Reubin Andres

Reubin Andres (June 13, 1923 – September 23, 2012) was an American gerontologist.^[1]

Early life and education

Reubin Andres was born on June 13, 1923 in Dallas, Texas in a Yiddish-speaking family.^[2][3] He initially attended Southern Methodist University but left in 1941 due to religious constraints.^[2][3] Despite this, he was admitted to Southwestern Medical School, graduating at the age of 21.^[2][3] Concurrently, he served in the U.S. Army in Korea and Japan, tasked with controlling malaria and venereal diseases, and contracted malaria himself.^[2]

Career

Andres moved to Baltimore for research at Johns Hopkins University.^[2] In the late 1950s, he joined the Gerontology Research Center, which later became the National Institute on Aging, at the request of Nathan Shock.^[2]

Research

Andres proposed the theory that older adults could potentially benefit from gradual weight gain, which contradicted the prevailing view on maintaining a consistent weight throughout adulthood.^[2] The theory continues to be debated, despite some supporting studies, as the National Institute of Health maintains its differing stance.^[4]

In the field of diabetes research, Andres developed the glucose insulin clamp technique, a method for accurately manipulating insulin and glucose levels.^[4] This tool has been used in the investigation of new interventions for Type 2 diabetes.^[4] In recognition of his work, he was awarded the Albert Renold Award from the American Diabetes Association in 2000.^[4]