Diet to slow aging?

Diet To Slow Aging?

Diets aimed at slowing aging are gaining popularity. Proponents of the so-called anti-aging diet argue that strict diets that limit the intake of certain nutrients increase lifespan and reduce the incidence of age-related diseases, based on animal testing results. Can a similar effect be reproduced in humans?

A team of researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle and the Pennion Biomedical Research Center in California conducted a study review of the efficacy and safety of a diet that claims to slow the aging process. This review reviewed studies of intermittent fasting and diets that limit the intake of carbohydrates, protein, or specific amino acids, including calorie-restricted diets.

Let's take a look at a calorie-restricted diet as an example. There is a clear relationship between calorie restriction and longevity in animals. Reducing calorie intake in rats results in healthier and increased life expectancy compared to rats fed a regular diet. Although the animal test results are clear, according to this review, it is not clear whether these effects also apply to humans.

In the case of animal experiments, it is carried out in an ideal environment without pathogens, which humans cannot do. Tremendous changes in the human environment and lifestyle can have a large impact on the health effects of a potentially life-extending diet. An individual's genetic variation is also likely to have an impact. Also, rats are small animals that only need to burn half of their calories to stay warm. It is inevitably different from the human metabolic requirements. There is also a significant difference in lifespan.

In addition, the researchers reviewed the keto diet, which strictly limits carbohydrate intake and allows unlimited intake of healthy fats, intermittent fasting, and diets that limit protein and amino acid intake. Every diet has its own pros and cons, so opinions on anti-aging benefits are mixed.

In this review, the researchers make optimistic predictions about the future of anti-aging diets, but warn that these diets do not work equally for everyone. that it has a specific genetic makeup or may be harmful to health under certain environmental conditions.

So, the researchers say more research is needed before doctors can recommend these diets to healthy people.