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A
Pill to Extend Life? Don't Dismiss the Notion Too Quickly
A
discovery of a single gene called SIR2 that had been found to extend a
yeast cell's life generated that explosive headline in The New York
Times of September 22, 2000. It was highly theoretical although
unbeknownst to the newspaper, ways to extend healthful life are known to
scientists for years.
It has been shown by Dr. Weindruch of Wisconsin University and others
that restricting calories does extend life. The problem is that the
effect succeeds only when food intake is reduced drastically. But Dr.
Diane F. Birt* and her colleagues at Iowa State U. and The U. of
Nebraska Medical Center has shown precisely what cutting calories does
to extend life. And the same effect can be duplicated without reducing
consumption.
What she showed was that dietary restriction reduces the activity of the
body's prime signaling enzyme.** This also has the salutary effect of
reducing cancer risk.
*In the Journal of Nutrition, l999, vol. 129. Corollary work has
appeared in Molecular Carcinogenesis, vol. 21, l998, Endocrine Reviews,
vol. 14, l993, and Carcinogenesis, in l996 and l992. Also in
Chemoprevention of Cancer pub. l998 by Williams & Wilkins, Balt.,
Md., and in Cancer Research (many
times.)
**For a complete discussion of affecting this
enzyme, see "What Your Doctor Doesn't Know Could Kill You",
published by C.A. Inc.
FOR INFORMATION ON ORDERING THE BOOK CLICK HERE
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