最新研究顯示,包括飲食、睡眠和運動在內的生活方式的改變,再加上放松練習和營養(yǎng)補充劑等干預措施,也許能逆轉衰老過程。
6名年齡在46至65歲之間的女性參加了一個為期8周的項目。在這8周里,她們改變了自己的飲食、睡眠和健身方式,接受了放松指導,服用了女性益生菌和植物營養(yǎng)素,并且獲得了專業(yè)的營養(yǎng)指導。
根據去年發(fā)表在《衰老》(Aging)雜志上的這項研究,在這六位女性中,血液測試顯示,其中五人的生理年齡減少了多達 11 年,六位參與者平均減少了 4.6 年。
研究開始時,參與者的平均實際年齡為 58 歲。她們中間除了其中一位以外,所有人的生理年齡都比實際年齡更年輕。因此,她們中的大多數在研究期間經歷的生理年齡下降不太可能是由疾病改善引起的。相反,生理年齡的下降“可能歸因于潛在的衰老機制”,來自華盛頓大學、弗吉尼亞大學和伊利諾伊大學的幾位共同作者這樣寫道。
生理年齡與實際年齡
生理年齡和實際年齡究竟有何區(qū)別?根據西北大學醫(yī)學院(Northwestern Medicine)的說法,簡單來說,實際年齡是你活了多少年,而生理年齡是“你的細胞有多老”。
生物年齡也稱為表觀年齡(epigenetic age)。美國國立衛(wèi)生研究院(U.S. National Institutes of Health)表示,表觀基因組“由化學物質組成,這些化學物質以某種方式修改或標記基因組,告訴它應該在何時、何處,做何事”。這些變化受到壓力、飲食、藥物和污染等環(huán)境因素的影響而有所不同,它們可以在細胞分裂時從細胞傳遞給細胞,也可以從上一代傳遞給下一代。
正如這項研究顯示的,它們是可逆轉的。
生活方式的改變似乎逆轉了衰老過程
作為研究的一部分,參與者被要求每天食用以下食物:
·2杯深色葉菜
·2杯十字花科蔬菜
·3杯五顏六色的蔬菜
·?杯南瓜籽
·?杯葵花籽
·1到2個甜菜
·肝臟或肝臟補充劑(每周三次,每次3盎司)
·1份雞蛋(每周5-10次)
他們還被要求每天兩次服用甲基化適應原——一種支持 DNA 甲基化的食物。DNA 甲基化過程控制基因表達。一份此類食物的例子包括:
·?杯漿果,最好是野生的
·2瓣中等大小的蒜頭
·2杯綠茶,沖泡10分鐘
·3杯烏龍茶,沖泡10分鐘
·?茶匙迷迭香
·?茶匙姜黃
參與者還要按照以下要求調整日常生活方式:
·服用2個益生菌膠囊
·服用2份“綠色粉末”
·每天喝8杯水
·鍛煉至少30分鐘
·兩次呼吸練習
·至少睡眠7個小時
·當天最后一餐后12小時禁食
研究人員寫道,六位女性中,沒人每天都完成了所有任務,但這沒關系。在平均 82% 的時間里堅持執(zhí)行計劃的女性在生理年齡上獲得了改善。他們補充說,較高的患者依從性在很大程度上可能是由于得到了營養(yǎng)指導。
壓力對生理年齡的影響
第七名參與者(一名男性)因家庭緊急情況退出了研究項目。在項目開展之前,他的實際年齡為 71 歲,生理年齡為 57.6 歲。盡管他退出了這項研究,但在八周后,他的生理年齡再次測試為 61.6 歲。作者指出,此前的研究記錄了“由于各種壓力事件導致生理年齡突然加速”,盡管當應激源消失時,這種衰老會逆轉。
然而,對一些人來說,壓力不是暫時的,而是將對衰老產生持久影響。根據最近在巴黎舉辦的歐洲精神病學大會(the European Congress of Psychiatry)上展示的研究,那些患有抑郁癥、焦慮癥和躁郁癥等長期心理健康問題的人,通常比他們的實際年齡更老。(財富中文網)
譯者:珠珠
最新研究顯示,包括飲食、睡眠和運動在內的生活方式的改變,再加上放松練習和營養(yǎng)補充劑等干預措施,也許能逆轉衰老過程。
6名年齡在46至65歲之間的女性參加了一個為期8周的項目。在這8周里,她們改變了自己的飲食、睡眠和健身方式,接受了放松指導,服用了女性益生菌和植物營養(yǎng)素,并且獲得了專業(yè)的營養(yǎng)指導。
根據去年發(fā)表在《衰老》(Aging)雜志上的這項研究,在這六位女性中,血液測試顯示,其中五人的生理年齡減少了多達 11 年,六位參與者平均減少了 4.6 年。
研究開始時,參與者的平均實際年齡為 58 歲。她們中間除了其中一位以外,所有人的生理年齡都比實際年齡更年輕。因此,她們中的大多數在研究期間經歷的生理年齡下降不太可能是由疾病改善引起的。相反,生理年齡的下降“可能歸因于潛在的衰老機制”,來自華盛頓大學、弗吉尼亞大學和伊利諾伊大學的幾位共同作者這樣寫道。
生理年齡與實際年齡
生理年齡和實際年齡究竟有何區(qū)別?根據西北大學醫(yī)學院(Northwestern Medicine)的說法,簡單來說,實際年齡是你活了多少年,而生理年齡是“你的細胞有多老”。
生物年齡也稱為表觀年齡(epigenetic age)。美國國立衛(wèi)生研究院(U.S. National Institutes of Health)表示,表觀基因組“由化學物質組成,這些化學物質以某種方式修改或標記基因組,告訴它應該在何時、何處,做何事”。這些變化受到壓力、飲食、藥物和污染等環(huán)境因素的影響而有所不同,它們可以在細胞分裂時從細胞傳遞給細胞,也可以從上一代傳遞給下一代。
正如這項研究顯示的,它們是可逆轉的。
生活方式的改變似乎逆轉了衰老過程
作為研究的一部分,參與者被要求每天食用以下食物:
·2杯深色葉菜
·2杯十字花科蔬菜
·3杯五顏六色的蔬菜
·?杯南瓜籽
·?杯葵花籽
·1到2個甜菜
·肝臟或肝臟補充劑(每周三次,每次3盎司)
·1份雞蛋(每周5-10次)
他們還被要求每天兩次服用甲基化適應原——一種支持 DNA 甲基化的食物。DNA 甲基化過程控制基因表達。一份此類食物的例子包括:
·?杯漿果,最好是野生的
·2瓣中等大小的蒜頭
·2杯綠茶,沖泡10分鐘
·3杯烏龍茶,沖泡10分鐘
·?茶匙迷迭香
·?茶匙姜黃
參與者還要按照以下要求調整日常生活方式:
·服用 2個益生菌膠囊
·服用 2 份“綠色粉末”
·每天喝8杯水
·鍛煉至少 30 分鐘
·兩次呼吸練習
·至少睡眠7個小時
·當天最后一餐后12小時禁食
研究人員寫道,六位女性中,沒人每天都完成了所有任務,但這沒關系。在平均 82% 的時間里堅持執(zhí)行計劃的女性在生理年齡上獲得了改善。他們補充說,較高的患者依從性在很大程度上可能是由于得到了營養(yǎng)指導。
壓力對生理年齡的影響
第七名參與者(一名男性)因家庭緊急情況退出了研究項目。在項目開展之前,他的實際年齡為 71 歲,生理年齡為 57.6 歲。盡管他退出了這項研究,但在八周后,他的生理年齡再次測試為 61.6 歲。作者指出,此前的研究記錄了“由于各種壓力事件導致生理年齡突然加速”,盡管當應激源消失時,這種衰老會逆轉。
然而,對一些人來說,壓力不是暫時的,而是將對衰老產生持久影響。根據最近在巴黎舉辦的歐洲精神病學大會(the European Congress of Psychiatry)上展示的研究,那些患有抑郁癥、焦慮癥和躁郁癥等長期心理健康問題的人,通常比他們的實際年齡更老。(財富中文網)
譯者:珠珠
Lifestyle changes to diet, sleep, and exercise—paired with interventions like relaxation exercises and supplements—could reverse the aging process, according to recent research.
Six women between the ages of 46 and 65 underwent an eight-week program that included alterations to diet, sleep, and exercise. They were also given relaxation guidance, women’s probiotic and phytonutrient supplements, and nutritional coaching.
