<p>A type of low-carb, low-calorie diet called “ketogenic diet” is rich in a compound that could delay the effects of ageing, scientists say.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Senior Investigator Eric Verdin, have identified the role that a chemical compound in the human body plays in the ageing process.<br /><br />The mechanism may be key to new therapies for treating or preventing a variety of age-related diseases, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s and many forms of cancer.<br /><br />Researchers examined the role of the compound beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-OHB), a so-called “ketone body” produced during a prolonged low-calorie or ketogenic diet.<br /><br />While ketone bodies such as beta-OHB can be toxic when present at very high concentrations in people with diseases such as Type I diabetes, researchers found that at lower concentrations, beta-OHB helps protect cells from “oxidative stress” — which occurs as certain molecules build to toxic levels in the body and contributes to the ageing process.<br /><br />“Here, we find that beta-OHB - the body’s major source of energy during exercise or fasting - blocks a class of enzymes that would otherwise promote oxidative stress, thus protecting cells from ageing,” Verdin said in a statement.<br /><br />Oxidative stress occurs as cells use oxygen to produce energy, but this activity also releases other potentially toxic molecules, known as free radicals.<br /><br />As cells age, they become less effective in clearing these free radicals — leading to cell damage, oxidative stress and the effects of ageing. Researchers found that beta-OHB might actually help delay this process.<br /><br />In a series of laboratory experiments, the team administered beta-OHB in a chronic calorie-restricted diet.<br /><br />The researchers found that calorie restriction spurs beta-OHB production, which blocked the activity of a class of enzymes called histone deacetylases, or HDACs.<br /><br />Normally HDACs keep a pair of genes, called Foxo3a and Mt2, switched off, but increased levels of beta-OHB block the HDACs from doing so, which by default activates the two genes.<br /><br />Once activated, these genes kick-start a process that helps cells resist oxidative stress. This discovery not only identifies a novel signalling role for beta-OHB, but it could also represent a way to slow the detrimental effects of ageing in all cells of the body.</p>
<p>A type of low-carb, low-calorie diet called “ketogenic diet” is rich in a compound that could delay the effects of ageing, scientists say.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Senior Investigator Eric Verdin, have identified the role that a chemical compound in the human body plays in the ageing process.<br /><br />The mechanism may be key to new therapies for treating or preventing a variety of age-related diseases, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s and many forms of cancer.<br /><br />Researchers examined the role of the compound beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-OHB), a so-called “ketone body” produced during a prolonged low-calorie or ketogenic diet.<br /><br />While ketone bodies such as beta-OHB can be toxic when present at very high concentrations in people with diseases such as Type I diabetes, researchers found that at lower concentrations, beta-OHB helps protect cells from “oxidative stress” — which occurs as certain molecules build to toxic levels in the body and contributes to the ageing process.<br /><br />“Here, we find that beta-OHB - the body’s major source of energy during exercise or fasting - blocks a class of enzymes that would otherwise promote oxidative stress, thus protecting cells from ageing,” Verdin said in a statement.<br /><br />Oxidative stress occurs as cells use oxygen to produce energy, but this activity also releases other potentially toxic molecules, known as free radicals.<br /><br />As cells age, they become less effective in clearing these free radicals — leading to cell damage, oxidative stress and the effects of ageing. Researchers found that beta-OHB might actually help delay this process.<br /><br />In a series of laboratory experiments, the team administered beta-OHB in a chronic calorie-restricted diet.<br /><br />The researchers found that calorie restriction spurs beta-OHB production, which blocked the activity of a class of enzymes called histone deacetylases, or HDACs.<br /><br />Normally HDACs keep a pair of genes, called Foxo3a and Mt2, switched off, but increased levels of beta-OHB block the HDACs from doing so, which by default activates the two genes.<br /><br />Once activated, these genes kick-start a process that helps cells resist oxidative stress. This discovery not only identifies a novel signalling role for beta-OHB, but it could also represent a way to slow the detrimental effects of ageing in all cells of the body.</p>