A step closer to an elixir of youth?

A team at the Spanish National Cancer Centre in Madrid has found evidence that a naturally occurring substance, which can create ‘immortal cells’, could be the key ingredient in the fountain of eternal youth.

According to the scientists, boosting the amount of the naturally forming enzyme, called telomerase, in the body could prevent cells from dying and thereby slow the process of ageing, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.

The protein telomerase helps maintain the protective caps at ends of chromosomes which act like ends of shoelace and stop them unravelling. As people age and the cells divide, these caps become frayed and shorter and are so damaged that the cell dies eventually.

In fact, the scientists carried out an experiment on laboratory rodents to reach the conclusion.

They found that those mice genetically engineered to produce ten times the normal levels of telomerase lived 50 per cent longer than normal. Those animals also had less fat, had better co-ordination and were better at processing sugar.

"You can delay the ageing of mice and increase their lifespan. But I think it is very hard to extrapolate data from mouse ageing to human ageing," the British newspaper quoted Blasco as telling the 'New Scientist'.

One of the problems with boosting telomerase is that it can increase the risk of cancer. However, she said that the obstacle could be overcome by issuing cancer drugs that could offset the negative affects.