Eating certain plant-based foods that contain natural substances known as methyl adaptogens can help reduce your epigenetic age, according to a recent study published in the scientific journal Aging-US.
Instead of referring to a person's actual age in years, epigenetic age describes how old a person’s cells appear biologically. This is measured through DNA methylation patterns, which are chemical markers on DNA that can reveal if whether someone is ageing more faster or slower than they should.
Researchers examined data from a prior trial known as the Methylation Diet and Lifestyle (MDL) study, which was an eight-week diet and lifestyle intervention in 43 healthy males between the ages of 50 and 72.
Participants in the study's intervention group received daily meditation, exercise, food and sleep suggestions. They consumed omnivorous but plant-based foods high in vitamins and polyphenolic compounds, which are naturally occurring plant-based substances with antioxidant properties. The study also instructed the men to stay clear of dairy, wheat, legumes and alcohol.
What did the study find?
At the end of the trial, those who had adopted the lifestyle adjustments managed to reduce their epigenetic age by an average of 2.04 years when compared to their baseline measurements.
In order to understand why some participants saw higher improvements in epigenetic age than others, researchers wanted to investigate the exact food kinds that the group consumed in this new study.
They discovered that individuals who consumed more methyl adaptogen foods saw larger decreases in epigenetic age.
Natural substances found in methyl adaptogen foods impact DNA methylation, a marker that reveals how the body ages at the cellular level, which in turn affects how genes behave.
Such substances may promote good ageing and help reduce the risk of diseases including heart disease and cognitive decline, according to earlier research.
Regardless of whether you eat meat or not, this study contributes to an expanding body of studies showing the wide-ranging health advantages of increasing your intake of plant-based meals high in polyphenols.
So what did they eat?
The methyl adaptogen foods mentioned in the study include turmeric, garlic, berries, green tea, oolong tea, and rosemary . However, numerous fruits, vegetables, and drinks include polyphenols, which are antioxidants that can lower inflammation and promote gut health. Including them in your diet on a daily basis is a relatively easy intervention that could have several advantages.
Dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage), colourful vegetables, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, beets, lean meats, low-glycemic fruit (apples, grapefruit, and cherries), and at least one serving of the methyl adaptogen group (listed above) should all be consumed daily, according to the study's authors.
The study authors wrote: “Although research on whole grains, legumes and certain dairy products supports the consumption of these foods as health-promoting, they were omitted from the study diet to reduce the potential for short-term gastrointestinal side effects.”
Updated epigenetic ageing methods and larger and more diverse populations should be used in future studies to validate these findings.
Based on available data, this study proposes a useful, dietary approach that could promote long-term health and lessen epigenetic ageing.
