But even if it does work (and Dr Hellerstein has yet to prove that reduced cell division translates into longer life) the temptations of life may prove just too much for wannabe Methuselahs.
"Given the economic mess we're in, a lot of people are coming in saying they think they're on the verge of a nervous breakdown, " says David Hellerstein, research psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.