| The Longevity Gene | | | | At the beginning, not many scientists knew just how |
| A professor of biology named Leonard Guarente has | | | | to tackle this conundrum. At first, the hypothesis was |
| made it his life's work to discover and pinpoint the | | | | simply that if a person ate less, all of their bodily |
| existence of the mysterious longevity gene. With his | | | | functions slowed down, including aging. Guarente |
| mice experiments, he's made believers out of many | | | | decided to test for possible causes of the genetic |
| people, including the very most skeptical onlookers of | | | | variety to try and explain the phenomenon. Try as |
| the project. He has compiled videos of mice that are | | | | he might, as hard as he searched, the mystery |
| about 29 months old, some have the gene, some do | | | | deepened. Some results would be promising and |
| not. Those who do not have the gene appear to be | | | | others would be an utter disappointment. |
| older, aged and in a lot of arthritic pain. The mice that | | | | After a few more years, Guarente and his team of |
| have the gene are springing around the cage, thin | | | | researchers were finally able to tie the longevity of |
| and with more energy than ever. So, how is the | | | | the mammals they were studying to one gene. That |
| gene activated? The answer is caloric restriction. | | | | one gene was SIRT1. Their subjects, when slipped |
| However the energy boost is not the only advantage | | | | extra copies of the gene, were living longer, aging |
| to such a diet. The mice with the restricted diet also, | | | | slower and showing very positive effects. By the |
| on average, live about 30-35% longer than their | | | | time the year 2000 rolled around, the same gene |
| counterparts. they are also much less likely to | | | | was pinpointed in worms, then yeast, and it was |
| develop all kinds of diseases that are related to aging, | | | | working in the exact same manner. Soon, it was |
| cancer being one of them. | | | | found that not only was this gene found in yeast and |
| It has been known by the scientific community that | | | | worms, but it was also found in the human genome, |
| caloric reduction diets tend to extend the span of life | | | | which was a huge piece of the puzzle. |
| of many different kinds of mammals, some by as | | | | Note: Resveratrol has been proven also to stimulate |
| much as 50%. However, what was not known was | | | | the SIRT 1 gene without calorie restriction. |
| how exactly this was happening. In other words, | | | | It has now been located in mice. In the experiments, |
| again and again the same conclusions were reached, | | | | Guarente has been able to definitively tie the |
| but the exact reason seemed to evade scientists. | | | | existence and activation of the SIRT1 gene to caloric |
| Guarente is one of those scientists, only now he | | | | reduction diets. It works by producing proteins that |
| believes he may have found that elusive answer. He | | | | turn off opposing genes that will help a body to |
| also believes that with more funding, this research | | | | store large amounts of fat. The fat released by |
| could eventually benefit people. Guarente has made it | | | | SIRT1 is then able to travel to tissues elsewhere in |
| his life's work to discover the secret to anti-aging in | | | | the body, thereby being burned off. The mice were, |
| mammals. Recently, he found that a calorie restriction | | | | because of this function, much leaner and younger |
| diet activates a gene called SIRT1 which slows the | | | | looking. However, they are still not positive exactly |
| aging process. Because of this, Guarente has also | | | | why the aging process is slowed by this function of |
| been positive that an anti-aging medicine will be | | | | the gene. They continue testing and getting ever |
| released on the drug market within the next decade. | | | | closer to the answer to this so-called 'youth gene'. |