A new study suggests that the key to turning back the clock on aging may be in our kitchens. It finds that eating specific plant-based foods can potentially help slow biological aging. And the best part is that they’re not rare superfoods, they include stuff you’re probably already eating, like garlic and berries.
Biological age - the age of our cells and tissues - can be higher or lower than our actual chronological age, or the number of years we’ve been living. Our biological age can be affected by all kinds of things, including genetics, environmental exposures, sleep habits, stress management and even diet. And according to this new research, eating foods high in natural substances called methyl adaptogens may help reverse biological aging.
For the small study, researchers from the University of Washington worked with 43 middle-aged men for eight weeks.
- They were split into groups, one who followed their usual lifestyle, and the other was directed to eat leafy greens, colorful veggies, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and at least one serving of these methyl adaptogens every day for eight weeks.
- The options include half a cup of berries, half a teaspoon of rosemary or turmeric, two cloves of garlic, two cups of green tea or three of oolong tea.
- They also avoided alcohol, sugar, trans fats, grains, legumes and dairy.
- After eight weeks, the group that ate more turmeric, rosemary, garlic, berries and drank green tea and/or oolong tea had reduced their biological age by more than two years.
- While this group also lost an average of 4.6-pounds, researchers found that the age-fighting effects come from the foods themselves, not the weight loss.
Source: NY Post