ABSTRACT
Aging, the universal phenomenon experienced by all, remains a puzzle to scientists. Many theories have been proposed, but none so far has been generally accepted by gerontologists. Suboptimal life spans of the control animals could be caused by adverse environmental conditions, and a comparatively longer life span of the antioxidant-supplemented animals in such studies may be due to protective effects which are specific to the particular experimental conditions. Vitamin E added to cultures of nematodes increased both the average and maximum life span. Reduction of the metabolic rate is associated with longer life spans in adult insects. Lower weights in the experimental group than in the control animals do not necessarily indicate dietary restriction; interference with food absorption or utilization or with the regulation of the metabolic rate is possible. The available data on longevity studies show that a number of antioxidants are capable of extending the life span of experimental animals.
