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Article: A Red Flag for Jet Lag; In Study, Simulated Flights Result in Deaths of Older Mice
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- December 26, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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It's the caged-mouse syndrome of air travel -- you feel crammed
into your seat on a long-distance flight with little to munch on
except a bag of pretzels.
But you better hope you beat jet lag better than a mouse.
A study at the University of Virginia released during the height
of Thanksgiving and Christmas travel seasons showed that a majority
of elderly mice died while being subjected to the equivalent of a
Washington-to-Paris flight once a week for eight weeks. More intense
forms of jet lag sped up the death rate in the elderly rodents, the
study found.
For decades, flyers have stoically battled the modern-age problem
of jet lag, viewing its accompanying grogginess, burning eyes, ...