Scientists have provided new insights into how people live longer without going without food. In this regard, they have the role of protein andCholesterol in the dietexamined that can have an impact on aging.
Can everyone live longer without following diets?
Researchers have known for nearly a century that moderate dietary restriction can extend the lifespan of a wide range of animals. However, they did not know how and why this happens. A scientific team has now discovered that protein is important by manipulating the diet of flies. However, this is only true because it alters the availability of another important nutrient for maintaining body integrity – cholesterol. In the past, the main components of the diet such as protein, carbohydrates and fat have been the focus of aging studies, according to the study authors. This is because low-protein diets consistently extend the lifespan of a wide range of animals. The study results show that such a problem is not caused by protein, but by a lack of micronutrients. But which components of the diet are important and what is the right balance?
Over the past 15 years, evidence has increasingly focused on the role of protein. It was found that animals can live longer if they eat less protein. When flies consume a high-protein diet, they are induced to provide important nutrients such as cholesterol for reproduction at the expense of maintaining their own bodies. This shortens their lifespan. Increased protein content in the diet leads to increased reproduction. As a result, the mother loses important micronutrient stores faster than they can be replenished. It is this secondary depletion of micronutrient cholesterol that shortens their lifespan. The research team found that the flies' lifespan could be extended. This is done by supplying the insects with more micronutrients or by giving them a drug to suppress reproduction.
Future perspective
Like flies, humans have essential nutritional components that they only need in very small quantities. These would be, for example, vitamins such as folic acid and B12. The need for these essential nutrients increases when reproduction is most expensive. For this reason, pregnant women are often encouraged to take supplements containing folic acid during pregnancy.This studyshows that people may not need to eat less to live longer, healthier lives, but instead should eat a rich diet that is modified to be properly balanced. However, further research is needed to determine whether the same dependent trade-offs occur in other animals consuming high-protein diets. The research team is now investigating exactly how breaking down cholesterol through food shortens lifespan.
