Better All The Time Thanksgiving Dispatch #7
 | ||
|
We're still at it, tracking good news stories throughout the Thanksgiving weekend.
Item 7
Fountain
of Youth: Drug Restores Muscles
A daily dose of an investigational medication has been found to restore muscle mass in the arms and legs of older adults and improve some of their biochemistry to levels found in healthy young adults, suggesting an anti-frailty drug has been found.
The drug, called MK-677, was evaluated for its safety and effectiveness in a study that showed the drug restored 20 percent of muscle mass loss associated with normal aging. In fact, levels of growth hormone (GH) and of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF- I) in healthy seniors who took the drug increased to the levels found in healthy young adults, said Michael O. Thorner, a professor of internal medicine and neurosurgery at the University of Virginia Health System.
The Good News
As we often point out when the subject of life extension comes up, we aren't interested in extending human frailty, but rather human vitality. We want to see people living longer so that they can continue to work, create, enjoy their friends and families, and realize their dreams. To do that, we need sound minds and bodies. Muscle mass is a key part of the "sound bodies" requirement.
Live to see it!
