Red wine molecule has anti-aging effect

Ana Gomes, a former FCT doctoral researcher at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (University of Coimbra) is one of the authors of a study published in the prestigious scientific journal Science, which shows that the compound resveratrol, found in red wine, has anti-aging properties. The study, coordinated by researchers at Harvard Medical School (where Ana Gomes is currently a post-doctoral researcher), confirms what was suggested a few years ago: that the SIRT1 enzyme, which is capable of extending the lifespan of yeasts, worms and fruit flies, is a direct target for compounds that control ageing diseases. Resveratrol is one such compound, which activates the SIRT1 enzyme directly.