---------- From: Erik Reuter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> On Tue, Apr 20, 2004 at 10:16:08PM -0500, The Fool wrote:
> They are called telomeres. They are on the ends of chromosomes. > Every time a cell divides they shorten. For that to link with what I was suggesting, there needs to be a correlation between faster metabolic rate and cell division / telomere shortening rate. ---- In either case telomere length is the determining factor for how long the individual cell lives. ---- Is there? Do cells divide more quickly when your metabolism speeds up, or more slowly when it slows down due to, for example, restricted calorie intake? ---- It's likely that increases in metabolism also increase the production of waste products / free radicals which damage cells. But there are also some systemic effects. Scientists have created a Methuselah mouse, that has lived more than four years (normal mice die by 2) in is healthy. They engineered changes to limit the production of insulin. The mouse is smaller than normal and cold, but otherwise still healthy. Therefore there seems to be correlation with insulin production and longevity (which is what these new diets attempt--Atkins, southbeach, Zone--that all try to limit production of insulin, consumption of simple-carbs). Insulin certainly affects the growth rate of fat cells.
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