Tango Nutrition News :: Eating High-Fat Diet Delays Brain Aging in New Animal Study New research shows that brain aging can be postponed in mice eating a diet high in Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs). The research, conducted at the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Copenhagen, suggests a possible treatment for children suffering from premature aging (Cockayne syndrome) as well as for patients with Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease. Throughout life ongoing damage to DNA is kept in check by cellular repair mechanisms. As humans age these repair systems cease to function, leading to the accumulation of defects in the brain and nervous system that result in declining intellectual capacity and increased risk of developing Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease. Researchers from the Center for Healthy Aging in Copenhagen studied mice with a defect in their DNA repair systems. In humans this defect is observed in Cockayne syndrome, a disorder that causes children to age prematurely, with most dying at 10-12 years. The study found that feeding a high-fat to mice modeling Cockayne syndrome effectively postponed aging. The study is good news for children with Cockayne syndrome, because we do not currently have an effective treatment. Our study suggests that a high-fat diet can postpone aging processes. A diet high in fat also seems to postpone the aging of the brain. The findings therefore potentially imply that patients with Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease in the long term may benefit from the new knowledge, says Professor Vilhelm Bohr, who headed the study. Our brain has a constant need for fuel in the form of either sugar or ketones. Ketones are the brains fuel reserve, and, in particular, play an important role in periods of low blood sugar levels, e.g. if you are fasting. This is because the body breaks down fat if it needs sugar, and during this process it produces ketones. The researchers observed a positive effect when the mice were given medium chain fatty acids (MCTs) from coconut oil. In cells from children with Cockayne syndrome, we have previously demonstrated that aging is a result of the cell repair mechanism being constantly active. It eats into the resources and causes the cell to age very quickly. We therefore hope that a diet with a high content of coconut oil or similar fats will have a beneficial effect, because the brain cells are Source: Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, Sarah J. Mitchell, Evandro F. Fang, Teruaki Iyama, et.al. A High-Fat Diet and NAD Activate Sirt1 to Rescue Premature Aging in Cockayne Syndrome. Cell Metabolism, 2014; 20 (5): 840 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2014.10.005 Journal Link: cell/cell-metabolism/abstract/S1550-4131(14)00452-5
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 18:48:52 +0000
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