Improving Health Later in Life
Reported December 21, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — We know that cutting normal calorie consumption by 30 to 40 percent can boost lifespan and improve overall health in animals such as worms and mice.
A paper from MIT biology professor Leonard Guarente strengthens the link between longevity proteins called sirtuins and the lifespan-extending effects of calorie restriction. Sirtuins are proteins that keep cells alive and healthy in the face of stress by coordinating a variety of hormonal networks, regulatory proteins and other genes.
Guarente reports that sirtuins bring about the effects of calorie restriction on a brain system known as the somatotropic-signaling axis, which controls growth and influences lifespan length.
“This puts SIRT1 at a nexus connecting the effects of diet and the somatropic signaling axis,” Guarente was quoted as saying. “This is a major shot across the bow that says sirtuins really are involved in fundamental aspects of calorie restriction.”
Guarente and others believe that drugs that boost sirtuin production could help fight diseases of aging such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s, improving health in later life and potentially extending lifespan. Drugs that promote sirtuin production are now in clinical trials in diabetes patients, with results expected next year.
In future work, Guarente plans to investigate the mechanism by which sirtuins regulate the somatotropic axis. The work could assist researchers and companies in their search for small molecules that modulate sirtuins for maximum benefit.
SOURCE: Genes and Development, December 15, 2009