Jet lag might hasten death in elderly

When old mice experienced artificial jet lag, their death rate increased, scientists report.

Gene Block of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and his colleagues study how the body’s natural timekeeping, or circadian rhythm, changes with age. Several years ago, the researchers noticed that a surprisingly large fraction of their elderly lab rats died soon after researchers changed the daily cycle of light and dark in rooms containing the animals’ cages.