Many plant molecules interact with and modulate key regulators of mammalian physiology in
ways that are beneficial to health, but why? We propose that heterotrophs (animals and
fungi) are able to sense chemical cues synthesized by plants and other autotrophs in …

Barring genetic manipulation, the diet known as calorie restriction (CR) is currently the only
way to slow down ageing in mammals. The fact that CR works on most species, even
microorganisms, implies a conserved underlying mechanism. Recent findings in the yeast …

Aging can be viewed as a quasi-programmed phenomenon driven by the overactivation of
the nutrient-sensing mTOR gerogene. mTOR-driven aging can be triggered or accelerated
by a decline or loss of responsiveness to activation of the energy-sensing protein AMPK, a …

A wide variety of phytochemicals present in our diet, including fruits, vegetables, and spices,
have been shown to possess a broad range of health‐beneficial properties. The
cytoprotective and restorative effects of dietary phytochemicals are likely to result from the …

Xenohormesis is a biological principle that explains how environmentally stressed plants
produce bioactive compounds that can confer stress resistance and survival benefits to
animals that consume them. Animals can piggyback off products of plants' sophisticated …

We recently found that lithocholic acid (LCA), a bile acid, extends yeast longevity. Unlike
mammals, yeast do not synthesize bile acids. We therefore propose that bile acids released
into the environment by mammals may act as interspecies chemical signals providing …

Polyphenols such as resveratrol and quercetin, which are produced by stressed plants,
activate sirtuin enzymes and extend the lifespan of fungi and animals, ostensibly by
mimicking the beneficial effects of caloric restriction. This observation raises an interesting …

Resource utilization may represent a central force driving evolution. A tight link between
sensing energy availability and managing energy acquisition and utilization constitutes a
common feature among all organisms. While such a link was likely adaptive during …

Compounds that are capable of inducing damage to cells, so leading the cells to activate
defence pathways to protect the cell, have been referred to as 'hormetins'(Ali and Rattan
2006). Then there is the situation whereby natural environmental stresses stimulate plants to …

Plants contain a much greater diversity of bioactive compounds than any man-made
chemical library. Heart-shaped Piper betel leaves are magnificent reservoirs of phenolic
compounds with antiproliferative, antimutagenic, antibacterial and antioxidant properties …