Alzheimer’s, also known as ‘senile dementia’ is a particularly common disease, which affects about 10 percent of people over the age of 65. The exact cause of this condition is still unknown, though groups of scientists have recently considered a link between the onset of Alzheimer’s and certain chemicals called plaques, which our bodies lack as we get older. They believe that anti aging therapies will enable our bodies to continue to produce these chemicals well into our old age.A new study has begun that looks closer at the changes in our bodies as we get older, they believe that the key to preventing Alzheimer’s lies in lessening the natural build up of these amyloid plaques in our brains. The over formation of these clusters of plaques begin as a result of weakening cells in our bodies; strong cells are needed to control and maintain the growth of plaques. Dr Ehud Choen and his research team believe that by using available anti-aging treatments, they can keep our bodies’ biological systems young and healthy. This will, in turn work to slow the build up of plaques in our brains, and halt the onset of Alzheimer’s. The anti aging treatment that they have chosen, limits our systems production of a growth hormone called IGF-1; which aids in the bodies aging process. Dr. Coen believes that after taking this treatment, people can expect to get an addition of 35 percent to their current life expectancy.To test these theories trial runs of the treatment were preformed on mice and the results were very promising. The study showed that mice given the IGF-1 reducing treatment were able to maintain young and healthy biological systems and did not suffer from Alzheimer’s in later life.  Of the mice that didn’t take the hormone, all of them developed Alzheimer’s towards the end of their lives; brain samples showed that they had high levels of plaques in their brain tissue. The results of these studies are being seen as a major breakthrough for both an anti-aging treatment and as a possible prevention medicine for Alzheimer’s. This proves that the possibility that we can slow down the aging process and extend our lives is not just a theory, but also an actual reality. Just like a  anti-aging telomerase enzyme, there is a big potential using IGF-1 in both anti-aging and treating diseases.