[reasonattlm]

So what might be going on here?

http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2012/04/a-puzzling-fuller...

The average life span of the Wistar rats used is 2-3 years (24 - 36 months). This was a small study size, but that's no so important in determining whether you have an actual means of life extension if you can show that any of your study group lived much longer than usual - but it is important when it comes to the degree of life extension. If the study group is small, as it is here, using only a handful of rats, then the size of the effect can be much more readily distorted by chance. This line in the paper jumped out at me: "Before C60 administration, the rats were fasted overnight but with access to water." If they failed to fast the control group, then we're looking at yet another study that failed to control for calorie restriction, and this is actually largely an intermittent fasting study - which has certainly been shown to extend life in rats.

This would explain how the olive oil administration also apparently extended life significantly...

[sanxiyn]

This is not it. Fasting was done for pharmacokinetics study, not for chronic toxicity study. That two studies were separate is evident from the description, e.g. rats were acclimated for 7 days for pharmacokinetics study and 14 days for chronic toxicity study.

[reasonattlm]

That is also a plausible reading of the paper. It doesn't look like they go into any great detail as to the protocol for administration in the longer term study.

I'm skeptical of significant antioxidant effects in vivo from a naturally occurring compound given that antioxidants in general haven't done much for longevity without being heavily designed substances (like SkQ1, for example). Simply flooding the body with antioxidants is usually slightly worse for longevity or a null effect - they don't get to the mitochondria where they might do some good.

More information from the authors would be good. All things considered, I'm sure we'll be hearing more on this in the years ahead; people will try to replicate it, the researchers will be grilled on their work, etc.