How can we live longer? The eternal question, and one that scientists have long been trying to answer.
Author
- Mikael Palner
Associate Professor, Neurobiology, University of Southern Denmark
We know that diet , exercise , and genes play a big role in the ageing process and how long each of us might be alive for. We also know that certain drugs or medicines have the potential to increase our lifespan. Though there's still a lot we don't know about what makes one person live to 102 and another only make it to 72.
But one new study seems to suggest that psilocybin, found in so-called " magic mushrooms ", could have potential as a longevity drug. In a new study, researchers found that psilocin - the compound your body makes after ingesting psilocybin - helped human cells live longer in the lab and that psilocybin boosted survival rates in older mice.
The study has led to numerous headlines claiming that magic mushrooms could be the secret to living longer . But as someone who's been studying psychedelic compounds like psilocybin, for the past 20 years - with a specific focus on human and rodent psychedelic dosing - I think the claims have been massively overhyped and that applying the findings to humans is deeply problematic.
A closer look
The research took place in two stages. The first part was a simple experiment, where researchers treated human lung cells with psilocin. They found that over time, these cells grew slightly faster than the cells that didn't receive psilocin and survived longer - on average, the psilocybin treated cells lived 28.5% longer.
They also examined markers of cellular health, specifically looking at how many cells showed signs of ageing, and found fewer age-related markers in the psilocin-treated cells.
Next, the researchers carried out a study using older mice that received either a placebo or psilocybin. The mice receiving the psilocybin were first given a dose of five milligrams for every kilogram they weighed to help them acclimatise to the drug, then for the following nine months, they received a higher dose of 15 milligrams (for every kilogram) once a month. The mice were then monitored until they died.
Psilocybin was found to extend the lifespan in mice, with treated animals beginning to die around 25 months of age compared with 21 months for those who didn't receive it.
After ten months of treatment, 80% of the psilocybin group was still alive, while only half of the untreated mice had survived. The treated mice also appeared younger, with healthier fur showing less greying and more new growth, suggesting the drug may have slowed some aspects of ageing.
High doses, high risk
So why is this happening? Well, scientists already know that psilocin activates many serotonin receptors in the brain and acts as an antioxidant (a substance that can prevent or slow down cell damage), both of which promote cell survival and growth . So this could be playing a part.
Another thing to consider is that one of these brain receptors - the 2C receptor - which isn't linked to psychedelic effects, controls appetite and metabolism .
And here's the thing: we already know that eating less can reliably extend lifespan. So, at the very least, the study should have told us how much the mice were eating and how their weight changed throughout the study - just to make sure their longer lives weren't simply because they were eating less.
But here's the real issue, a dose of 15 milligrams per kilogram in mice reflects an extremely high psychedelic dose. Administering this dose monthly for up to nine months has never been done in human studies. In fact, rodents exposed to repeated high doses of psychedelics have, in previous studies, displayed signs of schizophrenia .
It´s worth adding that in terms of animal to human dosage, it's not quite as straightforward as adjusting for weight, as smaller animals have a faster heart rate and metabolise drugs faster. But even taking these things into account, the amount of psilocybin given to the mice would be equal to a human taking more than seven grams of mushrooms. For context, that's more than double what's considered a strong or "heroic" dose for most people - a typical dose is between one and three grams.
Psychedelic boom
So where does this leave us? Well, psilocybin and other psychedelics have received a lot of attention over the past few years, particularly so in the world of mental health research, with numerous studies (and individuals) reporting positive effects.
Some US states, like Oregon and Colorado have eased access to recreational psilocybin and other countries like Germany , the Czech Republic and Australia have bypassed regulatory systems altogether to provide psilocybin in cases of severe depression.
This is concerning though, because when misused or taken in very high doses, magic mushrooms, or psilocybin, can sometimes lead to long-term psychological issues, such as persistent anxiety and paranoia and in rare cases, visual disturbances can continue long after the drug has worn off. Indeed, during the 1960s and 1970s, some studies were carried out on patients in dubious settings and with high doses that led to bad experiences.
These effects are more common in those with underlying mental health vulnerabilities or people who use psychedelics irresponsibly, and are less likely to occur when used within the safety of a therapeutic or clinical setting. But still, we need to be very careful about how we have such conversations and report psychedelic research, given that there is the potential for misuse and dangerous side effects.
This article was commissioned by Videnskab.dk as part of a partnership collaboration with The Conversation. You can read the Danish version of this article, here .
Mikael Palner consults to BrandarisTx and owns shares in Compass Pathways. He receives funding from The Danish Free Research Foundation / Lundbeck Foundation / Novo Nordisk Foundation.
