![Drink Alcohol, Live Longer? Works for Worms
Scientists have surprisingly discovered that a mere trace of alcohol doubles the lifespan of a tiny worm that has become a workhorse in biochemistry laboratories around the world. The dramatic finding by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, suggests that the availability of ethanol — the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages — may play an important role in delaying the aging process, at least in the life of C. elegans, a benign worm that is less than .04 of an inch long.The discovery was described as “shocking” by biochemist Steven Clarke, senior author of a study published in PLoS One, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Public Library of Science. Clarke, who described the research with the almost giddy excitement of a man who is pursuing a great scientific adventure, admits he doesn’t know why alcohol would have such a dramatic increase in the worm’s lifespan, but he’s certain of one thing — it didn’t take a lot of booze to trip whatever makes this tiny critter live so long.The amount that worked best was roughly equivalent to a tablespoon of ethanol in a bathtub full of water, he said. Or for beer drinkers, that translates into one bottle of suds diluted with 100 gallons of water. That’s “basically nothing,” Clarke said in a telephone interview, but it was enough for the tiny worm. The worm normally lives for only about 15 days, but a trace of alcohol extended that to up to 40 days, according to the study. If that worked for humans, we could sniff a little booze first thing in the morning and stick around for a couple of centuries. That, unfortunately, is a really long shot. But the possibility is tantalizing, because we have much in common with C. elegans.[…]The actual mechanism that extended their lives remains pretty much of a mystery, but one is left with the question: So what? Worms are worms. Will it help us? Clarke sees a path toward an answer. But it will take years. First, the researchers need to understand exactly how it works in the worm. Then, perhaps, they can move up to a mouse, if there is reason to believe a mouse shares a similar mechanism to that found in the worm. And then, finally, maybe to humans. But that, Clarke emphasizes, is a long shot. “One of the most dangerous things you can do is try to make extrapolations from one organism to another, especially over this evolutionary distance,” he said. But he is haunted by the fact that numerous research projects have shown that a limited amount of alcohol is beneficial to the human cardiovascular system. That’s still under debate, and alcohol is a dangerous drug, so the benefits — if they are real — do not come without liabilities. But if the life-extending mechanism can be found, perhaps some other compound, with fewer liabilities, will also work. “We are excited,” Clarke said.
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Drink Alcohol, Live Longer? Works for Worms
Scientists have surprisingly discovered that a mere trace of alcohol doubles the lifespan of a tiny worm that has become a workhorse in biochemistry laboratories around the world. The dramatic finding by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, suggests that the availability of ethanol — the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages — may play an important role in delaying the aging process, at least in the life of C. elegans, a benign worm that is less than .04 of an inch long.
The discovery was described as “shocking” by biochemist Steven Clarke, senior author of a study published in PLoS One, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Public Library of Science. Clarke, who described the research with the almost giddy excitement of a man who is pursuing a great scientific adventure, admits he doesn’t know why alcohol would have such a dramatic increase in the worm’s lifespan, but he’s certain of one thing — it didn’t take a lot of booze to trip whatever makes this tiny critter live so long.
The amount that worked best was roughly equivalent to a tablespoon of ethanol in a bathtub full of water, he said. Or for beer drinkers, that translates into one bottle of suds diluted with 100 gallons of water.
That’s “basically nothing,” Clarke said in a telephone interview, but it was enough for the tiny worm. The worm normally lives for only about 15 days, but a trace of alcohol extended that to up to 40 days, according to the study. If that worked for humans, we could sniff a little booze first thing in the morning and stick around for a couple of centuries.
That, unfortunately, is a really long shot. But the possibility is tantalizing, because we have much in common with C. elegans.
[…]
The actual mechanism that extended their lives remains pretty much of a mystery, but one is left with the question: So what? Worms are worms. Will it help us?
Clarke sees a path toward an answer. But it will take years. First, the researchers need to understand exactly how it works in the worm. Then, perhaps, they can move up to a mouse, if there is reason to believe a mouse shares a similar mechanism to that found in the worm. And then, finally, maybe to humans. But that, Clarke emphasizes, is a long shot.
“One of the most dangerous things you can do is try to make extrapolations from one organism to another, especially over this evolutionary distance,” he said. But he is haunted by the fact that numerous research projects have shown that a limited amount of alcohol is beneficial to the human cardiovascular system.
That’s still under debate, and alcohol is a dangerous drug, so the benefits — if they are real — do not come without liabilities. But if the life-extending mechanism can be found, perhaps some other compound, with fewer liabilities, will also work.
“We are excited,” Clarke said.
