Harvard Scientists Unravel the Secret of Aging

Scientists at Harvard University have pinpointed a potential element in determining how we age, and perhaps even how to reverse the effects of aging altogether. Their studies involve sirtuins, proteins that play an important role in the aging process. However, their primary function is to manage gene regulation, turning them “on” and “off” as necessary.
As we grow older, our DNA damage reaches a level that the repairing sirtuins cannot keep up with. Overwhelmed, the sirtuins increasingly neglect their first task of gene regulations, leading to age acceleration.

To hinder or reverse this process of aging, the Harvard scientists used resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine and certain nuts, peanut butter, and grapes, which appears to activate the sirtuins so that they become more efficient and even better with gene regulation, thus slowing the effects of aging. When resveratrol was inserted into mice, their lifespan increased by 24 to 46 percent, and improvements appeared in conditions such as cataracts, osteoporosis, and decline in motor skills. This technique is yet to be tried in humans, but the results shown from the mice indicates a strong possibility that resveratrol may have the same effect in humans.

By continuing to study the effects of resveratrol, Harvard scientists predict that anti-aging drugs are not far in the future, and also hope to develop drugs that will combat Alzheimer’s, other degenerative diseases and possibility even some cancers.