HUNGER IS GOOD: Sirtuins, which fight deterioration and disease, activate when you’re hungry
October 03, 2019 • 1 min read
-- Embrace the hunger, because it’s good for your health.
That’s right, shut your cake hole. Fasting and calorie restriction upregulate autophagy – the process through which cells recycle damaged proteins and organelles to counteract the negative effects of aging and disease.
A 2015 study from Valter Longo found that mice that periodically fasted had vast improvements in areas like cognitive function, immunity, and decreased risk factors for aging, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
And a 2017 human study from Longo found that humans on a fasting-mimicking diet reduced their blood pressure and levels of an insulin-like growth factor that plays a role in aging.
Intrigued by those results, scientists have been trying to pinpoint the genes at play, recently focusing on the role of sirtuins in the aging process.
Sirtuins, so-called longevity genes, are a family of seven proteins that play a role in aging by controlling cellular health. Sirtuins only function in the presence of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), which declines with age, limiting the function of sirtuins as well.
Scientists have discovered that fasting is one way to replenish NAD+, in the process restoring the activity of sirtuins. The uptick in activity stabilises telomeres and reduces DNA damage – slowing the process of aging.
PRO HEALTH TIP: Skip meals. Oh, and wear sunscreen – sun damages DNA, accelerating aging (x-rays and airport scanners also do this).