It’s time to take another brief break from the COVID-19 beat, and indulge in some good news. Today, we’ll get caught up on recent learned studies that have yielded information of interest to those of us who want to live longer and enjoy living more…
Science is constantly coming up with new recommendations which could
lead to a longer, healthier life. But can we afford to live to 100 or longer?
And who among us doesn’t want to live longer and enjoy it more? Sure I joke about my Mom living to 95 (and counting), saying I can’t afford to do that. But really, life is preferable to the alternative, no mater how much it costs. So… What’s new on the longevity front?
Sugar kills – but not the way you think
We all know that too much Sugar is bad for us. It can lead to obesity which, in turn, leads to heart disease and diabetes. But researchers from the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences now say excess Sugar consumption can also affect our longevity directly.
Researchers discovered that the shortened survival of fruit flies fed a Sugar-rich diet is not the result of their diabetic-like metabolic issues. The findings, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, instead suggest that early death from excess Sugar is related to the build-up of a natural waste product, uric acid.
“Just like humans, flies fed a high-Sugar diet show many hallmarks of metabolic disease – for instance, they become fat and insulin resistant,” says Principal Investigator Dr. Helena Cochemé. “Obesity and diabetes are known to increase mortality in humans, and so people always assumed that this was how excess Sugar is damaging for survival in flies.”
However, the negative effects of a high-Sugar diet can apparently be relieved by drinking more water, which gets the kidneys working and banishes the uric acid from your system. Yet another reason to, as the official recommendations say, to ‘make water your beverage of choice’.
Tofu and similar foods can cut risk of heart disease
When American Heart Association researchers wanted to determine why residents of Asian regions are statistically less at risk to heart disease than their western counterparts, they looked at the typical pan-Asan diet.
Compounds called isoflavones can lower your risk of heart disease, and isoflavones are abundant in Tofu (Soy Bean Curd) and other foods common to the Asian diet. A data-mining study of the health records of more than 113,000 American men and women followed up every 2 years from 1984 to 2012 revealed that consuming Tofu more than once a week was associated with an 18 percent lower risk of heart disease.
“Other human trials and animal studies of isoflavones, Tofu and cardiovascular risk markers have also indicated positive effects, so people with an elevated risk of developing heart disease should evaluate their diets,” said Study Lead Author Dr.Qi Sun, a researcher at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “If their diet is packed with unhealthy foods, such as Rred Meat, Sugary Beverages and refined Carbohydrates, they should switch to healthier alternatives. Tofu and other isoflavone-rich, plant-based foods are excellent protein sources and alternatives to animal proteins.”
But Sun also has caveats about Tofu: “Despite these findings, I don’t think Tofu is by any means a magic bullet. [But] overall diet quality is still critical to consider, and Tofu can be a very healthy component.”
Seeds of Asian tree may fight obesity, diabetes
In Southeast Asia the fruit, flowers, and leaves of Indonesia’s Melinjo tree are traditional foods. Researchers from Kumamoto University in Japan who study plants from around the world for useful medicinal properties have found that Melinjo seed extract (MSE) stimulates the production of adiponectin, a beneficial hormone that fights obesity and diabetes.
Melinjo fruit have high antioxidant and antibacterial qualities and are known to contain large amounts of polyphenols. One such compound, resveratrol, has been shown to cause increased production of adiponectin and may fight lifestyle-related diseases such as metabolic syndrome. Gnetin C, a type of resveratrol abundant in MSE, is known to have higher antioxidant activity and stays in the body longer than resveratrol. However, the detailed mechanism by which these compounds exert their biological activity is still unknown.
“We believe that our findings can benefit human health through the treatment of obesity and diabetes by […] using MSE,” said Lead Investigator Dr. Tsuyoshi Shuto. “We hope that this work contributes to a healthier society through the creation of innovative medicines and products from plants and other natural resources. It is important to provide solid scientific evidence that supports the use of natural resources in emerging countries and using them for beneficial drug discovery and health.”
Now you’re up to date
Even though Melinjo Seed extract may be hard to find in the dietary supplement aisle, it would take hardly any effort at all to remove more Sugar from your diet and add more Tufu. Just one question: Can you afford to live to, say, 100?
~ Maggie J.