There has been a substantial amount of research surrounding the ability of nutritional adjustment to slow the ageing process. Whilst many companies offer pills and potions that claim to have an anti-ageing effect, the basic research in this area falls into two main categories. Firstly, it is known that low intakes of antioxidants can accelerate the ageing process, and this is one of the reasons that smoking cigarettes is associated with wrinkles. Cigarette smoke is a potent producer of free radicals and this lowers the antioxidant content of skin tissue. Antioxidants protect from ageing because they inhibit free radical generation, and it is these free radicals that can prematurely age tissues. The second nutritional strategy to reduce the rate of ageing is to eat fewer calories. Animals fed lower energy diets have significantly longer life spans compared to animals fed higher energy diets. This is thought to be due to the fact that energy metabolism generates free radicals, thus causing premature ageing of tissues.
Eat Well, Stay Healthy, protect Yourself
RdB
