Cold slows aging

Some mammals have an amazing ability to go into torpor, a state in which body temperature, respiration rate and metabolism are significantly reduced. Unlike deep hibernation, torpor can last only a few hours, but even this time is enough for the body to reduce energy expenditure and adapt to difficult conditions. Scientists have long suspected that this mechanism may slow aging, but until now did not understand exactly how it happens.

A team of researchers led by Sinisha Hrvatin decided to test whether torpor affects epigenetic processes that play a key role in aging. To do this, they conducted an experiment on mice, artificially putting them into a prolonged torpor-like state. The results were impressive: after nine months, such animals were biologically younger than their relatives who had not fallen into torpor.

Epigenetic changes are chemical tags on DNA that regulate gene activity without changing the structure of the genetic code itself. These tags accumulate with age and can affect the rate of aging. To test how torpor affects this process, the researchers analyzed the epigenetic clock of mice at different stages of the experiment. It turned out that after nine months their biological age was 37% lower than in the control group.

To understand what exactly slows aging, the scientists looked at three key aspects of torpor: low body temperature, slow metabolism and limited nutrition. It turned out that neither metabolism nor the amount of food consumed played a crucial role. Only lowering the temperature really affected the epigenetic clock and aging processes.

Why cooling the body leads to a slowing down of age-related changes is still a mystery. There is a hypothesis that temperature reduction slows cell division, reducing tissue wear and tear and prolonging their functionality.

In the future, researchers plan to study this process in more detail and see if the torpor effect can be applied to extend human life. Perhaps one day controlled torpor will be the key to a long and healthy life.