SoylentNews

upstart writes:

Mediterranean diet's cellular effects revealed:

People who follow the Mediterranean diet—rich in fats from olive oil and nuts—tend to live longer, healthier lives than others who chow down primarily on fast food, meat and dairy. But it hasn't been clear on a cellular level exactly why the diet is so beneficial.

Now researchers led by the Stanford School of Medicine have found one of the first cellular connections between healthy fats—known as monounsaturated fatty acids—and lifespan in laboratory worms. The finding hints at a complex relationship between diet, fats and longevity.

"Fats are generally thought to be detrimental to health," said professor of genetics Anne Brunet, Ph.D. "But some studies have shown that specific types of fats, or lipids, can be beneficial."

The researchers learned that one of the fats in the Mediterranean diet, oleic acid, increases the number of two key cellular structures, or organelles, and protects cellular membranes from damage by a chemical reaction called oxidation. This protective effect has a big payoff: Worms fed food rich in oleic acid lived about 35% longer than those consigned to standard worm rations, the researchers found.

Journal Reference:
Papsdorf, Katharina, Miklas, Jason W., Hosseini, Amir, et al. Lipid droplets and peroxisomes are co-regulated to drive lifespan extension in response to mono-unsaturated fatty acids [open], Nature Cell Biology (DOI: 10.1038/s41556-023-01136-6)

Original Submission