There is no love sincerer than the love of food
-George Bernard Shaw, (Man and Superman, 1902)
We humans have a Love-Hate relationship with food. We love to eat ad libitum, and then bear a grudge against food for every minute ailment. If there are TV channels dedicated to cookery shows 24/7 and then there are shows that teach you how to shed what you ate. And those who afford appoint a personal dietitian. New eateries crop up every day reducing the distance from home, why they even volunteer home deliveries. Earlier one used to insist- No MSG please, but now? Low carb, no salt, no sugar, no trans fat, gluten free? You name it and you get it. Feasting or Fasting food opens up great business opportunities. Science can't be far behind can it? .
Professor Valter Longo , director of Longevity Institute University of Southern California is interested in understanding the molecular biology of health and aging and longevity as a function of food(1,2). He is of the opinion that fasting is more advantageous than dieting. Well, as he discusses CR(calorie restriction or dieting), IF (intermittent Fasting) and PF (periodic fasting) we realize that there are several ifs and buts. He points at studies conducted in mice and men. His team monitored the changes in the levels of biological markers for aging and health : IGF-1, IGFBP1, glucose and insulin during fasting. Fasting for 3 days brought down the levels of the these by almost 30%. IGF-1( insulin like growth Factor-1) and insulin have been strongly implicated in accelerated aging and cancer. Longo and team contend that studies have in general established the beneficial effects of fasting in cancer patients. Of course fasting in combination with chemotherapy; mind you the two are not mutually exclusive. It is suggested that even from the perspective of looking good, regular fasting is an healthier alternative to cutting down on calories. Looks like we are on a path to rediscover the benefits of fasting. In any case several civilizations and religions have time immemorial been encouraging the practice of fasting at varying frequencies for various reasons .
March 2014 issue Cell Metabolism carries another paper from Longo's group(3). This is a study aimed to understand the link between the level and source of protein, amino acids aging, diseases and mortality. This study covered 6381 individuals of both sexes in the 50+ age group.The epidemiological data from a US National Health Survey was corroborated with mouse and cellular studies. The team monitored the levels of markers for biological aging such as IGF-1 well as other vital and relevant parameters of the participants. The study obviously has its limitations, the researchers are aware of that. Nevertheless they conclude "our findings suggest that a diet in which plant based nutrients represent the majority of the food intake is likely to maximize health benefits in all age groups." In the same issue of Cell Metabolism Solon-Biet et al (4) provide further experimental evidence that "low protein high carbohydrate diets are associated with longest lifespans". They monitored the fluctuations of another marker mTOR, which is known to positively influence mice's lifespan.
The papers though interesting were intriguing. Because as mentioned before, these are conditional findings; several ifs and buts modify each finding, and complex interlinked pathways and phenotype and genotype traits are at work.
Tailpiece:
Here is a 440V jolt for all of us by Libert etal (5).
"Smell is an ancient sensory system present in organisms from bacteria to humans. In the nematode C. elegans gustatory neurons regulate aging and longevity. Using the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster , we showed that exposure to nutrients, nutrient derived odorants can modulate life span and partially reverse the longevity-extending effects of dietary restrictions. .................................................................................olfactory regulation of life span is evolutionarily conserved.
Soon this will be true for mice and men!.
References:
1. Fasting Molecular mechanisms and clinical applications: March 2014 issue Cell Metabolism carries another paper from Longo's group(3). This is a study aimed to understand the link between the level and source of protein, amino acids aging, diseases and mortality. This study covered 6381 individuals of both sexes in the 50+ age group.The epidemiological data from a US National Health Survey was corroborated with mouse and cellular studies. The team monitored the levels of markers for biological aging such as IGF-1 well as other vital and relevant parameters of the participants. The study obviously has its limitations, the researchers are aware of that. Nevertheless they conclude "our findings suggest that a diet in which plant based nutrients represent the majority of the food intake is likely to maximize health benefits in all age groups." In the same issue of Cell Metabolism Solon-Biet et al (4) provide further experimental evidence that "low protein high carbohydrate diets are associated with longest lifespans". They monitored the fluctuations of another marker mTOR, which is known to positively influence mice's lifespan.
The papers though interesting were intriguing. Because as mentioned before, these are conditional findings; several ifs and buts modify each finding, and complex interlinked pathways and phenotype and genotype traits are at work.
Tailpiece:
Here is a 440V jolt for all of us by Libert etal (5).
"Smell is an ancient sensory system present in organisms from bacteria to humans. In the nematode C. elegans gustatory neurons regulate aging and longevity. Using the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster , we showed that exposure to nutrients, nutrient derived odorants can modulate life span and partially reverse the longevity-extending effects of dietary restrictions. .................................................................................olfactory regulation of life span is evolutionarily conserved.
Soon this will be true for mice and men!.
 |
| Bon appetit |
Longo and Mattson Cell Metabolism-Vol.19, issue 2 p181-192, 4 Feb. 2014
2. Fasting cycles restrict growth of tumours and sensitize a range of cancer cells to
chemotherapy. Lee etal Science Translational Medicine Vol 4, 124- 127, March 2012
3.Low protein intake is associated with a major reduction in IGF-1,cancer and overall
mortality in the age 65 and younger but not older population Levine etal Cell Metabolism Vo.19 Issue 3 p407-417 March 2014
4. The ratio of macronutrients not caloric intake dictated cardiometabolic health, aging and longevity in ad-libitum fed mice-
Solon-Biet et al Cell Metabolism Vol. 19 issue 3 p418-430, March 2014
5. Regulation of drosophila lifespan by olefaction and food derived odours
Libert etal Science 315, 1133 2007
