Protein powder could enhance longevity by 10 years

A protein powder favoured by body builders could be the key to a long and healthy life, scientists believe.

Dissolved in water, the mixture built muscle, boosted fitness and improved balance and co-ordination.

The powder, which can be bought from health food shops and online, increased life expectancy by 12 percent.

The amazing results come from animal experiments, but, in human terms, this would equate to an extra 10 years or so of life, according to the journal Cell Metabolism.

The Italian researchers believe that taken daily from middle-age, the "elixir of life" powder could help millions look forward to a healthier old age, reports the Daily Mail.

Sprinkled on porridge or stirred into milk, it could strengthen weak and worn-out muscle, cutting the risk of painful falls and fractures in old age.

Taken in later life, the supplement could give a much-needed energy boost to those with heart, lung and other problems.

Enzo Nisoli of the Brescia University, Italy, who led the research, said: "I think our data warrant a recommendation that middle-aged people start taking these supplements."

Nisoli gives "middle-aged" mice water laced with amino acids - the building blocks of protein. The three "branched-chain" amino acids used were leucine, isoleucine and valine.

Those given the supplement lived 80 days longer than the average mouse. In human terms, this would increase the average 77.7 years lifespan of a British man to 87. And take the average life expectancy for women from 81.9 years to almost 92.

Muscle strength, balance, co-ordination and endurance also improved. Taken from the age of 55 or so, the protein powder could boost the odds of a healthy old age.

They also help protect the body from free-radicals -- dangerous oxygen molecules that attack and age the tissue and cells.