The following is an article from the Washington Post, 8/18/97:

_Genetics: Feeding the Idea of Low-Calorie Longevity_
by Rick Weiss
Scientists have found a gene in people that is the human equivalent of a
worm gene that increases lifespan in the soil-dwelling creatures.  The
finding adds credence to a popular theory about aging, which states that
lifespan can be extended by reducing the amount of calories consumed.

Researchers at Harvard University conducted the research on a microscopic
roundworm called C. elegans.  They analyzed the worm's daf-2 gene, which
when mutated can put the worm into a state of near-hibernation, slowing
the metabolism and extending life considerably.  The team scanned a
database of human gene sequences and found just one closely related to
daf-2: the insulin receptor gene, which helps dispose of dietary sugar in
the blood.

Experiments in mice and monkeys indicate that a well-balanced diet very
low in calories (about 50 percent fewer calories than normally consumed)
can add years to life, but no one knows why.  The new work suggests that
many aspects of aging can be attributed to insulin receptor activity.
After all, worms with mutated (and hence less active) daf-2 genes live
longer, as do calorically restricted mice, whose meager diets leave
insulin receptors little to do.

The work also presents a conundrum: Diabetes, which can be caused by
faulty insulin receptors, shortens life.  Further studies may help;
researchers have found one 14-year-old diabetic with the same mutation in
his insulin receptor gene as in some daf-2 mutant worms.
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So, my questions:
What implications does this have for low-carb dieters?  I'm certainly not
going to cut my calories down; that seems counter-productive to me, & I
don't want to drive my body into starvation mode!

However, since low-carb dieters are also giving our insulin receptors very
little to do, is it possible that we might see a commensurate increase in
lifespan?

Seems like a case of the researchers having the answer right under their
nose but being so blinded by conventional wisdom that they don't see it :D

Corbie