Key points from article :
A completely natural way to stop your body from aging - you’d have to hibernate from September to May each year.
Yellow-bellied marmots are able to halt the aging process during the 7-8 months they spend hibernating.
Anti-aging phenomenon kicks in once the animals reach 2 years old, their age of sexual maturity.
Collected blood samples from 73 female yellow-bellied marmots every two weeks over 14 active seasons.
“Results reveal that epigenetic aging stalls during hibernation,” - Gabriela Pinho, lead author.
Explains the longer average life span of a yellow-bellied marmot than expected from its body weight.
Hibernation conditions (diminished food consumption, low body temperature and reduced metabolism) counter aging process and promote longevity.
“Effect of hibernation on slowing aging is really strong,” - Daniel Blumstein, senior author.
There may be biomedical advantages to inducing hibernation conditions in humans or human cells.
Study by UCLA published in Nature Ecology and Evolution.
