A real Fountain of Youth?

One of the most interesting areas of research still ongoing at Purina is the effect that caloric restriction has on the aging process.

Regular readers will recall that we have done posts on the 14 year study Purina performed with Labrador retrievers. This major undertaking confirmed studies done in rodents that demonstrated conclusively that caloric restriction is the only proven method of extending healthy life.

You'll recall some of the interesting conclusions. The calorie restricted group had a very significant delay in the onset of debilitating chronic disease associated with aging. These dogs experienced almost two additional years of healthy life compared to their non calorie restricted litter mates.

Impressive stuff when you consider the normal life expectancy of a Labrador Retriever.

Apparently there is something about caloric restriction that stimulates certain enzymes, called sirtuins,  that have a beneficial impact on genes associated with the aging process.

The problem, of course, is that few people want to deny their dogs or themselves the 30% of daily calories they would normally eat to achieve the level of caloric restriction required to extend life. With all the cheap and tasty calories on every corner in America, that's a tough proposition. And even though we can manage what we feed our dogs, few people are willing to put up with a dog that seems hungry.

So, what if there was a way to mimic caloric restriction without all the pain. Literally having your cake and eating it too. A perfect solution for most of us in America and apparently a little of what's been going on in France for centuries.

Ever wonder how the French can eat  mounds of buerre, tasty cheese, foie gras et cetera without blimping out like us red blooded Americans? It's the wine, more specifically the red wine. Vin rouge is a staple of the French diet even for the les jeunes.

There is a substance in red wine called resveratrol that has the ability to stimulate  SIRT 1, a critical sirtuin involved in the aging process. I've been justifying my red wine habit for years by claiming I'm only interested in the resveratrol, surely not the buzz.

The problem with this of course is that drinking alcohol to get the benefits of resveratrol is a tricky proposition. If you are not careful, you can slide down the slippery slope to cirrhosis of the liver in search of a long and healthy life.

Enter a little biotec outfit called Sirtris. They are convinced that they can isolate resveratrol and produce a pill form that has the same effect without the hangover or the pain of caloric restriction. in fact they just got a huge boost, being acquired by the Pharma giant Glaxo. They now have enough cash to continue their amazing R&D for literally years. And they may actually be close to a solution.

As a gracefully aging 56 year old athlete with an 18 year old dog, the healthy life extending potential of synthetic resveratrol is an intriguing proposition. I do watch what I eat, but riding a bike 500 to 600 miles a month tends to give you a margin for error.

Just think of it. Take one little pill a day and be able to hike and bike and race and crash for another 30 years or so. Sounds great. I could even wash the pill down with a nice glass of Pinot Noir.

Comments

[Dr Larry]

I try to limit myself to 2 glasses. I've heard the issue with resveratrol is not so much the cost but the quality. With "nutriceuticals" or dietary supplements being so unregulated how would a consumer be assured they were getting any of the active ingredient?

[resveratrol]

Barbara Walters interviewed Dr. Sinclair on April 1st. He mentioned you would need to drink 1000 bottles of red wine a day to get enough resveratrol. Synthetics may be well worth the wait. But if you would like to try Resveratrol now, there is a place you can look for the best prices:

http://www.resveratrolpricewatch.com

The list is compiled by the public, for the public. You can add a product as well if it is not found here.

A
resveratrol is just great.