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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – University of Arizona endocrinologist Dr. Jennifer Stern is studying how a hormone the body produces naturally may play a role in healthy aging.
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You may have heard of this connection between intermittent fasting and healthy aging observed in Okinawa, a region known as a “Blue Zone” where people are known to live long lives.
Okinawans consume fewer calories, stretch out time between meals, and have a low rate of diabetes and heart disease.
“The focus is not on making a person or animal live longer but can they live healthier as they age,” Stern said.
Hormone works opposite of insulin
Stern has found that glucagon, which the pancreas makes naturally, may hold a key role in this process. The hormone does the opposite of insulin, raising blood sugar levels when they’re low and telling the liver to break down fat and use it for energy.
“It also turns on pathways that can turn off aging and turn off pathways that accelerate aging,” Stern said.
Glucagon was discovered more than a hundred years ago and likely will soon be included with a new generation of GLP-1 medications to help with metabolism, lower liver fat, and improve “bad” cholesterol.
Lab studying cognitive effects
Stern said a side benefit could be slowed age-related disease. Her lab is collaborating with University of Arizona neuroscientists to study how the hormone may also improve cognitive disorders, like dementia.
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Stern is studying how boosting glucagon in middle-aged mice may affect how they look and act as they age. Intermittent fasting boosts the hormone naturally, which Stern said is why even pets tend to live longer with one feeding a day.
“They eat up all that food within two to three hours, and your dog’s going to have a long healthy life because the rest of the time they’re fasting,” Stern said.
Stern said this research could lead to new treatments that improve how bodies and minds age.
“That’s what gets me up and going every day,” Stern said.
The full Fact Finders Podcast interview with Stern is available by clicking “podcasts” on kold.com.
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