Products that make you grow older faster than others
'13.03.2021'
Source: Health.mail.ru
It has long been known which foods prolong youth: vegetables, fruits, herbs, legumes, vegetable oils and nuts. And what, on the contrary, steal it?
Sweets are to blame for the appearance of wrinkles
Sugar usually evokes associations with everything that is pleasant: the sweet life, the sweet voice, and even the dreams are sweet. At the same time, the true “face” of sugar is not so attractive: those who abuse it may develop obesity, heart ischemia, their teeth are destroyed, writes health.mail.ru.
Few know about another dark side of sugar: it accelerates skin aging. Sugar molecules provoke the collagen glycation process. This is one of the structural proteins of the skin, thanks to which it is so elastic: it quickly smoothes “back”, if you smile or frown, it bounces, and does not break from every movement. Collagen is a three-strand braid. If there is a lot of sweets in the diet, the threads are “welded” together by sugar bridges, becoming tough and unable to recover. As a result, deep wrinkles appear, the oval of the face loses its clear shape and “spreads”.
Scientists from the University of Münster in Germany point out that glycation is a natural process that is observed in all people, even those who adhere to a healthy diet. The human body ceases to resist “sugaring” on average after 20 years - damaged collagen accumulates at a rate of approximately 3,7% per year and makes 30 – 50% of the total collagen to 80 years. However, damaged collagen is accumulated not only in the skin, but also in all tissues of the body with an excess of sugar in the diet, which is further stimulated by ultraviolet rays.
Sausage wears vessels
Sausages, smoked and dried meat existed in ancient Greece. One of the many differences between today's meat products is phosphate additives. Phosphorus is found in dairy products, nuts, eggs, fish and poultry. It is essential for bone health and is needed for key bodily functions such as making protein. Phosphate compounds have the ability to bind more water, so meat products containing such additives remain juicy even when stored for a long time, freezing or heating. Unlike ordinary phosphorus, which is absorbed by the body by only 40-60%, the absorption of phosphates reaches 90%. When taken in large quantities, they form compounds with calcium, which are deposited in the arteries, which leads to the development of atherosclerosis, even in healthy young people. Thus, even an outwardly young and healthy person can have blood vessels, the state of which corresponds to 70–80 years.
Trans fatty worsen memory
Scientists from the University of George Washington in the United States believe that the rate of aging of the brain depends not only on genetics and lifestyle. Accelerate this process can regular consumption of foods with trans fats. They analyzed major studies on the relationship between these components in nutrition and the development of dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive impairments. The study showed that trans fats increase the concentration of low-density lipoproteins in the blood. This leads to the formation of amyloid plaques - protein deposits in the brain, which cause Alzheimer's disease.
The first cognitive impairments appear at a relatively young age. First of all, it is the ability to remember. Experts from the University of California analyzed the daily diet of 1018 healthy men under 45. They then tested the patients' ability to memorize words with a functional test. As it turned out, men who had virtually no trans fats in their diet memorized an average of 86 words out of the 104 given in the test. Those who ate a lot of such foods could remember an average of only 12 words.
It is important to note that trans fats enter the diet not only from processed foods: cakes, cookies, and various sauces, but also from the most natural ones. For example, fatty dairy products, beef and lamb can contain up to 8% of “bad” fats, which are formed due to the structural features of the stomach of ruminants, therefore, it is better to prefer low-fat foods.
On the subject: Foods and nutrients that actually slow aging: your doctor's advice
Milk makes bones fragile.
Many believe that if you drink a lot of milk, you can, until old age, ensure healthy bones and teeth. But if you believe the study of Swedish experts, it's quite the opposite. Scientists have analyzed the nutrition of more than 60 thousands of women aged from 39 to 74 years and more than 45 thousands of men from 45 to 79 years. It turned out that both women and men who drank more than three glasses of milk a day had a higher risk of fractures and death than those who drank a glass. Experts believe that this is the fault of lactose - a specific sugar contained in milk. One of the components of lactose acts as an oxidizing agent and causes inflammation - as a result, the degradation of bones, which usually occurs at a later age, begins earlier, due to which their “service life” can be greatly reduced. At the same time, scientists note that dairy products do not have a negative effect on the condition of the bones, since the lactose content in them is much lower.
How to eat to slow down aging?
According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization and other nutritional organizations, you need as soon as possible to begin to monitor your diet and lead a healthy lifestyle. Wrong eating habits in youth lead to irreversible changes in the cells - it is simply impossible to reverse the process of biological extinction.
The main findings of scientists can be summarized as follows. A diet that is dominated by plant foods has a positive effect on the state of all body systems: all vegetables and fruits, legumes and nuts, whole grain products, vegetable oils (olive, flax, rapeseed and others). Useful seafood, fatty fish, dairy products and dairy with low fat content. Compliance with this diet has an anti-inflammatory effect and may even reduce the negative effects of smoking and overweight. Interestingly, scientists do not emit any one "superfood" that would point, for example, on the youth of the skin or cardiovascular system. What matters is the totality of these products in the daily diet.
