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New research at the University of Southern California has found that, contrary to popular belief, living in a sterile world would not cause humans to live longer. Previously it had been thought that even harmless bacteria speeds up the ageing process by causing an immune system response that uses up vital energy. However, the research has found no such link between bacteria and the ageing process.

The evidence comes from a study of fruit flies which were kept in a bacteria-free environment. Results, which appear in Cell Metabolism magazine, show that they did not live longer than their counterparts who lived in ordinary conditions. Although researchers could not try the same experiment in higher organisms, they believe that the result in fruit flies is relevant to the question of human ageing as fruit flies share some relevant characteristics with humans.

The results of the study have come as a surprise to many. As one of the researchers, Dr John Tower, says:

“It’s a surprise. Even though the flies were accumulating so much bacteria and a robust immune response to that bacteria, it’s not limiting how long the flies live. The question is, if it’s not bacteria that limit life span, then what is it?”

Lorna Layward of the Help the Aged biomedical Research into Ageing Programme has found the results fascinating. However, she remains convinced about the dangers of bacteria:

“Humans don’t live in a world free of infection - we are bombarded with bacteria every day of our lives. We know that the older we become the more vulnerable we are to infection. Our immunity declines with age, and with an increasingly ageing society, it is important that we research ways to improve the ability to fight infection.”

It is clear that research into the causes of ageing has much further to go before establishing fixed results. However, these results are very interesting and have much potential for helping us understand ageing: something which is perhaps one of the biggest medical problems of all.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 11th, 2007 at 11:45 pm and is filed under Science, Health, Nature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.