Blood tests showed a reduction in biological age of up to 11 years in five of the six women, with the average participant experiencing a 4.6-year decrease, according to the study, published last year in the journal Aging.
Participants had an average chronological age of 58 years at the beginning of the study, and all but one had a younger biological age. Because of this, it’s unlikely that the reduction in biological age most participants experienced during the study was due to disease improvement. Instead, the improvement “might be attributed to underlying age mechanisms,” the authors—from Washington, Virginia, and Illinois universities—wrote.
Biological vs. chronological age
Just what is the difference in biological and chronological age? Simply put, chronological age is how long you’ve been alive, while biological age is “how old your cells are,” according to Northwestern Medicine.
Biological age is also referred to as the epigenetic age. The epigenome “consists of chemical compounds that modify, or mark, the genome in a way that tells it what to do, where to do it, and when to do it,” according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Those changes—influenced by environmental factors like stress, diet, drugs, and pollution—can be passed down from cell to cell as they divide, and from generation to generation.
They’re also reversible, as this study seemingly demonstrates.
Lifestyle changes that appeared to reverse aging
As part of the study, participants were asked to consume the following foods daily:
·2 cups dark, leafy greens
·2 cups cruciferous vegetables
·3 cups colorful vegetables
·? cup pumpkin seeds
·? cup sunflower seeds
·1 to 2 beets
·Liver or liver supplement (three 3-ounce servings per week)
·1 serving of egg (5–10 per week)
They were also asked to eat two servings daily of methylation adaptogens—foods that support DNA methylation, a process that controls gene expression. Examples of one serving of such foods include:
·? cup berries, preferably wild
·2 medium garlic cloves
·2 cups green tea, brewed 10 minutes
·3 cups oolong tea, brewed 10 minutes
·? tsp rosemary
·? tsp turmeric
Participants were also asked to make the following daily lifestyle adaptations:
·Take 2 probiotic capsules
·Take 2 servings of “greens powder”
·Drink 8 cups of water per day
·Exercise for at least 30 minutes
·Practice breathing exercises twice
·Sleep at least 7 hours
·Fast 12 hours after their last meal of the day
None of the women completed all tasks all days, and that’s okay, researchers wrote. Improvements in biological age were seen among women who adhered to the program an average of 82% of the time. The relatively high level of adherence among patients was likely due in large part to the nutritional coaching provided, they added.
The effect of stress on biological age
A seventh participant—a male—withdrew from the study due to a family emergency. Prior to the study, he had a chronological age of 71 and a biological age of 57.6. He had his biological age tested again at eight weeks, despite having withdrawn from the study, and it had increased to 61.6 years. Prior research has documented “sudden acceleration in biological age due to diverse stressful events,” though that aging is reversed when the stressor resolves, the authors noted.
For some, however, stress isn’t transient, and displays a more permanent effect on aging. Those with longstanding mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder are routinely biologically older than their chronological age, according to recent research presented at the European Congress of Psychiatry in Paris.