Leonard Guarente: Unlocking the Secrets of Long Life
And it was important. The fact that NAD and SIR2 work together to slow aging suggested Guarente had found a molecular link between caloric restriction and longevity. His theory is this: If an animal eats less, it needs less NAD to metabolize food, and there will be more NAD to activate SIR2. The more SIR2 can silence other genes in the cell, the longer the cell will live. Last September, Guarente published his findings in Science.
"The results are really intriguing," says Cynthia Kenyon, who researches aging in roundworms at the University of California-San Francisco. "One wants to know if it is operating in other animals and if so, how." Guarente has already begun studies in mice, but results will take three to four years.
If Guarente is right, sometime in the distant future there could be a SIR2 pill that would provide the longevity benefits of caloric restriction, which Guarente says is too difficult. "You become rail thin, you're cold, it kills your sex drive, and you can't socialize with friends over meals." As someone who loves his pasta and seafood, he says, it's no way to live.
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Born: June 6, 1952; Chelsea, Mass. Education: B.A., MIT; Ph.D., molecular biology, Harvard. Goal: Find fountain of youth. Role model: Leonardo da Vinci. Favorite movie: It's a Wonderful Life, "because it shows the importance and dignity of each individual." True confession: Listens to alternative rock, including Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins.
With Andrew Curry
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