Supplements that incorporate melatonin, the chemical used by the body to regulate sleep and other functions, could also reduce the effects of aging.

The chemical has also been found in some research to have antioxidant properties which can reduce damage to the heart from oxidative stress. And now scientists at Arago Laboratory in Banyuls-sur-Mer, France, have found that a treatment using the chemical have improved the longevity of some animals, including the greater white-toothed shrew.

The animal generally only lives for a year to a year-and-a-half, but with melatonin supplementation at the one-year mark, it was able to maintain the circadian rhythm that maintains cell function through proper sleep.

According to the researchers, the effect was enough to eliminate those declines caused by aging for roughly three months, or one-quarter of its average lifespan.

They are now planning studies to examine the benefits of melatonin in reducing the effects of aging in humans, expanding on research showing its ability in some cases to reduce sleep problems in insomniacs.