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Red wine molecule shown to extend life: Study
Boston, Aug 25: Researchers have known for years that cutting calories can prolong life in everything from yeast cells to mammals. But an easier way to live longer may be as simple as turning a corkscrew.
Boston, Aug 25: Researchers have known for years that cutting calories can prolong life in everything from yeast cells to mammals. But an easier way to live longer may be as simple as turning a corkscrew.
Molecules found in red wine, peanuts and other products of the plant world have for the first time been shown to mimic the life-extending effects of calorie restriction, a finding that could help researchers develop drugs that lengthen life and prevent or treat aging-related diseases.
Researchers said on Sunday that one of the molecules, a compound known as resveratrol, was shown in a study to extend the life span of yeast cells by up to 80 percent. Resveratrol exists naturally in grapes and red wine.
David Sinclair, an assistant professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the study, said he and his fellow researchers hope the molecules will prove to prolong life not just in yeast but in multi-cellular organisms like worms, fruit flies and, perhaps, humans.
Sinclair, whose study appears in Sunday's advanced online edition of the journal Nature, said tests on worms and flies were already yielding "encouraging" results.
"I can't say any more because I will scoop my next two publications," he said, adding that similar trials were already being planned on mice.
Bureau Report
Molecules found in red wine, peanuts and other products of the plant world have for the first time been shown to mimic the life-extending effects of calorie restriction, a finding that could help researchers develop drugs that lengthen life and prevent or treat aging-related diseases.
Researchers said on Sunday that one of the molecules, a compound known as resveratrol, was shown in a study to extend the life span of yeast cells by up to 80 percent. Resveratrol exists naturally in grapes and red wine.
David Sinclair, an assistant professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the study, said he and his fellow researchers hope the molecules will prove to prolong life not just in yeast but in multi-cellular organisms like worms, fruit flies and, perhaps, humans.
Sinclair, whose study appears in Sunday's advanced online edition of the journal Nature, said tests on worms and flies were already yielding "encouraging" results.
"I can't say any more because I will scoop my next two publications," he said, adding that similar trials were already being planned on mice.
Bureau Report