Is mTOR a Key to Longevity?

Is mTOR a Key to Longevity?

Is mTor a key to longevity? Many scientists think mTor may be the key to living longer better. mTor is a naturally occurring protein.  We have written about mTor and the effect that rapamycin has on this protein in Incredible Life Extension Benefits of Rapamycin.  Today we are going to take a deeper dive into understanding how mTor functions and its role on human longevity.

mTOR and AMPK:  Ying and Yang

The body functions on the principle of balance or homeostasis. This can take place by having not too much or too little of one thing, or when opposing  biochemical processes are turned on and off in alternative fashion.  The body tries to strike a balance between tissue building and tissue breakdown or what are called anabolic and catabolic processes respectively. There are two protein kinases that regulated these opposing processes.

The key to longevity appears to be pinned to the successful  balancing of the effects of mTOR and AMPK. Let’s first look at mTOR and then AMPK

mTOR

Very simply, mTOR controls cell growth and metabolism. mTOR is a naturally occurring protein kinase that governs anabolism or tissue growth. When overstimulated, mTOR has been linked to type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, arthritis, neurological disorders among other diseases.  mTOR senses the environment and when nutrients are in abundance (amino acids and sugar) and will give the order for cells to grow and tissues to divide.  However, this growth cannot go on too long or unchecked as it can lead to overgrowth of tissue including growth of cancer cells.

AMPK

This growth command must be counter balanced by a process called autophagy which is regulated by AMPK. Autophay is the process of degrading and recycling cellular components. When energy levels are low, AMPK is activated and promotes autophagy to help maintain cellular energy homeostasis. Basically the body recycles senescent and dead cells.

24/7 Access to Food

Having 24/7 access to food is not healthy especially for those who are undisciplined with their eating.  Eating throughout the day means there are always amino acids and glucose available to trigger mTOR, and therefore, tissue growth.  This is why fasting and/or time restricted eating has health benefits. It allows the body to shut off mTOR and trigger AMPK. Again, the key to longevity requires the balancing between mTOR and AMPK.

mTOR is necessary for muscle growth/strength, it just cannot be stimulated 24/7.

Rapamycin and Metformin

Rapamycin and metformin are two drugs being looked at as playing a role in the key to longevity. Rapamycin suppresses mTOR whereas metformin stimulates AMPK, thus potentially leading to a healthier balance between cell and tissue growth (mTOR) and cell breakdown and recycling (AMPK).

What is the Right Balance?

At this time we do not know what is the right balance between mTOR activation and autophagy but as we mentioned in Incredible Life Extension Benefits of Rapamycin. some experts like Ross Pelton, a pharmacist, who has studied mTOR and autophagy thinks that mTOR should only be activated 15% of the time and autophagy activated 85% of the time. If you extrapolate this to a 24 hour day, you only want mTOR activation for 6 hours a day which is doable with a time restricted eating plan.

Our Thoughts

We think that drugs like metformin and rapamycin are likely to have better life extension effects on those individuals who are more neglectful with their health and will be less impactful in those who are engaged in healthy eating and exercise and who sleep and manage stress well. There is a ceiling to lifespan which all things point to being a 120 years. Once a person “masters lifestyle” other interventions are likely to have incremental less benefit at which point any downside to an intervention must be taken into account.

For instance, such longevity drugs may add an extra 5 years to the average person’s life, but perhaps only a year or two for the person who has “mastered the art of lifestyle”. I hope that makes sense. Though research on longevity drugs is exciting and promising, a bulk of healthy aging is determined by our health habits. When all is said and done, lifestyle will prove to be the key to longevity.

Sources: 

Ross Pelton: Rapamycin: The Most Promising Life Extension Drug. Praktikos Books.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/understanding-mtor-a-delicate-balance-for-longevity-5789005