India, April 2 -- Arestricted diet and proper sleep may play a key role in a long and healthy life

Humanity has been haunted for millennia by a question: Why do we age and die? A new book by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Venki Ramakrishnan is attempting to answer it. Among other things, a restricted diet and proper sleep may play a key role in a long and healthy life, suggests Why We Die: The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for Immortality.

What is ageing? According to Ramakrishnan, ageing is characterised by the gradual accumulation of chemical damage to our molecules and cells over time. It initiates with minor defects, progressing to larger ones that give rise to the various health issues associated with old age, ultimately culmi...