Liver acid could be ‘elixir’ to extend life, scientists say

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In a new study, published in the journal Nature on Thursday, the scientists assessed the effects of lithocholic acid, or LCA, in genetically modified mice with human tissues and compared them to calorie restriction. In experiments on fruit flies and a nematode called C elegans, the scientists found LCA activates AMPK and induces anti-ageing effects in a manner similar to calorie restriction. Nematode worm C elegans Rendering the animals incapable of producing AMPK resulted in the loss of the LCA effects when it was administered, confirming that the liver acid acted in an “AMPK-dependent manner”. “LCA is one possibility, as it represents one molecule in the blood of people practising calorie restriction and activates AMPK, which in turn further induces metabolite changes in the blood.”