By Anna Boyd Researchers may be closer than ever to discover the secret to longevity, as new research by the National Institute on Aging and Harvard Medical School reveals that a compound in red wine, called resveratrol, appears to protect against many...

The "magic ingredient" of red wine can help improve quality of life and vigour in old age but does not seem to extend the lifespan of mature mice, as many scientists had thought.

The chemical, called resveratrol, has a widespread influence on the genetic influences on ageing and there had been high hopes that it would extend lifespan too.

Scientists report that it wards off the effects of age on heart, bones, eyes and muscle of mice on a standard diet, promising a way to curb the factors that make the elderly frail, such as osteoporosis, cataracts, and poor motor coordination. But there was no effect on longevity observed in lean mice.

However, it is unclear if resveratrol would have worked if used on younger mice and it did curb the deleterious effects of a high fat diet allowing these obese animals to live as long as lean mice, in the study conducted and supported in part by the us national institute on ageing.

The report confirms previous results suggesting the compound, which is also found in pomegranates and nuts, may mimic, in mice, some of the effects of dietary or calorie restriction,...
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