds, might inspire the development of drugs or diets with similar protective effects.
