Michael Ristow, PhD
Professor at ETH Zurich
CONTRIBUTIONS
- Are Antioxidant Supplements Unhealthy?
- Why Antioxidants Are Unhealthy and Compounds That Mimic Exercise - Professor Michael Ristow
BIO
The research lab of Professor Ristow is interested in the biochemical and molecular basis of longevity — in particular the role played by mitochondria in lifespan regulation and prevention of metabolic diseases.
Contrary to the widely re-iterated Free Radical Theory of Aging, theirs has been the first laboratory to show that the health-promoting effects associated with low caloric intake, physical exercise and other lifespan-extending interventions like sirtuin signaling are caused by increased formation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) within the mitochondria. This results in a vaccination-like adaptive response that culminates in increased stress resistance and extended longevity, a process called mitohormesis.
They primarily work with the roundworm C. elegans and mammalian model organisms (mainly mice), as well as (occasionally) humans.
