Note from the blogger: Oh yeah, the second of recent preliminary findings concerning a favorite libation... pass me the red wine for my second glass.
Red Wine Ingredient Increases Endurance, Study Shows
By NICHOLAS WADE
Published: November 17, 2006
A drug already shown to reverse the effects of obesity in mice and make them live longer has now been shown to increase their endurance as well.
Experts say the finding may open up a new field of research on similar drugs that may be relevant to the prevention of diabetes and other diseases.
An ordinary laboratory mouse will run one kilometer on a treadmill before collapsing from exhaustion. But mice given resveratrol, a minor component of red wine and other foods, run twice as far. They also have energy-charged muscles and a reduced heart rate, just as trained athletes do, according to an article published online in Cell by Johan Auwerx and colleagues at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France.
“Resveratrol makes you look like a trained athlete without the training,” Dr. Auwerx (pronounced OH-wer-ix) said in an interview.
He and his colleagues said the same mechanism seemed likely to operate in humans, based on analysis in a group of Finnish subjects of the gene that is influenced by the drug.
Their rationale for testing resveratrol was evidence obtained three years ago that it could initiate a genetic mechanism known to protect mice against the degenerative diseases of aging and prolong their life spans by 30 percent.
Dr. Auwerx, whose interest is in the genetic control of metabolism, decided to see whether resveratrol would offset the effects of a high-fat diet, specifically the disturbances known as metabolic syndrome that are the precursors of diabetes and obesity. In his report, he and his colleagues say very large doses of resveratrol protected mice from weight gain and developing the syndrome.
Dr. Auwerx attributes this in large part to the significantly increased number of mitochondria he detected in the muscle cells of treated mice.
Mitochondria are the organelles in the body’s cells that generate energy. With extra mitochondria, the treated mice were able to burn more fat and thus avoid weight gain and decreased sensitivity to insulin, Dr. Auwerx said. He found their muscle fibers had been remodeled by the drug into the type more prevalent in trained human athletes.
Dr. Ronald M. Evans, an expert on the hormonal control of metabolism at the Salk Institute, said the report by Dr. Auwerx’s team had “shown very convincingly that resveratrol improves mitochondrial function” and fends off metabolic disease. He described the study as “very important, because it is rare that we identify orally active molecules, especially natural molecules, that have such a broad-based, positive effect on a problem which is as widespread in society as metabolic disease.”
Dr. Ronald Kahn, director of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, said this research would focus more attention on a recently discovered group of enzymes called sirtuins that resveratrol is believed to affect.
Noting that he is a scientific adviser to Sirtris, a company developing drugs that activate sirtuins, Dr. Kahn said that “certainly drugs that act on this class of proteins have the potential to have major effects on human disease.”
Dr. Auwerx’s study complements one published this month by Dr. David Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School, who found that much more moderate doses of resveratrol protected mice from the metabolic effects of a high-calorie diet. Though his mice did not lose weight, they lived far longer than the undosed mice fed the same diet.
The two studies were started and performed independently, Dr. Auwerx said, though he obtained supplies of resveratrol from Sirtris, which was co-founded by Dr. Sinclair, and has become a scientific adviser to it.
A drug that prolongs life, averts degenerative disease and makes one into a champion athlete sounds almost too good to be true, especially if all or even some of its properties should turn out to apply to people.
Dr. Christoph Westphal, Sirtris’s chief executive, replied to this objection with a question, “Is it too good to be true that when you are young you get no disease?”
Dr. Westphal said he believed that the activation of sirtuins was what kept the body healthy in youth, but that these enzymes became less powerful with age. This is the process that is reversed by resveratrol and, he hopes, by the more powerful sirtuin activator drugs that his company has developed, though many years of clinical trials will be needed to prove they work and are safe.
The buzz over sirtuin activators has infected scientists who do research on the aging process, several of whom are already taking resveratrol. Dr. Sinclair has been swallowing resveratrol capsules for three years and has said his parents and half the members of his laboratory do the same. So does Dr. Tomas Prolla at the University of Wisconsin, who said, “The fact that investigators in the field are taking it is a good sign there is something there.”
