The secret to youth is eating chocolate and drinking red
wine, a study suggests as lab researchers found both helped to rejuvenate old cells, making them look
younger and start to behave more like young cells.
The secret to staying youthful is eating chocolate and drinking red wine, researchers claim. Scientists discovered both helped to rejuvenate old cells, making them look younger and start to behave more like young cells. When we age, the strands of DNA in our cells gradually lose the protective telomeres, which that act like the plastic tips at the end of shoelaces.
The team applied compounds based on chemicals
naturally found in red wine, dark chocolate, red grapes and blueberries to
cells in the laboratory. These foods are rich in flavonoids, which are known
for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Within hours of
treatment, with these so-called reversatrol analogues, the older cells started
to divide, and had longer telomeres. It is hoped the breakthrough could
lead to anti-ageing therapies.
Key findings
The work of the team at Exeter University, supported
by researchers at Brighton University, builds on their earlier findings which
showed that a class of genes called splicing factors are progressively switched
off as we age. Lead researcher Professor Harries said: 'This is a first
step in trying to make people live normal lifespans, but with health for their
entire life. 'Our data suggests that using chemicals to switch back on
the major class of genes that are switched off as we age might provide a means
to restore function to old cells.'
Dr Eva Latorre, research associate at the University of
Exeter, who carried out the experiments, was surprised by the extent and
rapidity of the changes in the cells. She said: 'When I saw some of the
cells in the culture dish rejuvenating I couldn't believe it. 'These old
cells were looking like young cells. It was like magic. 'I repeated the
experiments several times and in each case the cells rejuvenated. I am very
excited by the implications and potential for this research.' The research
was published in the journal BMJ Cell Biology.
Source: Dailymail


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