
Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.
Advertisement
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
A rare form of dwarfism that affects only 400–500 people worldwide has caught the interest of scientists who study ageing and metabolic diseases. This is because a series of studies have associated the condition with a number of positive health effects, including protection against diabetes, cancer1 and cognitive decline2. Mice with a similar condition live for about 40% longer than do control animals3.
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
£14.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
£199.00 per year
only £3.90 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01201-6
Guevara-Aguirre, J. et al. Sci. Transl. Med. 3, 70ra13 (2011).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Nashiro, K. et al. J. Neurosci. 37, 1696–1707 (2017).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Coschigano, K. et al. Endocrinology 141, 2608–2613 (2000).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Guevara-Aguirre, J. et al. Med 5, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medj.2024.03.022 (2024).
Article Google Scholar
Juul, A. et al. Circulation 106, 939–944 (2002).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Fredwall, S. O. et al. Genet. Med. 23, 732–739 (2021).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Oliveira, J. L. M. et al. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 91, 2093–2099 (2006).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Download references
Reprints and permissions
Is a boost to height a boost to health? Dwarfism therapies spark controversy
Anti-ageing protein injection boosts monkeys’ memories
How anti-ageing drugs could boost COVID vaccines in older people
Genetic secrets of the healthy elderly revealed
Dwarfism may stymie diseases of old age
Omega-3 supplements slow biological ageing
News
The new science of menopause: these emerging therapies could change women’s health
News Feature
X chromosome passed from mother to daughter influences brain ageing
News & Views
Cheap blood test detects pancreatic cancer before it spreads
News
Genetic data from Indigenous Greenlanders could help to narrow health-care gap
News & Views
Federico Mayor Zaragoza obituary: former UNESCO chief who championed neonatal screening
Obituary
Genetic data from Indigenous Greenlanders could help to narrow health-care gap
News & Views
Genetic architecture in Greenland is shaped by demography, structure and selection
Article
Does a cell’s gene expression always reflect its function?
News & Views
UBC Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver seeks candidates for up to two tenure-track faculty positions.
Greater Vancouver, British Columbia (CA)
Department of Physics and Astronomy – University of British Columbia
Postdoc to develop therapeutic RNAs, focus on mRNA stability, translation, and gene therapy. RNA biology, genomics, and computational biology skills.
New Haven, Connecticut
Yale University – Giraldez lab
As an Associate or Senior Editor, you will contribute to the success of the BMC Series by handling editorial content for BMC Pediatrics.
London or Heidelberg – Hybrid working model
Springer Nature Ltd
The Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS gGmbH) and the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR) in cooperation with t…
Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg (DE)
Universität Heidelberg
The Institute of Biomedicine is involved in both research and education. In both of these areas, we focus on fundamental knowledge of the living ce…
Gothenburg (Stad), Västra Götaland (SE)
University of Gothenburg
Is a boost to height a boost to health? Dwarfism therapies spark controversy
Anti-ageing protein injection boosts monkeys’ memories
How anti-ageing drugs could boost COVID vaccines in older people
Genetic secrets of the healthy elderly revealed
Dwarfism may stymie diseases of old age
An essential round-up of science news, opinion and analysis, delivered to your inbox every weekday.
Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.
© 2025 Springer Nature Limited

More Stories
On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, An Internet for Everyone Must Include Everyone
An Open Fiber Data Standard to Make the Internet for Everyone
How RightsCon Is an Unexpected Stress Test for the Multistakeholder Model of Internet Governance