Corks¹ are undoubtedly² popping off merlot bottles a lot faster this week in the wake of a report from Harvard Medical School researchers that found a molecule³ in red wine extends life spans.

Lead researcher David Sinclair and his colleagues reported in the early online edition of Nature that a class of chemicals that includes resveratrol -- a molecule that's an active ingredient in red wine -- extended life by 70 percent in yeast⁴, worms, and fruit flies.

So dramatic are the life-extension benefits, says Sinclair, that they mimic⁵ the life-extending effects of calorie restriction⁶, which most would view as a lot less palatable⁷ than drinking red wine.

Molecules⁸ such as resveratrol regulate other proteins, which interfere⁹ with the natural process of cell death, the researchers say.

While the news is heralded¹⁰ as exciting and fascinating, other researchers caution that it's a little too soon to depend on vino to get you to your century birthday bash.

"It's too early to say whether this will relate to anything to do with human health," says Dr. Arthur Klatsky, senior consultant¹¹ in cardiology at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, Calif., and a pioneer in studying the effects of alcoholic¹² beverages¹³ on cardiac health in humans.

While red wine is the best source of the molecule, it's also found in peanuts and grape juice.

Sinclair's team is continuing the research and hopes to test the molecule's life-extending properties on rodents¹⁴ and, eventually, humans.

Sinclair, an assistant professor in Harvard's Department of Pathology, emphasizes that he is not a doctor. But his advice for boosting longevity¹⁵ -- besides waiting for further research results -- would be: "Don't smoke, walk or run at least once a week, keep your cholesterol¹⁶ down, and drink an occasional glass of red wine."

Before you shop, you might want to know that resveratrol is most plentiful¹⁷ in wines from grapes that had harsh growing conditions. That means pick Chilean or Australian red wines and pass up the California varieties, advises Sinclair.