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Ageing

A toast to long life

Nature volume 425, pages 132–133 (2003)Cite this article

Reducing food intake increases lifespan in many species. A small molecule that occurs naturally in plants seems to mimic the beneficial effects of caloric restriction and extend longevity in yeast.

Today, the once desolate shores of Florida — the 'land to the north' that Ponce de León discovered inadvertently on his voyage — are crowded with ageing retirees who yearn just as passionately for the magical elixir of youth. Although the past two decades have seen an explosion in our understanding of the molecular regulation of ageing, a simple potion or chemical that could slow the ageing process seems as elusive today as it was 500 years ago. But on page 191 in this issue, Howitz et al.1 present a study of longevity in yeast that could represent the first step towards creating such a hypothetical elixir.

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Figure 1: A quest for longevity.

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Figure 2: The pathway to long life.

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  1. Cardiovascular Branch, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892-1622, Maryland, USA

    Toren Finkel

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  1. Toren Finkel
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Finkel, T. A toast to long life. Nature 425, 132–133 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/425132a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/425132a

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