A handful of genes that manage your body’s defenses during stressful times can also dramatically improve your health and prolong life. Sirtuins, a family of genes that control an organism’s ability to withstand hard times, may be master regulators of this survival mechanism. Sirtuins can cause changes throughout your body that render it temporarily revved up for survival. Activated over the long term, this stress response prolongs life span and forestalls disease in a wide range of organisms.

Restricting an animal’s calorie intake is the most famous intervention known to extend life span. Discovered more than 70 years ago, it is still the only one absolutely proven to work. The restricted regime typically involves reducing an individual’s calorie intake by 30 to 40 percent, while avoiding malnutrition by consuming adequate vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients. Animals that remain on this diet not only live longer but also are far healthier during their prolonged lives. Most diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and even neurodegenerative illnesses are averted. Calorie restriction acts like a biological stressor, like natural food scarcity, that induces a defensive response to boost the organism’s chances of survival. Its effects include changes in cellular defenses and repair, energy production, and activation of programmed cell death.

Radical calorie restriction is not for everyone and is best started under supervision of an experienced physician. Similar, though less dramatic, benefits might still be realized with a slightly less radical calorie restriction, and carefully selecting foods low in calories but high in micronutrients to avoid malnutrition. Fruits and especially vegetables are good examples of nutrient dense, calorie poor foods. Avoid supersizing your meals. Additionally, consuming resveratrol, one of several compounds produced by plants in response to stress has also been found to modulate Sirtuins, suggesting that the plants may use such molecules to control their own Sirtuin enzymes. Resveratrol is present in grape skins, red wine, peanuts and mulberries. If you aspire to safely and effectively unlock the power of your longevity genes, to restore your youthful vitality and live ‘younger,’ a visit to [your business] might be just what the doctor ordered.