耶拿大學(xué)的研究者和日本同行在新一期《歐洲營養(yǎng)學(xué)期刊》（European Journal of Nutrition）上報告說，他們聯(lián)合對日本大分縣18個城鎮(zhèn)自來水的鋰含量與當(dāng)?shù)氐乃劳雎首髁讼嚓P(guān)性調(diào)查，結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)在自來水鋰含量較高的城鎮(zhèn)，其人口死亡率明顯較低。
European Journal of Nutrition DOI: 10.1007/s00394-011-0171-x
Low-dose lithium uptake promotes longevity in humans and metazoans
Kim Zarse, Takeshi Terao, Jing Tian, Noboru Iwata, Nobuyoshi Ishii and Michael Ristow
Abstract
Purpose
Lithium is a nutritionally essential trace element predominantly contained in vegetables, plant-derived foods, and drinking water. Environmental lithium exposure and concurrent nutritional intake vary considerably in different regions. We here have analyzed the possibility that low-dose lithium exposure may affect mortality in both metazoans and mammals.
Methods
Based on a large Japanese observational cohort, we have used weighted regression analysis to identify putative effects of tap water-derived lithium uptake on overall mortality. Independently, we have exposed Caenorhabditis elegans, a small roundworm commonly used for anti-aging studies, to comparable concentrations of lithium, and have quantified mortality during this intervention.
Results
In humans, we find here an inverse correlation between drinking water lithium concentrations and all-cause mortality in 18 neighboring Japanese municipalities with a total of 1,206,174 individuals (β = ?0.661, p = 0.003). Consistently, we find that exposure to a comparably low concentration of lithium chloride extends life span of C. elegans (p = 0.047).
Conclusions
Taken together, these findings indicate that long-term low-dose exposure to lithium may exert anti-aging capabilities and unambiguously decreases mortality in evolutionary distinct species.
Keywords Trace elements – Lithium – Mortality – Longevity – Human – C. elegans
