Red wine compound found effective on humans

Written by DJ Spiess

Tuesday, 08 January 2008

New studies from Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc, a Boston based research company, claim that their drug compound SRT501 works on humans.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with this compound or research, this is the anti-aging cure-all compound based on resveratrol – the substance in red wine. Resveratrol triggers the SIRT1 gene, which helps regulate lifespan. Unfortunately the dosage for resveratrol is about 400 glasses of red wine a day. SRT501 is much more effective than resveratrol, but triggers the same gene.

Red wine - the holy grail for immortality?

Sirtris Pharmaceuticals tested SRT501 on 98 people with type 2 diabetes. One third took a 2.5 gram dose of the drug, one third took a 5 gram dose, and a third took a placebo. The drug was found to be safe in the initial trials, and improved glucose tolerance for the patients that took the drug. Larger trials have already started.

The anti-aging effects cannot be tested yet, but the drug seems to be effective for diabetes – typically an age-related disease. The drug may not be available until 2012, so we’ll have to stick with red wine until then.

Who is behind fermentarium?

My name is D.J. Spiess I've been homebrewing for many years and I hope I can help you enjoy this hobby as much as I do. If you enjoyed this article, please leave a comment, share it, digg it, or stumble it using the icons to the right or the top of the page.
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