Youth in a pill?

Drastically cutting kilojoules can help you live longer, but that’s no fun.That’s why doctors are excited about resveratrol, a substance that seems to mimic the life-lengthening effects of kilojoule restriction without dieting. You can get some resveratrol from pomegranates,blueberries,grapes and red wine (supplements are not proven to provide benefits).

Now pharmaceutical companies are working to engineer the substance into a prescription pill that may be effective enough to fight a host of age-related diseases,starting with type2 diabetes.An experimental resveratrol drug, SRT501,lowered blood sugar and improved insulin response in people with the condition at least as well as current drugs without weight gain.

It’s also being tested on cancer and has shown promise in treating Alzheimer’s too. It may be available within five years.

Ref: Reader’s Digest