Scientists unravel the mystery behind longer life

Researchers all around the world have known for the past seven decades that eating less calorie food was a key to long life, but the reason behind this was not clear.

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Now in a breakthrough discovery some US researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, have unraveled the secrets that connect eating less calorie food with long life. Studies have shown that a reduction in calorie intake by 60 per cent of normal prolongs life by up to 40 per cent. A research on nematode worms has finally uncovered the genetic reasons behind this phenomenon.

Researchers believe that a gene named pha-4 plays a key role in determining the life span of the worm. They have shown that worms that had their pha-4 genes removed showed no enhanced longevity while on a restricted diet; on the other hand the worms which had their pha-4 gene in place and were also kept on a restricted diet were able to live long.

This research could one day lead to the discovery of a drug that can mimic the consequences of calorie restriction but negate the need for severe fasting regimes.

These researchers have stated that pha-4, which plays an important role in embryonic development of the worm has an even important role to play in adults. Increased activity of this gene is associated with longevity when we have a balanced diet that is in the 'sweet spot' of food consumption.

This research is currently in its infancy as the team has been able to figure out the gene in nematode worms. All mammals including humans possess a gene that is highly similar to the pha-4 gene. These genes play an important role in development and then in later life they regulate glucagons, a hormone that has a major role in maintaining glucose levels in blood especially during fasting.

What can we hope for in future?

If this link is present in humans also then in future we can expect the development of drugs that mimic the effects of calorie restriction while allowing people to maintain their normal diet. Moreover, this gene if fully exploited can also lead to the development of a longevity pill that can boost a human life span by up to 40 per cent.

Still, researchers are not fully confident about the human parallel of pha-4. They have stated that it is very hard to guess that the role played by pha-4 in nematode worms has a parallel in mammals that have more complex eating habits than worms.