咖啡因可能激活古老细胞能量开关，与衰老减缓相关

伦敦玛丽女王大学的研究发现，咖啡因可以通过激活AMPK能量传感系统来影响细胞衰老过程1。AMPK是一个已在生物体中运作超过5亿年的古老能量传感系统1，在酵母和人类中都存在，并影响细胞生长、应激反应和DNA修复等多个过程1。这些过程与衰老密切相关，暗示咖啡因可能通过调节这一基础代谢通路产生健康益处。

研究团队在分裂酵母中进行了实验，发现咖啡因激活AMPK而非直接作用于TOR1。相关研究成果已发表于《微生物细胞》期刊2025年第12卷第141页1。值得注意的是，AMPK与广泛使用的糖尿病药物二甲双胍相关联1。不过，这一发现目前仍需进一步人体研究来验证其在人类衰老过程中的实际效应1。

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have identified a mechanism by which caffeine influences cellular aging through activation of AMPK, an ancient energy-sensing system 1. Rather than acting directly on the TOR pathway, caffeine stimulates AMPK, a cellular energy sensor that has operated across biological organisms for over 500 million years 1. This system regulates critical processes including stress resistance, DNA repair, and cell growth—all functions closely tied to the aging process 1.

The investigation was conducted using fission yeast and published in the journal Microbial Cell, Volume 12, page 141 1. AMPK is present in both yeast and human cells, making findings from the yeast model potentially relevant to understanding human aging 1. The discovery suggests that caffeine may produce health benefits through this conserved metabolic pathway 1. However, the researchers note that further human studies are necessary to validate whether these findings translate to meaningful anti-aging effects in people 1. The work also connects caffeine's mechanism to metformin, a widely prescribed diabetes medication that similarly targets AMPK 1.