We are going to begin with the evidence-based diets proven to be beneficial for skin ageing. What does the science tell us? First up, what is an anti-aging diet? As attractive as the term “anti-aging diet” sounds, it unfortunately isn’t really well defined in the medical literature. I’m not even sure if I’m allowed to call any diet “anti-aging.” Afterall, all this talk about beneficial foods, diet… seem to missing one critical ingredient in the anti-aging spiel. The one thing that we can only perform in a doctor’s office… that hurts a little. Because no pain no gain right?
Something as straightforward as eating… excuse me. But isn’t that what they call… homeopathy? You know which western doctors sometimes diss? Not me. But the other types of doctors.
Guess what, if you now find yourself raising your eyebrows. Stop listening. I think your eyebrows may find the content on my other podcast Dermatologist Talks: Science of Beauty a little more pleasing.
Anti-Aging Diet for Longevity
But if you love misinformation like I do. Carry on. Based on my reading of scientific literature, I am but a mere dermatologist, I must qualify. Here are 4 main perspectives on the types of diets we know to increase longevity. On this note, I wish to highlight that longevity is a highly valuable element of Asian cultural beliefs. A long life is a blessing, more precious than gold. Which of course, is also more precious than… just kidding. What I want to highlight here is that before our minds were corrupted with the idea that we ought to always look like our 21 year selves, there were already civilisations more advanced.. maybe, than those machines we began to put ourselves under.
These civilisations boasted record numbers of centenarians. You may have heard of them in fact. The blue zones…okinawa bitter gourds…the gods of immortality….Don’t you want to know their secret? By the way, that is precisely what I plan to divulge on this podcast.
But as the good scientist. I will start with what my peers tell me.
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Calorie Restriction
Calorie restriction has been regarded as the gold standard of the many interventions intended to counteract ageing. Specifically, this is how they put it.
The diet is known to expand lifespan in diverse organisms and retards signs of ageing in many tissues. Additionally, it has been demonstrated to enhance lifespan and/or reduce a variety of ageing-dependent pathologies and risk factors, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, and neurodegeneration, in a wide range of organisms, including primates and humans.
Now we begin to ask ourselves, the why and the how?
The underlying mechanisms of calorie restriction include reduced inflammation, oxidative stress and energy use, and enhanced metabolic flexibility. The anti-aging action of this diet is mainly due to its ability to suppress oxidative stress induced diseases. Calorie restriction diet can modulate many inflammatory pathway signals such as NF-𝜅B and mTOR, that play a big role in inflammaging.
There is also some interesting research relevant to the skin. I must qualify, Calorie-restricted diets in mice have shown to decrease skin tumor formation resulting from short-term UV exposure by modulating proteins that have a key role in the development of skin cancer. Similarly, diet-induced obesity can promote progression of melanoma, which is caused by DNA damage from long-term exposure to UV radiation.
Intermittent Fasting
We now go on to Intermittent Fasting.
Popular forms of IF are periodic fasting for up to 24 h once or twice a week with unrestricted food intake for the remaining days, or fasting on alternate days. Other forms include time-restricted feeding (TRF), such as eating for only 8 h then fasting for the other 16 h of the day.
Another study in 100 healthy participants showed that reducing energy intake for only five consecutive days per month for 3 months resulted in improvements in body weight and composition, systolic blood pressure, and also reduction in IGF‐1 levels, therefore possibly also exerting anti-aging effects.
What is a good diet, other than one that ought to make us feel like we are imprisoned? Precisely, a diet can only be good if it’s restricted. So they say.
And so we have here, the concepts of protein and methionine restriction.
Does Protein Restriction Work in an Anti-Aging Diet?
Several studies in rodents have shown that protein restriction exerts life-extending effects, independent of calorie intake. Furthermore, in one study, the low protein diet was associated with lower blood pressure, improved glucose tolerance and better lipoprotein and triglyceride profiles. However, the low protein:carbohydrate ratio also increased body fat and resulted in fatty liver, which evidently are negative outcomes of this diet. The life-extending effects of the low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet were mechanistically related to a suppression of mTOR activation.
Methionine restriction
Restriction of sulfur amino acids, especially dietary methionine, reproduces many of the physiological effects of calorie restriction. For example, extension of lifespan, improvement of insulin sensitivity, reduction in adiposity and oxidative stress, and inhibition of ageing-related diseases in animal models.
One mechanism behind these effects is a reduction of IGF-1 levels. Other mechanisms discussed are decreases in mitochondrial ROS generation.
Phew. That’s a mouthful. But the worst part of the podcast is over. In the next episode, I’m going to be sharing my knowledge about medicinal plants that keep you looking young forever. Also known as my deepest, darkest secrets. The creeping crawling bitter gourd vines… the faces of unsuspecting chickpeas devoured… and don’t forget. The black. I mean very black. Fungus. That’s right, you may also call me… Dr.TWL.. the Medicine Woman.
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