The body relies on a mix of natural and supplemental forces, both internal and external, to stay healthy.
The combination of anti-aging proteins produced in the kidney and special hormones is more important than you know for maintaining a healthy metabolism and combating diseases like diabetes and chronic kidney failure.
It’s important to understand how the anti-aging protein Klotho interacts with certain growth factor hormones to protect your body. Research shows that by targeting how these proteins and hormones interact, scientists can develop drugs that will help maintain proper levels in the body as it ages to combat age-related diseases. Klotho is an anti-aging protein produced in the kidney that research has shown can help treat certain diseases typically associated with getting older. The kidney produces less of it as the body ages, and higher amounts of the protein help mitigate the risk of conditions associated with aging, such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
The hormones that factor significantly into these age-related conditions are known as fibroblast growth factors, or FGFs. These hormones specifically benefit the body’s endocrine system, helping to control proper levels of glucose, fatty acid, phosphate and vitamin D in the body.
In combination, the Klotho proteins and the FGFs work to create a healthy endocrine system that can fight and treat aging-related conditions. The specific FGFs that help in this effort are FGF21, which is a starvation hormone that activates the sympathetic nervous system and stimulates the adrenal and pituitary glands. FGF19 is a hormone that relates to the feeling of being satiated, or full, which promotes the reaction to feeding by the body’s metabolism. FGF23 is a hormone that is indicative of phosphate intake. Excessive amounts of this hormone are found in patients with early chronic kidney disease or those who are elderly and take in too much phosphate.
Calciprotein particles, which are forms of calcium phosphate and protein, also help identify aging-related diseases. A high concentration of these particles occurs as the kidneys begin to decline. It’s believed they can help mitigate damage caused by high levels of phosphate.
These FGFs act through the body in a connected system with the Klotho genes, forming a unique bond in the endocrine system that promotes multiple beneficial metabolic processes in humans and other mammals. Ongoing research into these Klotho genes and how they are structured in the body will help advance understanding of how these proteins and the FGF hormones can be used in the future for the treatment of various disorders, including chronic kidney disease and other aging-related disorders.