Welcome to the latest issue of Long Youthspan, the Ratatouille of longevity newsletters. If that analogy makes no sense to you, then read on, because today’s issue has a French connection, and well, a rat connection.

LONGEVITY BREAKTHROUGH DEPT.

World record: New oldest lab rat

What's the news: We now have a new oldest lab rat — a female named Sima, who was treated to extend her lifespan, or rather, her youthspan.

Why should we believe it? This news was reported in The Guardian, a reputable UK newspaper. It comes out of the lab of Dr. Harold Katcher, formerly a professor at the University of Maryland, now chief scientific officer at Yuvan Research, a California-based startup.

So what’s behind this longevity breakthrough? Sima was treated with a type of blood dilution devised inside Katcher's lab.

Eight rats in the study that received placebo infusions of saline lived for 34 to 38 months. On the other hand, the eight rats, including Sima, that received a purified and concentrated form of blood plasma lived for 38 to 47 months — and counting.

Why this is a big deal: Rats get all the cutting-edge longevity treatments, and have for years (the injustice!). So when we get a new oldest rat, that's big news.

Of course, rat treatments won't necessarily translate to humans. But as I wrote only last week, there has been mounting evidence that plasma dilution works for human longevity and long youthspan also.

So what specifically can you do now: Katcher's blood dilution protocol is proprietary, and is not the same as the kind of blood dilution can get at hospitals around the world. But since Katcher works at a startup, you can bet he and his investors are working furiously to make this into a treatment for humans, and not just rats.

For now, all we can do is sit back and be inspired by Katcher's research, and wish for him to speed things up. In the man's own words (he actually uses the word 'youthspan'):

PRACTICAL LONGEVITY ADVICE

Arthritis: Exercise as good as NSAIDs

What's the news: Exercise is just as effective as NSAIDs for improving arthritis pain and function.

Why should we believe it: This news comes from a recent "network meta analysis" study (fancy name, read on). This study was performed by an international team of scientists out of the UK and China, and was published in January 2023.

So about that network meta analysis? This study did not perform new research. Instead, this study looked at a bunch of previous research and tried to tease out what the real situation is. Specifically, the scientists looked at 152 previous studies, involving 17,431 patients. By pooling the lot, they found:

• Exercises was just as good as NSAIDs and paracetamol after 4, 8, 12 weeks of treatment

• This was true both for reducing arthritis pain and for improving joint function (ie. whether you can actually move the joint or not)

• Both exercise and NSAIDs were significantly better than "usual care" (in other words, this was not just the placebo effect)

Why is this a big deal? About 1 in 4 US adults suffer from doctor-diagnosed arthritis. NSAIDs and paracetamol help, but they also have side effects, including stomach irritation, gastrointestinal bleeding, stroke — do you need me to go on?

The current study shows that exercise can be just as effective, without the side effects. In fact, exercise has a whole host of added benefits — for your overall health, longevity, and psychology.

So what specifically can you do now: If NSAIDs are helping you, then I’m not telling you to stop using them. On the other hand, if you are suffering from arthritis, it's worth considering an exercise program (in fact, it's worth it even if not suffering from arthirtis). According to this "network meta analysis," exercise might be able to help you reduce or eventually even remove NSAIDs.

But what kind of exercise is good for arthritis? The study had "insufficient data" to recommend a specific type, frequency, or intensity of exercise. But fear not. Your Youthspan Hound used his burrowing instinct, and dug up a promising book on the topic, written up by two reputable medical researchers. You can check it out here:

Arthritis: What Exercises Work

IRREVOCABLY PERSONAL

Aubrey De Grey’s new project

Who we’re talking about: Dr. Aubrey De Grey, the self-declared "professional heretic" of longevity science.

Personal note: De Grey was the first to introduce me to topic of longevity for me, the Youthspan Hound, some fifteen years ago. Back then, as today, De Grey had a touch of the eccentric about him.

However, many of De Grey's fringe longevity ideas have in time become mainstream. The field of longevity has grown up around him, but he is in many ways still at the forefront of it.

So what's the news? Over the past 20 years, Aubrey De Grey founded multiple organizations to promote the longevity cause and to support longevity research.

Initially, there was the Methuselah Foundation in 2003. Then the SENS Research Foundation in 2009. And late last year, De Grey announced he has started something new: The Longevity Escape Velocity Foundation.

De Grey makes a provocative prediction: In another 15 years, we have a 50% chance of reaching "longevity escape velocity." In other words, anybody alive in 15 years will be able to live forever — thanks to new treatments, many of which are emerging now. De Grey’s new Longevity Escape Velocity Foundation is there to help that happen.

So now what? As a first step, make sure you live for another 15 years so you have a chance of reaching longevity escape velocity.

And keep an eye on Dr Aubrey. Even though he looks like a 21st-century Rasputin, he is clearly smart, very connected in the longevity world, and though a bit of a zealot, he has been proven right again and a gain.

Also, you might want to meet Aubrey De Grey in Dublin this summer. Read on to find out more.

A LONG YOUTHSPAN OFFER

The "premier annual conference" of the Longevity Escape Velocity Foundation

What it is: Longevity Summit 2023, a meeting of the leading people in the longevity industry. It's happening this summer, August 17-20, in Dublin, Ireland.

Why you might want to go: Longevity Summit is the "premier annual conference" of Aubrey De Grey's Longevity Escape Velocity Foundation (you can read about the foundation above).

Already, many big names have joined. The announced keynote speakers truly feature the most illustrious personalities in the field of longevity, including some I have written about recently:

• Irina Conboy (UC Berkeley professor and author of the recent plasma dilution study in humans)

• Nir Barzilai (Professor at Albert Einstein School of Medicine and long-suffering promoter of the TAME study)

• David Sinclair (Harvard professor and perhaps the most well-known face of longevity science)

• Steve Horvath (UCLA professor who came up with various epigenetic aging clocks)

• ... and possibly, your very own Youthspan Hound

Yes, you read that right: I'm actually considering attending Longevity Summit Dublin. I am not a longevity scientist, and I am sure that much of the discussion would be over my long, droopy, dachshund ears.

But I have experienced before that attending a conference can be a great way to quickly learn more about a topic, to make connections, and to get exposed to opportunities I would never get exposed to otherwise.

In case you feel the same, or in case you'd like to meet me and mingle while we sip our rapamycin cocktails, here's where you can buy early-bird, discounted tickets to De Grey's Longevity Summit:

Click here for Aubrey De Grey's Longevity Summit

BELIEVE IT OR NOT DEPT.

The missing brain of the French white-collar worker

A few days ago, your Youthspan Hound came across an incredible tweet:

On closer investigation, the story turned out to be 100% true. The case was reported back in 2007, by three doctors working in Marseille, France.

The man apparently suffered from hydrocephalus as a child — the dangerous buildup of cerebrospinal fluid, deep in the brain. Other than that, his neurological development and medical history were normal.

He wasn't particularly brilliant — an IQ of 75 — but he had two children, and worked as a civil servant.

You would think that life, certainly normal human life, would not be possible with 90% of your brain missing. And yet, at least in this man's case, it turned out not to be true.

The point being, we simply don't know what the human body is capable of. The brain is certainly much more plastic than we can ever believe. That's a slightly unnerving and also an inspiring thought.

I'll leave you to ponder that if you like, and I'll be back in your inbox next week. As always, thanks for reading, and talk to you soon.

- Your Youthspan Hound

Did somebody forward you this newsletter? Sign up here.