Researchers at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that a low-carb, low-calorie diet delays the detrimental effects of aging by producing a compound called β-hydroxybutyrate (βOHB).
Although ketone bodies such as βOHB can be toxic at high levels for people with illnesses like Type I diabetes, Gladstone Senior Investigator Eric Verdin explains that lower concentrations of βOHB actually help protect cells from “oxidative stress,” the leading cause of just about every problem associated with aging.
Eric Verdin points out that:
Over the years, studies have found that restricting calories slows aging and increases longevity — however the mechanism of this effect has remained elusive. Here, we find that βOHB — the body’s major source of energy during exercise or fasting — blocks a class of enzymes that would otherwise promote oxidative stress, thus protecting cells from aging.”
The enzymes that are blocked during calorie restriction are called histone deacetylases, or HDACs. The researchers found that HDACs keep a pair of genes, Foxo3a and Mt2, switched off. By blocking the activity of HDACs with βOHB through a low-calorie, low-carb diet, the body is able to slow, and often prevent the harmful effects of aging in all cells of the body through the activation of the gene pair.
Research has also found that a diet with low carbohydrate density, especially diets modeled after ancestral diets, lead to lower obesity rates, in many instances completely eradicating obesity.
Just another reason to say ‘no’ to the tongue’s relentless desires and take control of your body and life.
Sources:
Wondergressive: The Wonderful, Healthier, Life Changing and Life Lengthening World of Fasting
Wondergressive: Save the Food Pyramid by Cutting it by the Limbs
Wondergressive: Obesity and Low Carb Fads: Where Did We Go Wrong? (Part 1)
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