As I am browsing through the last issue of MIT’s magazine of innovation, which came by mail while I was in Zagreb, I bump into an article about David Sinclair, a controversial Harvard biologist who claims he has discovered an elixir of youth. It is called resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine. Sinclair claims it extends lifespan of mice up by about a quarter. In addition, the chemical helps mice fight off all kinds of diseases, including cancer. Although I try to read the article, which goes on and on about the controversy Sinclair’s work has stirred in the scientific community, I cannot shake red wine out of my mind. Which red wine? How much of it? Although I find nothing by way of handy advice, I am rather certain that Teran is the wine of choice. The enthusiast in me is surprisingly confident, too. Abandoning my search, I look at the title of the article: “The Enthusiast” (Technology Review, Vol. 110, No. 5). Unable to suppress a grin, I shove the magazine away and reach for the glass next to me. Yes, it is brimming with the elixir of youth.

Addendum I (August 31, 2015)

In spite of my enthusiasm concerning David Sinclair’s research into longevity and good health, I started taking resveratrol pills five full years later, and on my No. 1 son’s casual advice (“Resveratrol,” August 27, 2012). And I am still taking them to this day. Even though people often tell me that I look surprisingly young for my age, I doubt that this has to do with anything else except genetics. My health is serving me well, but there is no way of linking my good fortune to the pills. In addition, I have not been able to find any solid evidence of Sinclair’s original claim in scientific research. So many years later, the research is still inconclusive. At best, resveratrol has not been found to do any harm to those who regularly take it. One way or another, I thus plan to keep taking it indefinitely. And I live in hope that it is indeed an elixir of youth and good health, for hope must have an appreciable effect on both all by itself. Just to be sure, I also drink a glass or two of red wine a day. Here I am following the casual advice of my ancestors from the Mediterranean coast, as it were. After so many generations, red wine must be in my blood, too.

Addendum II (November 17, 2022)

Slowly but surely, though, my age is catching up with me. Although I keep taking resveratrol pills every single day, problems with my urinary tract are accumulating. Predictably enough, my prostate is enlarged, as is the case with many men of my generation, but there are no signs of cancer (“Prostate Biopsy,” January 19, 2018). Lately, my bladder appears to be my main problem (“My Fucking Bladder,” July 11, 2019). For three times in three last years, I have suffered from acute urinary retention, which is hardly a joke (“The Catheter Blues,” January 30, 2019; and “The Catheter Blues Revisited,” April 15, 2021). But I still look surprisingly young for my age, and I thus occasionally check the science behind resveratrol on the World Wide Web. To my disappointment, David Sinclair’s claim is still far from supported by all the research conducted to this day. The only good thing is that there is no evidence so far that resveratrol is harmful in any way. To my joy, the same holds for red wine. And I regularly drink at least half a liter of it from day to day. For good measure, I also drink twice that amount of water at a leisurely pace. Returning to my Mediterranean roots, this may well be the trick that keeps me in pretty good shape. One way or another, it surely maintains me in good spirits. Hey, the enthusiast!