A compound found in red wine enables mice to live longer and healthier lives, and even reverses the damaging effects of a high-fat diet, scientists have found.

Resveratrol is produced by grapes and other plants, and earlier experiments have shown that it has life-prolonging qualities. Yeast and fish treated with resveratrol lived 60 per cent longer, and fruit flies and worms 30 per cent longer.

"But mice are much closer evolutionarily to humans than any other organism treated by this molecule, which offers hope that similar impacts might be seen in humans without negative side-effects" said Professor David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School, who led the research.

The effect of the chemical seems to be to mimic the life-prolonging effects of a very low-calorie diet. It has been known since the 1990s that feeding many species very sparing diets increases their lifespan.

Some humans have put the idea to the test, starving themselves in order to live longer, but without clear results so far.

Resveratrol may achieve the effect they seek without having to starve. Research has shown that in animals fed sparingly the extension of life is triggered by an enzyme called Sir2. Fruit flies lacking the gene to make this enzyme get no benefit from a low-calorie diet.

The team who report the new results in Nature believe that resveratrol mimics the effect by stimulating Sir2, or its equivalent in mammals, SIRT1. That means that it might be possible to get the benefits of starving without actually needing to starve, simply by taking large amounts of resveratrol.

In the experiments, mice were divided into three groups: one given a normal diet, one a diet very high in fats, and the third the same high-fat diet with added resveratrol.

The mice were then followed to see how long they lived. By 114 weeks of age, 58 per cent of the high-fat mice had died, compared to 42 per cent of the other two groups.

Overall, adding resveratrol to the diet eaten by the high-fat group reduced their risk of death by 31 per cent, so that it was not significantly greater than those on a normal diet.

The mice given resveratrol were also healthier. They had fewer signs of diseases such as diabetes or heart disease, and were more active and more nimble.

"The mice on resveratrol have not just been living longer" said Dr Sinclair, "they are also leading more active, better lives. Their motor skills actually show improvement as they grow older."

A company, Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, has been set up to develop the product and has started trials in humans with type 2 diabetes of a resveratrol drug called SRT501. The aim is to show that it can reduce the symptoms of the disease and its long-term effects.

Dr Christoph Westphal, Chief Executive Officer of the company, said: "We are excited about the ability of SRT501 to activate SIRT1 as a potential treatment for diabetes.

"In addition, we are developing a strong pipeline of sirtuin activators that are more potent and are targeted for a broad range of diseases of ageing."

In a commentary in Nature, Matt Kaeberlein and Peter Robinovitch of the University of Washington in Seattle assess the implications of the research.

Should people supplement their diet with resveratrol, which can be bought over the internet? "Our advice is to exercise caution," the two scientists say.

"The safety of resveratrol at the high doses in humans comparable with those used in the study is unknown, especially over the course of years or even decades, when even relatively modest side-effects could have dramatic consequences."

But the potential is great, they say. "A true mimetic of dietary restriction could be effective against many age-associated human diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

"For now, we counsel patience. Just sit back and relax with a glass of red wine - which, alas, has only 0.3 per cent of the relative resveratrol dose given to the gluttonous mice.

"But if you must have a Big Mac, fries and apple pie, we may soon know if you should supersize that resveratrol shake."

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