grinner
07-16-2004, 03:52 PM
Red wine "holds secret to long life"
Jul 15, 2004
The compound that makes red wine a healthy drink may also hold the secret to a longer life, according to scientists.
A study on Resveratrol shows it acts on fruit flies and worms in the same way as a method known to extend the life of animals - sharply restricting how much they eat.
The finding opens the possibility that people could take a pill to achieve the same benefits as strict dieting to live longer, healthier lives, said David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School in Boston, who led the study.
"We found this chemical that can extend the life span of every organism we give it to," Sinclair said in a telephone interview.
"We hope we can soon see molecules that treat diseases of ageing, like diabetes for example. ...we really can have our cake and eat it, too."
Anti-ageing
Writing in the journal Nature, Sinclair and colleagues at the University of Connecticut and Brown University in Rhode Island said they were looking for a compound that would affect the body the way caloric restriction does.
Scientists have learned molecules called Sir2-like proteins or sirtuins, found in creatures ranging from bacteria to humans, are involved in the anti-aging effects of restricting calories.
"We were looking for molecules that would stick to and activate this sirtuin protein," Sinclair said.
One clearly worked better than the others.
"When I realised it was a molecule from red wine I almost fell out of my seat. This is the molecule people suspect is behind the health benefits of red wine. It's uncanny."
"Longer-lived"
Last year, Sinclair reported resveratrol extended the life of yeast. Now he has tested it in fruit flies and tiny worms, both of which share many basic biologic processes with humans.
"If you give these compounds to these animals they are healthier and longer-lived, and just as active. They can eat as much as they like and they live considerably longer," said Sinclair.
link (http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_health_story_skin/436343%3fformat=html)
Jul 15, 2004
The compound that makes red wine a healthy drink may also hold the secret to a longer life, according to scientists.
A study on Resveratrol shows it acts on fruit flies and worms in the same way as a method known to extend the life of animals - sharply restricting how much they eat.
The finding opens the possibility that people could take a pill to achieve the same benefits as strict dieting to live longer, healthier lives, said David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School in Boston, who led the study.
"We found this chemical that can extend the life span of every organism we give it to," Sinclair said in a telephone interview.
"We hope we can soon see molecules that treat diseases of ageing, like diabetes for example. ...we really can have our cake and eat it, too."
Anti-ageing
Writing in the journal Nature, Sinclair and colleagues at the University of Connecticut and Brown University in Rhode Island said they were looking for a compound that would affect the body the way caloric restriction does.
Scientists have learned molecules called Sir2-like proteins or sirtuins, found in creatures ranging from bacteria to humans, are involved in the anti-aging effects of restricting calories.
"We were looking for molecules that would stick to and activate this sirtuin protein," Sinclair said.
One clearly worked better than the others.
"When I realised it was a molecule from red wine I almost fell out of my seat. This is the molecule people suspect is behind the health benefits of red wine. It's uncanny."
"Longer-lived"
Last year, Sinclair reported resveratrol extended the life of yeast. Now he has tested it in fruit flies and tiny worms, both of which share many basic biologic processes with humans.
"If you give these compounds to these animals they are healthier and longer-lived, and just as active. They can eat as much as they like and they live considerably longer," said Sinclair.
link (http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_health_story_skin/436343%3fformat=html)