![]() ![]() Over at Northwestern University in Illinois, Kara Goldman, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, has also been exploring the link between mTOR and ovarian aging. Now Suh wonders if the same benefits could extend to human ovaries. Blocking the protein has already been shown to increase lifespan in flies, worms, and mice. The mTOR discovery was particularly intriguing. Suh and her team posted their findings online last year, and the paper is currently undergoing peer review. For Suh, it was “crystal clear” evidence that the ovary is aging faster than the rest of the body at the molecular and cellular levels. Too much mTOR is associated with cancer and aging, and drugs that suppress it are used to slow tumor growth. A key regulator of cell growth and metabolism, called mTOR, was also overactive. They saw damaged DNA and dysfunctional mitochondria-the energy powerhouses within cells. In cell type after cell type, Suh’s team found unmistakable signatures of aging. One study of 16,000 women found that later menopause made it more likely someone would live to age 90. “When it goes away at menopause, it has a dramatic effect.” On the other hand, having working ovaries for longer seems to carry longevity benefits. ![]() “That cocktail, that orchestra of chemicals that the ovaries make, is really important to overall health,” says Garrison, an assistant professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California. Jennifer Garrison has a hunch that the ovaries are the culprit. ![]() Paradoxically, women live longer than men on average but spend more of their older years in poor health. In humans, the loss of hormones during menopause sets off a cascade of negative health effects: Bones get brittle metabolism slows and the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and dementia increases. Most mammals remain fertile up to the end of their lives the only species known to experience menopause naturally are humans and some whales. And by 51, the average age of menopause in the United States, virtually none are left. But the decline of these follicles is immediate and unceasing. At birth, each ovary contains around a million follicles-tiny, fluid-filled sacs that hold immature eggs. It travels to the future, reaching old age ahead of the rest of the body. ![]()
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