tiny Worms Reveal Key to Healthier aging: A Little Stress May Be Good
BASEL, SWITZERLAND – A new study from the university of Basel reveals that a specific nutritional stress response in thread worms (C. elegans) extends their healthy lifespan, offering potential insights into preventing age-related diseases in humans. Researchers found that bacterial RNA triggers protective mechanisms within the worms, bolstering their health even as they age.
The findings, published in Nature Communications (2025), confirm the significant impact of nutrition on healthy aging. While the research focused on C. elegans, it suggests that carefully calibrated nutritional “stress” could activate similar protective processes in humans, perhaps delaying the onset of age-related illnesses. ”Individual food components can cause the body to activate its protective mechanisms,” explains Professor Anne Spang of the university of BaselS Biozentrum. “So a little stress is good.”
The study demonstrates that the thread worms not only live longer, but maintain better health throughout their extended lifespan. According to researcher Emmanouil Kyriakakis, the organisms “slow down certain aging processes,” and experience an extended “health range.” The research team, including Chiara Medde, Danilo Ritz, Geoffrey Fucile, and Alexander Schmidt, discovered that bacterial RNA plays a crucial role in promoting proteostasis – the process of maintaining protein health – through dialog between tissues.
Researchers are now investigating whether specific nutrients can elicit a similar protective reaction in humans, paving the way for dietary strategies to combat age-related diseases. The work underscores the long-term impact of diet on health in later life.
Scientific Contact: Prof. Dr. Anne Spang, University of Basel, Biozentrum, Anne.spang@unibas.ch
Original Publication: Emmanouil Kyriakakis, Chiara Medde, Danilo Ritz, Geoffrey fucile, Alexander Schmidt and Anne Spang. Bacterial RNA promotes proteostasis through inter-tissue communication in C. elegans. Nature Communications (2025),doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-63987-x.
