b'SENSE, NONSENSE AND SCIENCEBY: JOE SCHWARCZEAT LESS, LIVE MOREI t may not be an appetizing idea, butgenes responsible for producing sirtu-the key to living longer may be foundins played a role in regulating life span. on the dinner plate. Or better stated,That didnt get much attention in the not found there. The only dietary inter- lay media until Sinclair discovered that vention that has been repeatedly shownThe fact that resveratrol, a chemical that naturally to increase longevity is calorie restriction!the studies inoccurs in plants, particularly in the skin Yup, its what you dont eat that matters.of red grapes was able to activate the While most dietary research aimed atyeast, and later inSIRT genes. Then the media jumped longevity has focused on what to eat, itmice, used dosesand stories about red wine being linked seems that just cutting back on caloriesof resveratrolto anti-aging and disease prevention may matter more. Numerous studies haveeffects proliferated. The fact the studies shown that reducing calorie intake bythat wouldin yeast, and later in mice, used doses of some 30% extends the life expectancy ofrequire consumingresveratrol that would require consum-yeasts, fish, rodents, and dogs by as muchhundreds of bottlesing hundreds of bottles of wine a day as one third. While there have been nowas ignored. Supplements of resveratrol human clinical trials that have shownof wine a day wasbegan to appear on shelves in health food similar results, studies of rhesus mon- ignored. stores, especially after Sinclair disclosed keys, animals with which humans sharethat he was so convinced of the benefits 93% of their genes, have demonstratedof resveratrol that he was taking supple-that calorie restriction extends life andments himself. These supplements got a delays age-related disorders. However,further boost when Oprah Winfrey and the low-calorie diets in these studies didprotg Dr. Oz discussed them in a posi-not just randomly cut food intake, theyidea that red wine may have some sort oftive way, although the two ended up suing were designed to ensure that the essen- beneficial effect on health. some of these supplement manufacturers tial nutrients needed to prevent malnutri- Why low-calorie diets should havefor promoting their products with unli-tion were adequately supplied. an anti-aging effect is a matter of muchcensed images of themselves.Surprisingly, the notion of eating lessdebate with the prevailing opinion beingThe resveratrol barrel that once for improved health was first proposedthat reduced food intake signals the bodyseemed to be filled with solid information back in the 15th century by Luigi Cornaro,to adopt a state of self-preservation. Foodhas sprung other leaks. A research group a Venetian nobleman who at a young agesupplies all the chemicals needed to sus- at Johns Hopkins University followed 783 encountered various health problemstain the biochemical reactions that con- men and women over the age of 65 in two and concluded that these were somehowstitute life and if less is being supplied,Italian villages for 11 years. They ana-related to his diet. So, he decided to justthe body has to take measures to ensurelyzed urine samples for resveratrol and eat less. As he described in his book,that essential processes are not impaired.its breakdown products and monitored Discourses on the Temperate Life, heThis involves the production of variousthe health status of the subjects. There consumed only about 350 grams of food aenzymes, biological catalysts, that helpwas no link between resveratrol intake day and cured himself of all his ailmentsto keep the critical reactions going.and inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular within a year. He went on to live to beEnzymes are proteins, and the specificdisease, or longevity. Of course, it must either 98 or 102 years old, depending onones involved here are known as sirtu- be remembered that the animal experi-which account one reads. How many cal- ins, produced on instruction from genes,ments that showed positive results used ories he consumed is hard to say becauseappropriately called sirtuin, or SIRTmuch higher doses of resveratrol than are the only description of his diet we have isgenes. What does this have to do withavailable from the diet so the possibility that it was composed of bread, egg yolk,aging and calorie restriction? Aging isthat resveratrol supplements may be ben-meat, and soup. If we make a guess at analso a process whereby the essential bio- eficial cannot be ruled out. The problem average of five calories per gram, his intakechemical reactions become less efficient,is that nobody knows what may be a safe was roughly 1750 calories which would beso it is conceivable that increasing sirtuinand effective dose in humans. What we certainly qualify as a calorie restrictedproduction may have an anti-aging effect. do know is that the amount found in red diet. It is interesting to note that CornaroThat is just what Harvard geneticswine is not going to make you live longer. also drank about three glasses of wine aprofessor David Sinclair suggested backBut the wine may make the years more day. And that brings us to the seductivein 2003 when he found that in yeastspleasurable.18IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'