Miracle pill on the way?

Recent findings regarding the life-extending chemical found in red wine and dark chocolate could have big implications for a burgeoning pharmaceutical niche.

Harvard geneticists David Sinclair and his colleagues, who have long researched how resveratrol—found in grapes, peanuts, cocoa and berries—combats the effects of obesity, diabetes and certain forms of cancer, claim to have discovered a link between the chemical and a group of enzymes called sirtuins, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Sinclair said resveratrol stimulates a sirtuin known as SIRT1, which “is like a Pac-Man that removes these proteins and tells other proteins to go out and repair the cell,” shedding light on the anti-aging properties of resveratrol. His previous research has already prompted a $30 million-a-year resveratrol supplement industry, but the new findings could pave the way for designing a “miracle pill” in the future.