Hunger Helps.

Recent studies showed that boosting the level of a hormone, Ghrelin, keeps away age related disorders  in mice. The mice were treated with a Japanese traditional medicine named rikkrikkunshito, or an extract of rikkunshito to stimute the production of the hormone. 

This was tested in three different mouse lines. Two of them had shorter life span and one had normal life span. On treatment all of the strains had longer life spans.

“These findings suggest that the elevated endogenous ghrelin signaling has an important role in preventing aging-related premature death,” Akio Inui of Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences and colleagues wrote in their report.

It was observed that in the mice that had a normal life span, treatment with rikkunshito increased their lifespan by 3 weeks. They also showed better heart health and movement.

“Our findings indicate that ghrelin signaling activates SIRT1, and treatment for ghrelin resistance may exert a protective effect against brain and other organ/tissue pathologies during the process of aging through the SIRT1                 pathway,” the authors wrote.

These findings were published in Molecular Psychiatry.