| ■ Low-Calorie Diet Can Influence Lifespan: Study | 2008.09.29 |
| A low-calorie diet can affect two genes in a way that increases lifespan, suggest U.S. researchers, who studied the gene TOR in tiny roundworms called C. elegans. TOR regulates cell growth and plays a role in the development of cancer. A loss of TOR has been shown to slow aging in C. elegans, which shares similar genetics to humans. "Our work with C. elegans reveals that TOR depends on a second gene called pha4/FoxA to control the aging process," said study co-author Susan Mango of the University of Utah, United Press International reported. Mango and colleagues also found that an abundance of food increases TOR activity, which decreases the action of pha4/FoxA and results in a shorter lifespan.The study appears in the journal Current Biology. |