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The phrase “We are what we eat” is supported by scientific research demonstrating that diet significantly influences health and longevity. Studies, such as those from the University of Michigan, link certain foods to changes in life expectancy, while advances in oncology reveal that proper nutrition can reduce the risk of cancers by up to 70%. However, questions remain about what constitutes a correct diet, including the roles of animal proteins and carbohydrates, and whether diet can truly slow aging.
A recent study by the University of Sydney, conducted on mice, explored how different combinations of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and calorie intake affect aging and metabolic health. By analyzing the liver, a key metabolic organ, researchers found that protein intake and total calories profoundly influence cellular processes like mitochondrial activity and gene translation, both critical to aging and longevity. The study highlights that diet shapes fundamental cellular functions and can act as a powerful medicine, potentially more effective than some drugs aimed at slowing aging. Researchers emphasize that understanding how specific macronutrient balances impact cellular health offers valuable insights into improving lifespan and preventing age-related diseases.
The latest studies from universities such as Sydney or Michigan point to the role that diet plays in our health, especially in the processes related to stopping aging. We analyze the main conclusions.
We are what we eat. This hackneyed phrase has, in fact, a good handful of scientific studies that support it. At the University of Michigan they discovered that eating a hot dog is equivalent to 36 minutes of life less, while chopping some nuts adds 26 minutes. He is not the only one. There are considerable advances in the field of oncology that suggest that, thanks to a correct diet, there can be a reduction of between 40 and 50% in lung cancer and even 60 to 70% in those that affect the breast, colon, rectum and prostate.
But what do we mean by a correct diet? Although we may all know the traditional food pyramid, is it good to eliminate all animal proteins? How much carbohydrates should we eat? And most importantly, will this allow us to stop aging?
Tell me how you eat…
A recent study by the University of Sydney – carried out on mice – claims to have shown that diet does indeed have a decisive protective role in our state of health and its evolution. This analysis compares specific combinations of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to stop aging, obesity, heart disease, immune dysfunction, and the risk of metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
To conduct this study, the researchers developed 40 different treatments in mice. In each of these groups, different levels of protein, fat, and carbohydrates or calories were combined. Then, the liver was analyzed, as it is considered to be a key organ in the regulation of metabolism.
… And I’ll tell you how you age
It was then that it was found that, when there is a calorie intake and a balance of macronutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) in the diet, the liver is highly impacted. Protein intake and total calories have a particularly potent effect not only on metabolic pathways, but also on the fundamental processes that control the way our cells work.
For example, the amount of protein ingested influenced the activity of mitochondria, which are the part of cells that produce energy. In turn, the amount of protein and energy ingested influences how accurately cells translate their genes into the different proteins needed to help cells function properly and produce new cells. Both processes are closely related to the ageing of bodies and, therefore, to our longevity, an issue that our think tank Future Trends Forum has analysed and whose conclusions you can access here.
Therefore, the results of this analysis allow us to understand how these ingredients affect our aging process. “We all know that what we eat influences our health,” says one of the authors of this research, David Le Couteur, who assures that this study “has shown how food can drastically influence many of the processes that operate in our cells. This gives us insight into how diet affects health and aging.”
This study has also analysed the impact of some drugs administered to stop people’s ageing. The conclusion could not be clearer. In the words of Stephen Simpson, another of the authors of the report, “diet is a powerful medicine.”
