Can a special estrogen pill help mice live longer?
17‐a‐estradiol late in life extends lifespan in aging UM‐HET3 male mice; nicotinamide riboside and three other drugs do not affect lifespan in either sex
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists tested five different pills to see if any could help mice live longer. One pill called 17-α-estradiol (a non-feminizing estrogen) worked really well for male mice - they lived about 19% longer when given the pill starting at middle age, and even 11% longer when started at older age. But it didn't help female mice at all. The other four pills (including nicotinamide riboside) didn't help mice of either sex live longer.
Surprising Findings
The exact same estrogen compound that extends male lifespan has ZERO effect on females
This contradicts the common assumption that anti-aging treatments would work similarly across sexes. It also challenges the belief that estrogen = female hormone = more benefit to females.
Practical Takeaways
Don't start taking estrogen supplements for longevity based on this study
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists tested five different pills to see if any could help mice live longer. One pill called 17-α-estradiol (a non-feminizing estrogen) worked really well for male mice - they lived about 19% longer when given the pill starting at middle age, and even 11% longer when started at older age. But it didn't help female mice at all. The other four pills (including nicotinamide riboside) didn't help mice of either sex live longer.
Surprising Findings
The exact same estrogen compound that extends male lifespan has ZERO effect on females
This contradicts the common assumption that anti-aging treatments would work similarly across sexes. It also challenges the belief that estrogen = female hormone = more benefit to females.
Practical Takeaways
Don't start taking estrogen supplements for longevity based on this study
Publication
Journal
Aging Cell
Year
2021
Authors
D. Harrison, R. Strong, P. Reifsnyder, Navasuja Kumar, Elizabeth Fernandez, K. Flurkey, M. Javors, M. Lopez-Cruzan, F. Macchiarini, James F. Nelson, Alessandro Bitto, Amy L. Sindler, G. Cortopassi, K. Kavanagh, L. Leng, R. Bucala, N. Rosenthal, A. Salmon, Timothy M. Stearns, M. Bogue, Richard A. Miller
Related Content
Claims (10)
A popular anti-aging supplement called nicotinamide riboside (NR) was given to mice to see if it could help them live longer, but the study found it didn't extend their lifespan at the doses tested.
A compound called 17-α-estradiol was found to extend lifespan in tests done at three different research centers, and all three studies showed similar results even though they were done 5 years apart.
Scientists fed old male mice a special chemical called 17-α-estradiol and found they lived about 19% longer than mice that didn't get the chemical.
Scientists gave old male mice a special compound called 17-alpha-estradiol in their food starting at 20 months old (roughly equivalent to late middle age in humans), and the mice lived about 11% longer than mice that didn't get the compound.
Giving male mice a special compound called 17-α-estradiol when they were middle-aged (16 months) helped them live about 7% longer, specifically extending their maximum lifespan.