Want to slow down the process of aging? Scientists think they may have discovered a food that can do just that.
We all want to stop the inevitable march of time, but it’s hard to tell exactly what we should consume in order to slow the process down. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may have just found an answer for you, however.
Foods like broccoli, cabbage and avocado all contain a compound known as NMN, or nicotinamide mononucleotide, that may help rejuvenate metabolism and thus turn back the hands of time, according to a statement from the university.
Scientists based this conclusion on tests on mice, which showed that typical signs of aging, including skeletal muscle tissues, bad liver function, declining eye function and lower bone density, were alleviated by this compound when given to the mice.
“We have shown a way to slow the physiologic decline that we see in aging mice,” said Shin-ichiro Imai, MD, PhD, a professor of developmental biology and of medicine. “This means older mice have metabolism and energy levels resembling that of younger mice. Since human cells rely on this same energy production process, we are hopeful this will translate into a method to help people remain healthier as they age.”
“We wanted to make sure that when we give NMN through drinking water, it actually goes into the blood circulation and into tissues,” Imai said. “Our data show that NMN absorption happens very rapidly.”
Added Jun Yoshino, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine: “When we give NMN to the young mice, they do not become healthier young mice,” Yoshino said. “NMN supplementation has no effect in the young mice because they are still making plenty of their own NMN. We suspect that the increase in inflammation that happens with aging reduces the body’s ability to make NMN and, by extension, NAD.”