Showing posts with label longevity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label longevity. Show all posts
Mediterranean Diet and Calorie Restriction Promote Brain Health and Longevity
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Researchers have long theorized that a Mediterranean diet full of vegetables, fruit, fish, nuts, seeds and olive oil can help promote good health. Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden reporting in the European journal AGE provides the unanimous results of four independent studies that demonstrate this style of eating not only lowers the risk from many chronic and potentially fatal diseases, but actually extends healthy lifespan in aging adults.
A separate research body appearingin the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) explains that calorie restriction or consuming about twenty-five percent fewer calories each day, turns on a molecule that helps the brain stay young. Extrapolating the results of both studies suggests that following a Mediterranean diet with fewer calories may provide a valuable key to preserving memory, lowering risk of serious illness and extending a healthy life span.
Mediterranean Diet Improves Lifespan by Twenty Percent
Swedish researchers studied the effects of a Mediterranean dieton older people in the Swiss population. They developed a unique study designed to compare 70-year-olds who eat a Mediterranean diet with others who have eaten more meat and animal products. The intent was to confirm the positive results suggested by a myriad of studies over the past decade that found a diet low in animal meats and high in fresh vegetables and monounsaturated fats can improve health and extend lifespan.
The result of the study indicated that those who eat a Mediterranean diet have a 20% higher chance of living longer. The study leader, Dr. Gianluca Tognon commented“This means in practice that older people who eat a Mediterranean diet live an estimated two to three years longer than those who dont”. Three additional studies awaiting publication support these results. Dr. Tognon concluded “there is no doubt that a Mediterranean diet is linked to better health, not only for the elderly but also for youngsters.”
Calorie Restricted Diet Slows Brain Aging to Improve Cognition
An independent study found that overeating may cause brain aging while eating less turns on a molecule that helps the brain stay young. Italian researchers demonstrated that a molecule called CREB1 is triggered by a calorie restricted diet and activates many genes linked to longevity and to the proper functioning of the brain. Calorie restriction is defined as eating 25 to 30 percent less than normal while maintaining optimal nutrition.
Researchers conducting the study concluded“This discovery has important implications to develop future dietary therapies to keep our brain young and prevent brain degeneration and the aging process.” Compiling the available scientific evidence shines a critical light on how the type of food we consume (Mediterranean diet) and the quantity (Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition) can help prevent premature brain aging and lower the risk of cognitive decline as we age.
Fewer calories more longevity
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Research has shown in experimental animals that a low calorie diet sirtuins , enzymes associated with longevity.
In fact, in the laboratory it has been found that a reduction in food intake extends life in a wide range of species and a low calorie diet has beneficial effects on various biomarkers of aging , such as decreased sensitivity to insulin, a precursor of diabetes that is associated with age and especially the reduction of the damage from free radicals. One of the ways to produce organic free radicals occurs when food is converted into energy in cell structures called mitochondria.
For years , are various research centers that seek to know in more detail the effect of diet on sirtuins , which would help the development of new therapies to regulate metabolic disorders and combat degenerative diseases such as Alzheimers or Parkinsons.
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Low vitamin D levels associated with longevity
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Low levels of vitamin D may be associated with longevity, according to a study involving middle-aged children of people in their 90s published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
"We found that familial longevity was associated with lower levels of vitamin D and a lower frequency of allelic variation in the CYP2R1 gene, which was associated with higher levels of vitamin D," writes Dr. Diana van Heemst, Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands, with coauthors.
Previous studies have shown that low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased rates of death, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, allergies, mental illness and other afflictions. However, it is not known whether low levels are the cause of these diseases or if they are a consequence.
To determine whether there was an association between vitamin D levels and longevity, Dutch researchers looked at data from 380 white families with at least 2 siblings over age 90 (89 years or older for men and 91 year or older for women) in the Leiden Longevity Study. The study involved the siblings, their offspring and their offsprings partners for a total of 1038 offspring and 461 controls. The children of the nonagenarians were included because it is difficult to include controls for the older age group. The partners were included because they were of a similar age and shared similar environmental factors that might influence vitamin D levels.
The researchers measured levels of 25(OH) vitamin D and categorized levels by month as they varied according to season. Tanning bed use, which can affect vitamin D levels, was categorized as never, 1 times per year and 6 times per year. The researchers controlled for age, sex, BMI (body mass index), time of year, vitamin supplementation and kidney function, all factors that can influence vitamin D levels. They also looked at the influence of genetic variation in 3 genes associated with vitamin D levels.
"We found that the offspring of nonagenarians who had at least 1 nonagenarian sibling had lower levels of vitamin D than controls, independent of possible confounding factors and SNPs [single nucleotide polymorphisms] associated with vitamin D levels," write the authors. "We also found that the offspring had a lower frequency of common genetic variants in the CYP2R1 gene; a common genetic variant of this gene predisposes people to high vitamin D levels.
These findings support an association between low vitamin D levels and familial longevity." They postulate that offspring of nonagenarians might have more of a protein that is hypothesized to be an "aging suppressor" protein. More research is needed to understand the link between lower vitamin D levels, genetic variants and familial longevity.
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