Harvard biologist, David Sinclair, says his research on resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine, has shown that it helps to extend the life span in mice by up to 24% (free registration required) and in other animals by as much as 59% - and it may also help extend the life of humans.

Sinclair thinks resveratrol works by activating SIRT1, a gene that many scientists believe plays a fundamental role in regulating life span in animals. Biologists have found that increasing the expression of SIRT1 slows aging and fends off maladies associated with growing old, including cancer and heart disease. If Sinclair is right, and resveratrol can activate SIRT1–and if the gene does in fact help control aging–he has found something truly remarkable.

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