Sulfur-containing amino acids and longevity
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, working under the guidance of Dr. John P. Richie, analyzed the data published in the scientific literature and concluded that the positive effect of products depleted in sulfur-containing amino acids demonstrated in animal models, manifested by longevity and improved health, can also extend to humans.
Amino acids are the structural elements of all body proteins. Sulfur-containing amino acids include methionine (Met) and cysteine (Cys), which are not only involved in the construction of protein molecules, but also perform many functions necessary to maintain metabolism and maintain health.
Scientists became interested in the effects of insufficient intake of sulfur-containing amino acids into the body with food in the 1990s, when research results demonstrated the positive effect of a methionine-depleted diet on animal health. As part of one of the early studies on rats, reducing the content of methionine in food by 80% increased the average and maximum life expectancy of animals by 42-44%.
Experts have long known that keeping animals on a low-calorie diet increases their life expectancy and improves their health, but they actively continued to search for approaches that allow achieving such improvements without reducing the amount of food consumed by humans.
The analysis of scientific data carried out by the authors showed that limiting the use of sulfur-containing amino acids provides a number of health improvements without reducing the caloric content of food. In particular, a decrease in the amount of methionine in food was associated with a slowdown in aging and an increase in life expectancy in experiments on human cell lines, yeast and animal models, including fruit flies-fruit flies and rodents. In addition, the animals showed improvements in their health, including a decrease in body weight, body fat content, the severity of oxidative stress, the incidence of malignant tumors, as well as increased tissue sensitivity to insulin and the efficiency of nutrient breakdown.
Sulfur-containing amino acids are important for the body's growth processes. One of the effects of reducing their intake from food is the suppression of growth, which leads to the appearance of healthy long-lived individuals with small sizes. This fact has become an obstacle to the transfer of the data obtained by scientists into clinical practice. However, according to the results of the new analysis, many of the positive effects can be achieved by limiting the intake of sulfur-containing amino acids into the body of adult animals.
No more serious undesirable effects of reducing the content of sulfur-containing amino acids in food were detected.
Clinical studies have revealed associations between the use of sulfur-containing amino acids and weight gain, as well as an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, diseases of the cardiovascular system and cancer. This indicates the possibility of preventing these conditions by reducing the content of methionine and cysteine in the diet. However, the clinical data available to date do not allow us to draw unambiguous conclusions.
Currently, the authors are considering the possibility of conducting a strictly controlled study of the effects of a diet with a limited content of methionine and cysteine with the participation of volunteers. Its results may provide more convincing evidence.
Sulfur-containing amino acids are part of almost all food proteins, so limiting their use is not an easy task. The most affordable sources of protein with a low content of methionine and cysteine are beans and other legumes.
Article by Zhen Dong et al. Disease prevention and delayed aging by dietary sulfur amino acid restriction: translational implications is published in the journal Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Evgenia Ryabtseva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Pennsylvania State University: Sulfur amino acid restriction could amount to a new dietary approach to health.