Research

Hormonal

Genetic deletion of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (Irs1) gene extends median lifespan by 18% in female mice and delays multiple age-related biomarkers, including motor decline, immune senescence, and bone loss, despite the presence of lifelong insulin resistance.

This research identifies IRS1 signaling as a critical regulator of aging in mammals. While direct genetic manipulation is not possible for humans, it suggests that modulating this specific intracellular pathway could be a target for therapies to delay aging and age-related diseases, independent of improving insulin sensitivity.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Our provisional results indicate that female Irs1-/- mice are long-lived. Furthermore, they displayed resistance to a range of age-sensitive markers of aging including skin, bone, immune, and motor dysfunction. These improvements in health were seen despite mild, lifelong insulin resistance.
Colin Selman et al. · The FASEB Journal · 2007

Why this rating

High-quality controlled animal study with large sample sizes for survival analysis and multiple phenotypic assays, though results are specific to mice.

Source

Evidence for lifespan extension and delayed age–related biomarkers in insulin receptor substrate 1 null mice

Colin Selman et al. · The FASEB Journal · 2007

DOI 10.1096/fj.07-9261com

mechanism_only · n=382Cited 543×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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