X-Message-Number: 13377
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 06:58:26 -0500
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #13376

Hi again!

To Doug Skrecky: 
The fact that antioxidants work so well in insects, and especially well
when the insects have been bred to make more than the usual amount of
antioxidant, unfortunately does not tell us much about our own aging.

One simple reason they work so well is that insects normally have 
very short lifespans compared even to mice. The kind of cell repair
adult mice can accomplish isn't needed at all by insects --- except,
perhaps, queen bees and queen ants, for whom the effect of antioxidants
would be very interesting indeed.

I become very interested indeed, myself, if these studies of epithalamin
did two things: tried to characterize it better chemically, and did
more work on healthy strains of short-lived mammals. Mice are far closer
to us metabolically than fruit flies, and the effect of a drug on mice
gives a correspondingly strong reason to think about its effect on human
beings ie. us. As we know from experiments, not even that always works,

but for longevity it is probably the only thing we have short-term.

Were the papers you suggest interesting? Yes, certainly. I just have
doubts about their direct implication for us.

			Thanks, best wishes, and long long life,

				Thomas Donaldson
PS: You did receive notice of the Updates to my ANTIAGING book? You're
welcome but in no sense required to buy them. 

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