A rare genetic variant that causes short stature in Laron syndrome may also extend people’s lives by protecting them from heart disease
By Clare Wilson
26 April 2024
Two of the researchers with several of the study participants, who have Laron syndrome
Jaime Guevara-Aguirre and Valter Longo
People with a rare genetic mutation that causes short stature and may also make them live longer are helping shed light on the causes of ageing.
Those with the unusual gene variant have several traits that protect against heart disease, one of the most common causes of death, which may explain why their life expectancy exceeds that of the general population.
A signalling molecule called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has long been suspected to play a role in longevity. Multiple animals, such as worms and mice, have been found to live longer if their levels of this compound are lowered artificially, such as through genetic modification. Centenarians also have slightly lower levels of IGF-1, on average.
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In most species, IGF-1 promotes growth when animals are young and in later life affects how cells use energy. One idea is that there is a trade-off between animals investing their energy in further growth or health maintenance.
“When you grow old and you start breaking down, you don’t want to spend energy on growth, you want to spend energy on preventing your breakdown,” says Nir Barzilai at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, who wasn’t involved in the new research.