August 2010 - Selling the Fountain of Youth Selling the Fountain of Youth
RSS
 

Archive for August, 2010

Resveratrol Pioneers in Hot Water

29 Aug

I just got wind of a controversy that erupted a few weeks back over two executives of GlaxoSmithKline who had formerly been with Sirtris, the company that discovered resveratrol’s supposed life-extending powers. Resveratrol, the red-wine supplement that has been all the rage, is being studied in pharmaceutical-grade form to treat a variety of age-related diseases, but so far has been unimpressive.

Nevertheless, Christoph Westphal and Michelle Dipp of Glaxo/Sirtris were marketing resveratrol supplements through their Boston non-profit, Healthy Lifespan Institute, the Web site Xconomy revealed. Soon after, Glaxo ordered them to stop selling the supplement and resign their positions on the board of Healthy Lifespan.

The institute had been offering resveratrol for an eye-popping $590 a year. Even though they didn’t intend to profit off the supplement, they clearly recognized an opportunity to jump on a lucrative bandwagon. But here’s my question: What’s the appeal of a supplement that has yet to show any proven anti-aging powers?

 
Comments Off on Resveratrol Pioneers in Hot Water

Posted in Resveratrol

 

Perseus Books Interview on Selling the Fountain of Youth

24 Aug

Courtesy of Perseus Books Group’s Podcasts, here I am talking about the book Selling the Fountain of Youth.

 
Comments Off on Perseus Books Interview on Selling the Fountain of Youth

Posted in Selling the Fountain of Youth

 

One Woman’s Horrifying Experiment With HGH

22 Aug

With a mixture of shock and amazement, I read a story in today’s New York Times called “Am I Young Yet?” It was written by Elizabeth Hayt, who at the age of 48, began injecting herself with human growth hormone (HGH), one of the anti-aging industry’s drugs of choice.

Hayt tried HGH because she thought it might help speed up her recovery from ankle surgery. But she admitted she was also drawn to it because an anti-aging doctor told her “HGH should also help you lose weight, and you’ll love the way it will make your skin look younger.”

In reality, it appeared that HGH turned Hayt’s face into a disaster area. She ended up with 5 moles, 25 enlarged oil glands and 50 angiofibromas–small pocks around her nose.

Many scientists believe that HGH, true to its name, makes things grow–and often not pleasant things. In Selling the Fountain of Youth, I recount the story of Hanneke Hops, a northern California woman who told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2003 that daily injections of HGH were making her strong and healthy enough to run marathons, ride horses, and fly planes. Three months later she died from cancer, her liver riddled with tumors. Her son suspected a link to HGH.

It’s difficult to prove scientifically that HGH causes dangerous side effects, or worse, cancer. But there have been plenty of anecdotal reports–such as those of Hayt and Hops–that suggest patients should proceed with extreme caution. At least they should ask themselves: Is the quest for youth worth the risks?

 
Comments Off on One Woman’s Horrifying Experiment With HGH

Posted in HGH

 

Fast Company Praises Book as “Unnerving Expose”

16 Aug

The September issue of Fast Company calls Selling the Fountain of Youth an  “elixir of deep research and smooth storytelling” that ” delivers a sometimes-gag-inducing dose of reality.”

 
Comments Off on Fast Company Praises Book as “Unnerving Expose”

Posted in Selling the Fountain of Youth

 

The Book is Out!

15 Aug

Selling the Fountain of Youth is now shipping from Amazon and other online retailers. Watch for it soon in your local bookstore!

 
Comments Off on The Book is Out!

Posted in Selling the Fountain of Youth