London - In a new study, scientists have found that an enzyme found in humans appears to lengthen the life of mice.
Mammals have seven types of enzyme called sirtuin.
Haim Cohen and Yariv Kanfi at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, looked to sirtuin 6 for their study, New Scientist reported.
They compared mice genetically engineered to have increased levels of SIRT6 with normal mice, engineering the mice in two different ways to control for genetic influences.
Male mice from both strains lived 15 per cent longer than normal mice or females.
But SIRT6 didn’t affect females’ life span.
Older modified male mice metabolised sugar faster than normal mice and females, suggesting that SIRT6 might extend life by protecting against metabolic disorders such as diabetes.
The researchers could not explain why SIRT6 didn’t affect females, but suggest it may be related to differences in genes that regulate ageing in males and females.
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