- Yeast provides scientists with a cellular structure to test anti-aging substances and see their reaction at a cellular level.
- Experts say short-term diets do not work as well as changing to healthy foods.
- They say dietary changes rather than caloric restriction increase lifespan and improve aging health.
Dietary changes without caloric restriction help maintain youth in yeast cells, according to researchers in the Epigenetics Programme at Babraham Institute in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
In a study published today in the journal PLOS Biology, the scientists reported that an unrestricted galactose diet in budding yeast minimized cell changes during aging, irrespective of diet later in life.
They say their findings could help promote healthy aging in humans.
Galactose is a simple sugar that is transformed into glucose in the liver before it’s used as energy. It is generally abundant and normal in human diets.
Galactose comes from the breakdown of lactose, according to the International Dairy Federation. Therefore, the most common foods contributing to galactose production in the human diet are dairy products.
Other foods containing galactose include fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, fresh meat, and eggs. However, these foods have only a small amount. The primary sources of galactose in the human diet are milk and yogurt.
The researchers found two separate aging trajectories in budding yeast. Changing the overall type of nutritional intake contributed to a healthier aging trajectory compared to yeast cells that were subject to intermittent dieting.
They suggest that moving toward a healthy aging trajectory may be possible based on the foods you eat. Healthy foods will transfer you to a healthier trajectory.
“It’s hard to make conclusive claims in humans from results studied in yeast,” said Caroline Thomason, RD, CDCES, a dietitian and diabetes educator based in Washington, D.C., who was not involved in the study.
“However, there is a growing body of research that…
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