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Military Researches Anti-Aging

April 24, 2009 Medical Issues, Military 1 Comment

The U.S. Army has itself a problem: Its top troops don’t stay young forever. “Highly qualified and very experienced soldiers regularly leave the Army because their physical and/or cognitive performance capabilities are significantly less than that of a 20 year old,” Army researchers grumble. So they’ve come up with a new research push to fix all that — keeping G.I.s as fresh as the day they entered basic training.

It’s the latest in the Army’s continued efforts to toy with cellular aging. Mitochondria, responsible for converting glucose to energy, slow down as we age. Researchers suspect this deceleration is to blame for declines in physical and cognitive performance in our golden years. Last January, the Defense Department took note of progress in mitochondrial anti-aging research, and appealed for proposals that would find new ways to revamp our cellular powerhouses. Big-pharma is thinking along similar lines: GlaxoSmithKline has invested $720 billion into resveratrol, a compound in red wine that’s been shown to enhance mitochondrial performance and retard age-related ailments.

Of course, the military has tried before to build stronger, longer-lasting soldiers. But, as they point out in their latest request for research proposals, spinach and sit-ups will only get you so far: “At present, individuals attempt to counter their mitochondrial decline with frequent exercise and antioxidants, both of which are crude methods with limited effectiveness.” Now, the army wants to get right to the source, and keep aging soldiers fit for duty with “a more precise methodology to stimulate mitochondrial energy production.” Military researchers liken the process to “replacing zinc carbon batteries with silver oxide batteries – more energy production capacity will enable the warfighter to sustain demanding cognitive or physical activities longer.”

That supercharging could be closer than we think, if the military can combine the potential of resveratrol with the power of the mole rat. In February, biochemists at the University of Texas Science Center expanded the mitochondrial theory, based on a study of the unbreakable proteins in mole rats, who outlive lab mice by around 20 years. Their work suggests that efficient mitochondria and resilient proteins may work in tandem to promote longevity. Scientists are now trying to determine the “protein protectant” that keeps the rats so darn frisky.

A soldier rendered forever young – because of red wine and bald rats? It has the makings of a Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster, but research is moving so quickly that an anti-aging tonic could soon be on a store shelf. And expect a sell-out. As the Army so astutely observes, “vast numbers of civilians are old.”