Red wine substance appears to counter bad health in fat mice
Red wine substance appears to counter bad health in fat mice
By Rob Stein
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post
Published November 2, 2006
WASHINGTON -- A substance found in red wine protected mice from the ill effects of obesity, raising the tantalizing prospect that the compound could do the same for humans and may also help people live longer, healthier lives, according to research being published Thursday in the journal Nature.
The substance, resveratrol, enabled mice that were fed a high-calorie, high-fat diet to live normal, active lives despite becoming obese. Tests found the agent activated a host of genes that protect against the effects of aging, essentially neutralizing t
Although much more work is needed to explore the benefits and safety of the substance, which is sold over the counter as a nutritional supplement, the findings could lead to the long-sought goal of extending the healthy human life span, experts said.
"We've been looking for something like this for the last 100,000 years, and maybe it's right around the corner--a molecule that could be taken in a single pill to delay the diseases of aging and keep you healthier as you grow old," said David Sinclair, a Harvard University molecular biologist who led the study.
The researchers cautioned that the findings should not encourage people to eat badly, thinking resveratrol could make gluttony completely safe. They also noted that a person would have to drink at least 100 bottles of red wine a day or take megadoses of the commercially available supplements to get the levels given to the mice, which may not be safe in humans.
Previous research has shown that laboratory animals fed very low-calorie diets live significantly longer.
In the hope of finding a drug that could harness the natural life-extending capabilities activated by caloric restriction, Sinclair and his colleagues identified a number of promising compounds, including resveratrol, which is found in red wine, grape skins and other plants. The compound, which increases the activity of enzymes known as sirtuins, prolonged the life span of every organism scientists have tested it on, including yeast, worms, fish and fruit flies.
To examine for the first time whether resveratrol could also extend longevity in mammals, Sinclair and his colleagues studied year-old mice, which are the equivalent of middle-age humans. One-third of the mice were fed a standard diet. Another third ate the equivalent of a junk-food diet--one very high in calories with 60 percent of the calories coming from fat. The last third lived on the unhealthy diet combined with resveratrol.
After a year, the researchers found both groups of mice that ate the junk-food diet got fat, and those that did not get any resveratrol experienced a host of health problems, including the early signs of diabetes and heart disease. They tended to die prematurely.
But the mice that got resveratrol remained healthy and lived as long as the animals that ate a normal diet and stayed thin. Moreover, the hearts and livers of the animals getting resveratrol looked healthy, the activity of a host of key genes appeared normal and they showed some of the biological changes triggered by caloric restriction.
They also appeared to have a better quality of life, retaining their activity levels and agility.
By Rob Stein
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post
Published November 2, 2006
WASHINGTON -- A substance found in red wine protected mice from the ill effects of obesity, raising the tantalizing prospect that the compound could do the same for humans and may also help people live longer, healthier lives, according to research being published Thursday in the journal Nature.
The substance, resveratrol, enabled mice that were fed a high-calorie, high-fat diet to live normal, active lives despite becoming obese. Tests found the agent activated a host of genes that protect against the effects of aging, essentially neutralizing t
Although much more work is needed to explore the benefits and safety of the substance, which is sold over the counter as a nutritional supplement, the findings could lead to the long-sought goal of extending the healthy human life span, experts said.
"We've been looking for something like this for the last 100,000 years, and maybe it's right around the corner--a molecule that could be taken in a single pill to delay the diseases of aging and keep you healthier as you grow old," said David Sinclair, a Harvard University molecular biologist who led the study.
The researchers cautioned that the findings should not encourage people to eat badly, thinking resveratrol could make gluttony completely safe. They also noted that a person would have to drink at least 100 bottles of red wine a day or take megadoses of the commercially available supplements to get the levels given to the mice, which may not be safe in humans.
Previous research has shown that laboratory animals fed very low-calorie diets live significantly longer.
In the hope of finding a drug that could harness the natural life-extending capabilities activated by caloric restriction, Sinclair and his colleagues identified a number of promising compounds, including resveratrol, which is found in red wine, grape skins and other plants. The compound, which increases the activity of enzymes known as sirtuins, prolonged the life span of every organism scientists have tested it on, including yeast, worms, fish and fruit flies.
To examine for the first time whether resveratrol could also extend longevity in mammals, Sinclair and his colleagues studied year-old mice, which are the equivalent of middle-age humans. One-third of the mice were fed a standard diet. Another third ate the equivalent of a junk-food diet--one very high in calories with 60 percent of the calories coming from fat. The last third lived on the unhealthy diet combined with resveratrol.
After a year, the researchers found both groups of mice that ate the junk-food diet got fat, and those that did not get any resveratrol experienced a host of health problems, including the early signs of diabetes and heart disease. They tended to die prematurely.
But the mice that got resveratrol remained healthy and lived as long as the animals that ate a normal diet and stayed thin. Moreover, the hearts and livers of the animals getting resveratrol looked healthy, the activity of a host of key genes appeared normal and they showed some of the biological changes triggered by caloric restriction.
They also appeared to have a better quality of life, retaining their activity levels and agility.
posted by Carlos T Mock @ 9:46 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home