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Soon, a pill to ensure '150 healthy years' for everyone!

A wonder pill that can slow the ageing process is likely to become available within five years, raising the prospect of people eventually living to 150 and beyond, researchers say.

Professor Peter Smith of New South Wales University in Australia claims "elixir of life" drugs will not only help us live longer, but healthier too.

"The aim is not just to eke out extra existence but to facilitate a longer healthy life. We just don't want to live longer, we want to live longer well," the Daily Express quoted him as saying.

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'We expect people will live well, much longer'

"And these drugs will help with the regeneration of cells, regeneration of processes in the body, so we expect people will live well, much longer," he said.

Professor David Sinclair, an Australian expert in ageing at Harvard University, said a network of genes is responsible for the pace of ageing.

"Our bodies have an extraordinary ability to repair themselves," he said.

Professor Sinclair has shown that resveratrol, a plant compound found in red wine, can extend the lifespan of yeast, worms, fruit flies and fat mice, by activating proteins called sirtuins.

"We're seeing the beginning of technology that could one day allow us to reach 150." he added.