![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/dentonfracking/20141029180819im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2014/10/24/ai2html-mag-26aging-fixed/6495aa529d4d091bb5f860ccea7b56dd972e361f/Health_issue_aging-niederme-Artboard_14.png)
If it’s Tuesday, then the fountain of youth can be found in apples, optimism, red wine and possibly avoirdupois. If it’s Wednesday, you’re better off being crabby and skipping vitamins.
As anyone who follows media knows, science abounds with studies of longevity, because most of us, including scientists, hope to lead a full, rich and, above all, lengthy life. But the science of longevity is rife with controversy and contradictions, in part because it is difficult to study life span in organisms that live for many years, including people. So scientists typically turn to shorter-lived creatures like nematodes, fruit flies, lab mice and yeast.
From studies on these subjects, scientists have learned much,
including that people are not yeast. Nutrients and pharmaceuticals that extend life in one creature or lab show few if any effects in another. And perhaps most insidiously, some seeming breakthroughs have turned out to be Faustian: They lengthen lives but don’t slow aging. Animals in that situation live long but not well, beset by frailty, illness and senescence but not death.
The grail of longevity research remains that elusive drug, food, personality trait or lifestyle change that will prolong robust, healthy life. It’s not here yet. But it’s only Sunday.
What follows is an overview of the ups, downs, reverses and highlights of recent research.
Lifestyle
Diet
KEY
Genetic
Nutrients
Exercise
Organism Studied
Pharma
Body
>
No Effect
Positive Effect
Negative Effect
Oregano and cranberries extend life >Fruit flies
Chubbier outlive slimmer >Mice
High-fat diet accelerates aging >Mice
Sleep less than 6 hours, die younger >Humans
Turmeric won’t extend life >Humans
Obsessive people live longer > Humans
Cocoa extends life >Mice
Blueberries extend life >Fruit flies
Running extends life, delays baldness >Mice
Single men die younger >Humans
Dieting decreases life span >Mice
Nectarines extend life (and add sexual pep) >Flies
Royal jelly extends life >Worms
People born in autumn live longer >Humans
Sleep more than 8 hours, die younger >Humans
Black-rice extract extends life >Fruit flies
Centenarians can be obese, smoke and avoid exercise >Humans
Smog decreases life span >Humans
Drinking coffee extends life >Humans
Live longer in outer space >Worms
High fat good for old brains >Rats
Farming best job for longevity >Humans
Smaller outlive larger >Mice
Unclear which genes prevent aging >Humans
Dieting doesn’t extend life >Monkeys
Free radicals age skin >Humans
Vitamin D’s effects on life span unclear >Humans
Rapamycin slows aging >Mice
Some genes extend life, shorten attention span >Humans and mice
Coffee decreases life span >Humans
Young blood improves old muscles >Mice
Blueberries have no effect on life span >Mice
Vitamins decrease life span >Voles
Vitamin C’s effects on life span vary >Flies, Worms, Mice
Rapamycin doesn’t slow aging >Mice
Less growth hormone, longer life >Humans
Ingredient in wine extends life >Worms
Being slightly overweight doesn’t decrease life span >Humans
Watching TV decreases life span >Humans
Green tea won’t extend life >Mice
Free radicals prevent aging >Worms
Having muscles staves off death >Humans
Dieting extends life >Monkeys
Men decrease women’s life spans >Humans
Red wine doesn’t extend life span >Humans
Loneliness decreases life span >Parrots
Nighttime light increases aging >Rats
Shorter men live longer >Humans
Green tea extends life, doesn’t help virility >Flies
Being poor decreases life span, even with good genes >Humans
Mouse genes don’t predict long lives in humans >Mice
Being underweight decreases life span >Humans
Five minutes of running extends life >Humans
Older moms live longer >Humans
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/dentonfracking/20141029180819im_/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2014/10/24/ai2html-mag-26aging-fixed/6495aa529d4d091bb5f860ccea7b56dd972e361f/Health_issue_aging-niederme-Artboard_16.png)
If it’s Tuesday, then the fountain of youth can be found in apples, optimism, red wine and possibly avoirdupois. If it’s Wednesday, you’re better off being crabby and skipping vitamins.
As anyone who follows media knows, science abounds with studies of longevity, because most of us, including scientists, hope to lead a full, rich and, above all, lengthy life. But the science of longevity is rife with controversy and contradictions, in part because it is difficult to study life span in organisms that live for many years, including people. So scientists typically turn to shorter-lived creatures like nematodes, fruit flies, lab mice and yeast.
From studies on these subjects, scientists have
learned much, including that people are not yeast. Nutrients and pharmaceuticals that extend life in one creature or lab show few if any effects in another. And perhaps most insidiously, some seeming breakthroughs have turned out to be Faustian: They lengthen lives but don’t slow aging. Animals in that situation live long but not well, beset by frailty, illness and senescence but not death.
The grail of longevity research remains that elusive drug, food, personality trait or lifestyle change that will prolong robust, healthy life. It’s not here yet. But it’s only Sunday.
What follows is an overview of the ups, downs, reverses and highlights of recent research.
Lifestyle
Diet
KEY
Genetic
Nutrients
Exercise
Organism Studied
Pharma
Body
>
No Effect
Positive Effect
Negative Effect
High-fat diet accelerates aging >Mice
Sleep less than 6 hours, die younger >Humans
Turmeric won’t extend life >Humans
Obsessive people live longer > Humans
Royal jelly extends life >Worms
Cocoa extends life >Mice
Running extends life, delays baldness >Mice
Single men die younger >Humans
Black-rice extract extends life >Fruit flies
People born in autumn live longer >Humans
Sleep more than 8 hours, die younger >Humans
Oregano and cranberries extend life >Fruit flies
Nectarines extend life (and add sexual pep) >Flies
Blueberries extend life >Fruit flies
Dieting decreases life span >Mice
Live longer in outer space >Worms
Centenarians can be obese, smoke and avoid exercise >Humans
High fat good for old brains >Rats
Vitamin D’s effects on life span unclear >Humans
Drinking coffee extends life >Humans
Smaller outlive larger >Mice
Free radicals age skin >Humans
Dieting doesn’t extend life >Monkeys
Farming best job for longevity >Humans
Smog decreases life span >Humans
Rapamycin slows aging >Mice
Unclear which genes prevent aging >Humans
Vitamins decrease life span >Voles
Young blood improves old muscles >Mice
Blueberries have no effect on life span >Mice
Vitamin C’s effects on life span vary >Flies, Worms, Mice
Coffee decreases life span >Humans
Some genes extend life, shorten attention span >Humans and mice
Less growth hormone, longer life >Humans
Rapamycin doesn’t slow aging >Mice
Ingredient in wine extends life >Worms
Being slightly overweight doesn’t decrease life span >Humans
Watching TV decreases life span >Humans
Green tea won’t extend life >Mice
Free radicals prevent aging >Worms
Having muscles staves off death >Humans
Men decrease women’s life spans >Humans
Red wine doesn’t extend life span >Humans
Dieting extends life >Monkeys
Being poor decreases life span, even with good genes >Humans
Being underweight decreases life span >Humans
Mouse genes don’t predict long lives in humans >Mice
Loneliness decreases life span >Parrots
Green tea extends life, doesn’t help virility >Flies
Shorter men live longer >Humans
Older moms live longer >Humans
Nighttime light increases aging >Rats
Five minutes of running extends life >Humans