Study suggests antibiotic Rapamycin delays aging

Here's an interesting note. An antibiotic seems to delay aging in mice even if treatment starts late in life...

A new star has appeared in the field of drugs that delay aging in laboratory animals, and are therefore candidates for doing the same in people.

The drug is an antibiotic, rapamycin, already in use for suppressing the immune system in transplant patients and for treating certain cancers.

Rapamycin treatment had the remarkable effect of extending life even though it was not started in the right dose until the mice had lived 600 days — equivalent to a person at age 60. Most interventions that prolong life in mice, including a very low-calorie diet, need to be started early in life to show any effect.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/health/research/09aging.html