But many others, including Dr. Leonard Guarente of M.I.T., whose 15-year study of sirtuins has laid the basis for the field, say it is premature to take the drug.
It was after working in his laboratory as a postdoctoral student that Dr. Sinclair found in 2003 that resveratrol was a sirtuin activator. Though resveratrol has long been known to be an ingredient of red wine and other foods, its presence there is minuscule compared with the doses used in experiments.
Dr. Sinclair dosed his mice daily with 22 milligrams of resveratrol per kilogram of weight, and Dr. Auwerx used up to 400 milligrams. No one can drink enough red wine to obtain such doses.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Of Mice & Men with 2 glasses of red wine
Red Wine Compound Promises Longevity, Study Finds
By Rob SteinWashington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 1, 2006; 12:04 PM
A substance found in red wine protected mice from the ill effects of obesity, raising the tantalizing prospect the compound could do the same for humans and may also help people live longer, healthier lives, researchers are reporting today.
The substance, called resveratrol, enabled mice that were fed a high-calorie, high-fat diet to live normal, active lives despite becoming obese -- the first time any compound has been shown to do that. Tests found the agent activated a host of genes that protect against the effects of aging, essentially neutralizing the adverse effects of a bad diet on the animals' health and lifespan.
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 lifespan, experts said. Preliminary tests in people are already underway.
"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 A. Sinclair, a Harvard University molecular biologist who led the study. "The potential impact would be huge."
The findings triggered excitement among scientists studying aging, who hailed the findings as groundbreaking.
"This represents a likely major landmark," said Stephen L. Helfand, who studies the molecular genetics of aging at Brown University. "This really pushes the field forward. It's quite exciting."
The research, being published in tomorrow's issue of the journal Nature, helps explain a host of observations that have long intrigued researchers, including why French people tend to get fewer heart attacks and why severely restricting the amount of calories animals ingest makes them live longer.
"This gives us hope that the idea of harnessing the power of calorie restriction is not a fantasy and can be brought to reality," said Leonard Guarante, who studies the biology of aging at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "This could produce a whole new approach to preventing and treating the diseases of aging."
Previous research has shown that laboratory animals fed very low-calorie diets live significantly longer, which has prompted some people to try strenuous "caloric restriction" diets as a possible fountain of youth, even though its effectiveness in humans remains unproven.
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 lifespan 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-aged 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 that 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 -- adding the equivalent of about 10 or 20 human years to their lifespan. 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.
"It is really quite amazing," Sinclair said. "The mice were still fat but they looked just a healthy as the lean animals."
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 mega doses of the commercially availably supplements to get the levels given to the mice, which may not be safe in humans.
But the findings indicate that resveratrol or molecules like it could have myriad benefits, and several aging researchers said the results tempted them to start using the supplements in the meantime.
"I'm usually a very cautious person," said Cynthia Kenyon of the University of California in San Francisco. "But I'm seriously thinking about taking resveratrol myself. It seems pretty wonderful."
"I actually told my mother she should take it," Helfand said. "I even went out and got her some."
The researchers are continuing to study the remaining living mice to gauge the full benefits, as well as other mice fed a normal diet or a calorie-restricted diet along with resveratrol to see whether the substance extends life in non-obese animals. So far the results appear promising, researchers said.
"This appears to have a lot of potential," said Rafael de Cabo of the National Institute on Aging, which helped conduct and fund the study.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, Mass., biotech company that Sinclair helped start and that helped fund the mouse study, has already started testing a version of resveratrol on diabetic humans. Other companies are studying similar substances.
"For now, we counsel patience," wrote Matt Kaeberlein and Peter S. Rabinovitch of the University of Washington in an article accompanying the study. "Just sit back and relax with a glass of red wine . . . if you must have a Big Mac, fries and apple pie, we may soon know if you should supersize that resveratrol shake."
*******************************
From the Blogger.
