The other drug is a small synthetic chemical that is a thousand times as potent as resveratrol in activating sirtuin and can be given at a much smaller dose. Safety tests in people have just started, with no adverse effects so far.

The hope is that activating sirtuins in people would, like a calorically restricted diet in mice, avert degenerative diseases of aging like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s. There is no Food and Drug Administration category for longevity drugs, so if the company is to submit a drug for approval, it needs to be for a specific disease.

Nonetheless, longevity is what has motivated the researchers and what makes the drugs potentially so appealing.

The company mentioned here was purchased by GlaxoSmithKline for $720 Millions. Good science!

Time for another bottle of red wine

And every bottle gives you a bit more time...

The most potent activator that emerged from his screens was resveratrol, a natural substance found in red wine

Which is great to know since I make and bottle my own line.