Researchers have long wondered why the people of the Tibetan Highlands can live at elevations that cause some humans to become life-threateningly ill – and a new study answers that mystery, in part, by showing that through thousands of years of natural selection, those hardy inhabitants of south-central Asia evolved 10 unique oxygen-processing genes that help them live in higher climes.

via Tibetans Developed Genes To Help Them Adapt To Life At High Elevations.

There is mounting evidence that omega-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oil supplements not only help prevent cardiovascular diseases in healthy individuals, but also reduce the incidence of cardiac events and mortality in patients with existing heart disease. A new study, published in the August 11, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, extensively reviews data from a broad range of studies in tens of thousands of patients and sets forth suggested daily targets for omega-3 consumption.

(read more @ ScienceBlog)

UW scientists Dr. Matt Kaeberlein, assistant professor of pathology, and Dr. Brian Kennedy, associate professor of biochemistry, study factors that control aging. They were asked by Nature to write a commentary on a paper published in the July 9 issue showing that dietary supplementation with rapamycin increases the life span of mice. They observed that, until recently, compounds that slow the hands of time were in the realm of science fiction, but with this finding may be closer to reality.

“The possibility that such compounds might exist, and might perhaps even be within reach,” they wrote, “has gained scientific credibility.”

(read more @ Physorg.com)

Starving yourself for decades may help you live longer and age more gracefully, according to a long-anticipated study on the effects of calorie-restricted diets.

The research found that monkeys who eat less have a longer lifespan and better quality of life in old age.

Although the study was conduct on primates, scientists say the findings likely apply to people, too, and could have profound implications for human health.

(read more @ TheGlobe&Mail)