![\"Person](\"https:\/\/satdi.umh.es\/files\/2026\/10\/Una-persona-corriendo-en-invierno.jpeg\")
<\/a>Person running in a cold environment (AI-generated image)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
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Research led by the University of Cologne<\/strong> and published in the journal Nature<\/em><\/strong> has found that low temperatures induce muscles to produce the molecule BH2 (dihydrobiopterin).<\/strong> This metabolite travels to other organs and activates proteostasis, the cellular mechanism responsible for properly maintaining, repairing and eliminating proteins. It was already known that cold temperatures could extend lifespan in animals, but this finding reveals the biochemical machinery that explains this phenomenon beyond the simple slowing down of metabolism.<\/p>\n Experiments carried out with the laboratory worm C. elegans<\/em> showed an increase of up to 50% in longevity after lowering the temperature from 20\u00b0C to 15\u00b0C, keeping the specimens young and healthy for longer. The main results were confirmed in human cells: the addition of BH2 prevented protein dysfunction in neurons affected by neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Huntington\u2019s disease, in which failure of proteostasis is a determining factor.<\/p>\n Although the breakthrough will not have immediate applications, the team led by biochemist David V\u00edlchez has patented the results and plans to launch a startup<\/em> to develop therapies<\/strong> that mimic the benefits of cold without exposing the body to low temperatures. The main long-term goal will be the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases \u2014 such as Alzheimer\u2019s or Parkinson\u2019s \u2014<\/strong> and, in the even longer term, the possibility of extending the length of time we live in good health.<\/p>\n