CRON Discussions

Cold Temperature Longevity

References

Cold Temperature and Life Span: It’s not about the rate of living

Wikipedia – Rate of Living Theory

TRPA-1 and Wasabi

DAF-16 and Longevity

Discussion

Studies into cold temperature for both cold and warm blooded animals indicates that both appear to live longer under such duress situations, challenging the rate of living theory that an animal’s metabolic rate impacts longevity (whereby a slower metabolic rate is thought to extend lifespan and a faster metabolic rate to decrease lifespan).

The TRPA-1 and DAF-16 genes have been associated with longevity in studied species, triggering in cold or hot weather conditions when the organism is stressed biologically to maintain body temperature.

Although studies aren’t certain on the impact for human longevity, TRPA-1 studies with worms found the following:

In particular, Xu’s lab discovered that the gene called TRPA-1 is necessary for the life-extending signals to find their mark. When TRPA-1 is knocked out of the worm’s genome, life spans is actually shortened in response to cold.

One interesting correlation with TRPA-1 activation can be found in humans with wasabi eating. Certainly, an interesting idea for what to add to the diet if you cannot find cold weather extremes to trigger the reactions and want to see if anti-aging may occur.

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