As we head into midterm elections and the ambient noise increases as to what possible outcomes, and what changes may occur, keep it all in stride by sipping a glass or better yet two glasses of red wine of your favorite varietal with friends, familys, or lovers.
Fall is the season to begin the review of the year, and gather with loved ones to mark holidays. 2006 goes down for my friends and I as the year, we look forward to saying good riddance.
Hold onto hope for seeing a change in balance in the current presidential administration and congress.
********************************
By Rob SteinWashington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 1, 2006; 12:04 PM
A substance found in red wine protected mice from the ill effects of obesity, raising the tantalizing prospect the compound could do the same for humans and may also help people live longer, healthier lives, researchers are reporting today.
The substance, called resveratrol, enabled mice that were fed a high-calorie, high-fat diet to live normal, active lives despite becoming obese -- the first time any compound has been shown to do that. Tests found the agent activated a host of genes that protect against the effects of aging, essentially neutralizing the adverse effects of a bad diet on the animals' health and lifespan.
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 lifespan, experts said. Preliminary tests in people are already underway.
"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 A. Sinclair, a Harvard University molecular biologist who led the study. "The potential impact would be huge."
The findings triggered excitement among scientists studying aging, who hailed the findings as groundbreaking.
"This represents a likely major landmark," said Stephen L. Helfand, who studies the molecular genetics of aging at Brown University. "This really pushes the field forward. It's quite exciting."
The research, being published in tomorrow's issue of the journal Nature, helps explain a host of observations that have long intrigued researchers, including why French people tend to get fewer heart attacks and why severely restricting the amount of calories animals ingest makes them live longer.
"This gives us hope that the idea of harnessing the power of calorie restriction is not a fantasy and can be brought to reality," said Leonard Guarante, who studies the biology of aging at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "This could produce a whole new approach to preventing and treating the diseases of aging."
Previous research has shown that laboratory animals fed very low-calorie diets live significantly longer, which has prompted some people to try strenuous "caloric restriction" diets as a possible fountain of youth, even though its effectiveness in humans remains unproven.
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 lifespan 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-aged 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 that 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 -- adding the equivalent of about 10 or 20 human years to their lifespan. 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.
"It is really quite amazing," Sinclair said. "The mice were still fat but they looked just a healthy as the lean animals."
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 mega doses of the commercially availably supplements to get the levels given to the mice, which may not be safe in humans.
But the findings indicate that resveratrol or molecules like it could have myriad benefits, and several aging researchers said the results tempted them to start using the supplements in the meantime.
"I'm usually a very cautious person," said Cynthia Kenyon of the University of California in San Francisco. "But I'm seriously thinking about taking resveratrol myself. It seems pretty wonderful."
"I actually told my mother she should take it," Helfand said. "I even went out and got her some."
The researchers are continuing to study the remaining living mice to gauge the full benefits, as well as other mice fed a normal diet or a calorie-restricted diet along with resveratrol to see whether the substance extends life in non-obese animals. So far the results appear promising, researchers said.
"This appears to have a lot of potential," said Rafael de Cabo of the National Institute on Aging, which helped conduct and fund the study.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, Mass., biotech company that Sinclair helped start and that helped fund the mouse study, has already started testing a version of resveratrol on diabetic humans. Other companies are studying similar substances.
"For now, we counsel patience," wrote Matt Kaeberlein and Peter S. Rabinovitch of the University of Washington in an article accompanying the study. "Just sit back and relax with a glass of red wine . . . if you must have a Big Mac, fries and apple pie, we may soon know if you should supersize that resveratrol shake."
*******************************
From the Blogger.
As we head into midterm elections and the ambient noise increases as to what possible outcomes, and what changes may occur, keep it all in stride by sipping a glass or better yet two glasses of red wine of your favorite varietal with friends, familys, or lovers.
Fall is the season to begin the review of the year, and gather with loved ones to mark holidays. 2006 goes down for my friends and I as the year, we look forward to saying good riddance.
Hold onto hope for seeing a change in balance in the current presidential administration and congress.
********************************
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