Dr. W. Donner Denckla, working at the National Institutes of Health,

Harvard and at the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol

Abuse discovered a hormone called DECO (decreasing consumption of

oxygen).

DECO is commonly referred to as the "death hormone" due to an

apparent link with its presence and accelerated aging processes.

Denckla removed the pituitary gland from rat brains and injected

them with thyroid, growth and other hormones, he noted that the

organ systems of rats with an absence of DECO appeared much younger

than normal.

Aged rat hearts and lungs seemed to become rejuvenated. However,

when these same rats were injected with DECO, their organs began to

age at a much accelerated rate.

Another contributor to the aging process is the thyroid hormone,

Thymosin. Dr. Allen Goldstein of George Washington University

Medical School, found that thymosin helps the immune system to

remain strong. Aging causes thymosin levels to drop which increases

susceptibility to disease.

Yet another contributor is the hormone DHEA (dehydrepiandrosterone).

This substance is found in abundance in vegetarians and teens, yet

grows scarce in later years.