At Arizona State University, an international research team has found that the antioxidant protein vitellogenin reverses the agining process in some worker bees, increasing their life expectancy from around four to six weeks, to six to ten months. Dr. Gro Amdam, the head of the research team, believes that this result may contribute to the development of anti-aging pharmaceuticals, and provide important clues as to how aging in humans may be prevented or reversed.

As reported by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), one of the world's most-cited scientific journals, Vitellogenin appears to prevent and reverse oxidative stress to the bees, a process strongly associated with aging. Similar rejuvenation processes have never been observed in any other animal.

"Oxidation of living cells, or oxidative stress," explains Antioxi.net, "is the process which lies behind physical aging. Through the oxidation process, the cells of the body are broken down by reactants known as free radicals. The harmful activities of free radicals are prevented and reversed by antioxidants, compounds that absorb and neutralize free radicals."