In a previous post, I discussed different factors that may influence the rate of our aging.
But, what about the ones that may benefit us?
Perhaps, it’s time to take a look at our diets and specific biomarkers, such as the “Telomere length” in our DNA, which reflects biological aging and may be influenced by environmental factors, including those that affect inflammatory processes. [1]
Data have shown that telomere attrition is associated with greater risk of various chronic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. [1]
In addition to this, there’s a plethora of evidence that a diet high in saturated fats, red and processed meats are associated with an increased risk of different types of cancer. [2,3,4]
The main culprit
However, we still have the upper hand when it comes to other food alternatives such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds which compared to red meat showed anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. [1]
In contrast, trans fatty acid intake and dietary patterns high in foods known to provide significant amounts of trans and saturated fats (animal foods) were positively associated with biomarkers of inflammation. [5,6,7]
Even coffee has shown potential towards reducing inflammation [8]. Although it may be better to consume it black and from the most organic sources to reduce the risks of counteracting its benefits.
The people in this study [1] who were consuming whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts or seeds showed longer telomeres compared to those including red meat in their diets.
In their conclusion the marked:
Our finding that processed meat consumption was associated with shorter telomeres is consistent with studies showing associations between greater intake of processed meat and risk of cancer [9] and diabetes (10-12) and with studies showing associations between red meat intake and CVD (13,14), all diseases with frequencies that increase with age. [1]
##A green alternative
It was about time to mention one of the greatest WFPB heroes out there with a study [15] to back the claims on how a diet based around plants can show longer telomeres and slower rates of shortening over time.
30 men with biopsy-diagnosed low-risk prostate cancer were asked to make comprehensive lifestyle changes. The primary endpoint was telomerase enzymatic activity per viable cell, measured at baseline and after 3 months. 24 patients had sufficient PBMCs needed for longitudinal analysis. [15]
And what happened at the end of the study may shock your average omnivore. However, for a WFPB, this is just old news.
PBMC telomerase activity expressed as natural logarithms increased from 2·00 (SD 0·44) to 2·22 (SD 0·49; p=0·031). Raw values of telomerase increased from 8·05 (SD 3·50) standard arbitrary units to 10·38 (SD 6·01) standard arbitrary units. The increases in telomerase activity were significantly associated with decreases in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (r=–0·36, p=0·041) and a decrease in psychological distress (r=–0·35, p=0·047). [15]
Nonetheless, it is worth knowing that this intervention was not in a controlled environment and also there may be a lot of confounding factors because of the complexity of it.
Besides lifestyle modifications such as a whole foods, plant-based diet, high in fruits, low in fat (10% of calories from fat) with vegetables, unrefined grains, legumes, and low in refined carbohydrates; moderate aerobic exercise (walking 30 min/day, 6 days/week); stress management (gentle yoga-based stretching, breathing, meditation, imagery, and progressive relaxation techniques 60 min/day, 6 days/week), and a 1-h group support session once per week were part of the intervention.
The diet was also supplemented with soy (one daily serving of tofu plus 58 g of a fortified soy protein powdered beverage), fish oil (3 g daily), vitamin E (100 IU daily), selenium (200 μg daily), and vitamin C (2 g daily). [15]
Despite this, these aren’t strategies that we can’t apply in our everyday lives. With a lot of evidence packing against animal foods and a bunch other showing more benefits with a WFPB diet, it’s a no brainer to pick the right choice.
What do you think?
Thanks for reading. If you liked this post, upvote and share it with your friends. Feel free to curate it, as long as you include the original authors and follow me for more fitness wisdom.
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Next: Going Back In Time
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References:
- Dietary patterns, food groups, and telomere length in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), Nettleton J Diez-Roux A Jenny N Fitzpatrick A Jacobs D, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2008 vol: 88 (5) pp: 1405-1412, DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2008.26429, ISSN: 00029165
- Processed meat consumption, dietary nitrosamines and stomach cancer risk in a cohort of Swedish women, https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.21925
- Meat intake and bladder cancer risk in 2 prospective cohort studies, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/84.5.1177
- Does increased endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds in the human colon explain the association between red meat and colon cancer?, https://doi.org/10.1093/carcin/17.3.515
- Baer DJ, Judd JT, Clevidence BA, Tracy RP. Dietary fatty acids affect plasma markers of inflammation in healthy men fed controlled diets: a randomized crossover study. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;79:969–73.
- Nettleton JA, Steffen LM, Mayer-Davis EJ, et al. Dietary patterns are associated with biochemical markers of inflammation and endothelial activation in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Am J Clin Nutr 2006;83:1369–79.
- Rowley K, Walker KZ, Cohen J, et al. Inflammation and vascular endothelial activation in an Aboriginal population: relationships to coronary disease risk factors and nutritional markers. Med J Aust 2003;178: 495–500.
- Andersen LF, Jacobs DR Jr, Carlsen MH, Blomhoff R. Consumption of coffee is associated with reduced risk ofdeath attributed to inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases in the Iowa Women’s Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;83:1039–46
- Gonzalez CA. Nutrition and cancer: the current epidemiological evidence. Br J Nutr 2006;96(suppl):S42-5.
- Fung TT, Schulze M, Manson JE, Willett WC, Hu FB. Dietary patterns, meat intake, and the risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Arch Intern Med 2004;164:2235–40.
- van Dam RM, Willett WC, Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Hu FB. Dietary fat and meat intake in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes in men. Diabetes Care 2002;25:417–24.
- Song Y, Manson JE, Buring JE, Liu S. A prospective study of red meat consumption and type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and elderly women: the women’s health study. Diabetes Care 2004;27:2108–15.
- Gramenzi A, Gentile A, Fasoli M, Negri E, Parazzini F, La Vecchia C. Association between certain foods and risk of acute myocardial infarction in women. BMJ 1990;300:771–3.
- Konotogianni MD, Panagiotakos DB, Pitsavos C, Chysohoou C, Stefanadis C. Relationship between meat intake and the development ofacute coronary syndromes: the CARDIO2000 case-control study. Eur J Clin Nutr 2008;62:171–7.
- Increased telomerase activity and comprehensive lifestyle changes: a pilot study , https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18799354
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