Magic Mushrooms Might Be the Key to Longer Human Lives
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story:
Psilocybin, the hallucinogen in some mushroom species, has now been shown to increase the lifespan of both cells and mice.
The magic happens because psilocybin slows down the senescence, or degradation, of telomeres—the DNA at the ends of our chromosomes that affects aging.
These results may mean that psilocybin could someday slow down the progression of cancer and other diseases.
Shelves in stores all over the world are already overstocked with supplements, skin creams, retinal serums, self-help books, and questionable potions that promise to hold off the effects of aging as long as possible. But... have we tried magic mushrooms?
Psilocybin is what puts the 'magic' in some species of mushrooms (such as Psilocybe cubensis)—when it's metabolized, it releases the hallucinogen alkaloid psilocin. Most clinical studies involving psilocybin and psilocin have, understandably, focused on its interactions with the brain. And we've learned a lot from these studies. Psilocin has been shown, for example, to have a positive impact on people with psychiatric and neurodegenerative conditions.
But now, it seems that scientists have discovered that there is also an association between psilocybin treatment and the slowing of cell aging.
Telomeres are repeated DNA sequences at the end of our chromosomes that influence how we age. The shortening of telomeres leads to senescence (aging) and, eventually, cell death. Clinical depression and other negative mental and psychological states have been known to fast-forward aging by causing the telomeres of cells to shorten sooner, and positive mental states are associated with longer telomeres. This knowledge led to the 'psilocybin-telomere hypothesis,' which suggests that psilocybin might slow down aging by keeping telomeres longer beyond the point when they would usually start to degrade.
This hypothesis is why Kosuke Kato, assistant professor of pulmonary medicine at Baylor University, wanted to focus in on the anti-aging effects of psilocybin. He was the first to do so, and when he and his research team carried out a series of experiments on adult mice and human cells, the results were pretty trippy. It turned out that the psilocin in psilocybin can indeed increase lifespans of cells—and even entire organisms.
'Our study provides the first experimental evidence demonstrating that psilocybin impacts hallmarks of aging, supporting the previously proposed 'psilocybin-telomere hypothesis,'' the researchers said in a study recently published in Nature Partnering Journal (NPI) Aging.
Kato started with an in vitro study on human lung stem cells. Those treated with a low dose of psilocin had extended lifespans, allowing them to multiply faster and for longer than controls. With a higher dose, the psilocin-treated cells held out for even longer before succumbing to senescence. They also had higher levels of SIRT1—a gene that regulates DNA damage and regulates the metabolism, stress responses, and the aging of cells. Lower levels of the GADD45a gene (which repairs DNA damage) meant there was less cell damage, and levels of oxidative stress (which also causes cell damage) were also reduced. The same experiments were carried out on adult human skin cells, and produced similar results.
After the success of the in vitro experiments, Kato treated mice with psilocybin once a month over a period of ten months. He purposely chose older mice, whose age equivalent in human years was about 60 to 65 at the beginning of the experiment. And the treatment worked—survival rates ended up being an astounding 80% higher than controls. The mice even looked looked younger. Their fur quality improved, and some graying was reversed (though they did experience psychotropic effects right after treatment as a predictable side effect).
The results of these experiments have important implications not just for aging, but for potentially slowing down and even halting the progress of cancer.
'Our findings suggest that psilocybin influences systemic aging processes, potentially explaining its long-lasting therapeutic effects across multiple disease indications,' Kato said. 'Although the impact of psilocybin on peripheral organs remains largely unexplored, these studies implicate untapped therapeutic potential for psilocybin's systemic impacts.'
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