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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Eat right, live longer: Could a moderate protein diet be the coveted   
   elixir of youth?    
    Researchers decode the correlation between dietary protein intake and   
   improved metabolic health in mice    
      
     Date:   
         May 31, 2023   
     Source:   
         Waseda University   
     Summary:   
         Consuming nutritious food can improve metabolic health and delay   
         aging.   
      
         But what are the appropriate quantities of dietary macronutrients   
         that can help achieve this? To answer this, researchers fed   
         isocaloric diets with varying amounts of protein to young and   
         middle-aged male mice. They found that the mice were metabolically   
         healthier when fed moderate- protein diets. These findings could   
         provide valuable insights into developing nutritional interventions   
         and improving metabolic health in people.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Consuming nutritious food can improve metabolic health and delay   
   aging. But what are the appropriate quantities of dietary macronutrients   
   that can help achieve this? To answer this, researchers from Japan fed   
   isocaloric diets with varying amounts of protein to young and middle-aged   
   male mice. They found that the mice were metabolically healthier when fed   
   moderate-protein diets. These findings could provide valuable insights   
   into developing nutritional interventions and improving metabolic health   
   in people.   
      
   As the proverb "You are what you eat" goes, the type of food we consume   
   influences our health and longevity all through our lives. In fact, there   
   is a direct association between age-related nutritional requirements   
   and metabolic health. Optimal nutrition according to age can help   
   maintain metabolic health, thereby improving the health span (period   
   of life without diseases) and lifespan of an individual. Different   
   nutritional interventions involving varied calorie and protein   
   intake have been known to improve the health and lifespan of rodents   
   and primates. Furthermore, recent studies have also reported the   
   association of dietary macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats)   
   with cardio-metabolic health and aging in mice. However, the amount of   
   protein that must be consumed to maintain metabolic health is not known.   
      
   In a new study published in GeroScience on April 28, 2023, a team of   
   researchers led by Assistant Professor Yoshitaka Kondo from Waseda   
   University, Japan, investigated the amount of dietary protein needed to   
   improve metabolic health in mice approaching old age. The team, which also   
   included Dr. Takuya Chiba, Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University,   
   Dr. Akihito Ishigami, Molecular Regulation of Aging, Tokyo Metropolitan   
   Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Dr. Hitoshi Aoki, Research and   
   Development Division, Nichirei Foods Inc, and Dr. Shin-Ichiro Takahashi,   
   Department of Animal Sciences and Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate   
   School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo. They   
   recruited young (6 months old) and middle- aged (16 months old) male   
   C57BL/6NCr mice who were fed isocaloric diets with varying protein   
   content (5 to 45 %) for two months. After two months, the effect of   
   varying protein diets was assessed based on measurements of skeletal   
   muscle weight, liver and plasma lipid profiles, and self-organizing map   
   (SOM) cluster analysis of plasma amino acid profiles.   
      
   When asked about the motivation behind their study, Kondo explains,   
   "The optimal balance of macronutrients for ideal health outcomes may   
   vary across different life stages. Previous studies show the possibility   
   of minimizing age- specific mortality throughout life by changing the   
   ratio of dietary protein to carbohydrates during approach to old age   
   in mice. However, the amount of protein that should be consumed to   
   maintain metabolic health while approaching old age is still unclear."   
   The team observed that the consumption of a low-protein diet led to   
   the development of mild fatty liver, with increased levels of hepatic   
   lipids in middle-aged mice as compared to young mice. In contrast, a   
   moderate-protein diet led to reduced blood glucose concentrations and   
   lipid levels in both liver and plasma. These findings indicate that a   
   moderate-protein diet (25% and 35%) kept both young and middle-aged mice   
   metabolically healthier.   
      
   On examining the effect of varying protein diets on plasma amino acid   
   concentrations in mice of both age groups, the researchers observed   
   that the plasma concentration of individual amino acids varied with age   
   and varying dietary protein content. This was further validated using   
   SOM analysis of the plasma amino acids. Furthermore, the plasma amino   
   acid profiles revealed using SOM analysis showed the correlation between   
   different protein intake and the varying amounts of hepatic triglycerides   
   and cholesterol levels.   
      
   Discussing the impact of their study on public health, Kondo remarks,   
   "Protein requirements change through the course of life, being higher   
   in younger reproductive mice, reducing through middle age, and rising   
   again in older mice as protein efficiency declines. The same pattern   
   is likely to be observed in humans. Therefore, it could be assumed that   
   increasing daily protein intake in meals could promote metabolic health   
   of people. Moreover, ideal dietary macronutrient balance at each life   
   stage could also extend health span."  In conclusion, a balanced diet with   
   moderate amounts of protein could be the key to a long and healthy life.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Nutrition # Healthy_Aging # Diet_and_Weight_Loss #   
                   Fitness   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Mice # Genetics # Cell_Biology # Molecular_Biology   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Calorie_restricted_diet o Low-carb_diets o Dieting o   
             Soy_protein o Atkins_Diet o Mediterranean_diet o Nutrition   
             o Vitamin   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by Waseda_University. Note: Content   
   may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Yoshitaka Kondo, Hitoshi Aoki, Masato Masuda, Hiroki Nishi,   
      Yoshihiro   
         Noda, Fumihiko Hakuno, Shin-Ichiro Takahashi, Takuya Chiba, Akihito   
         Ishigami. Moderate protein intake percentage in mice for maintaining   
         metabolic health during approach to old age. GeroScience, 2023;   
         DOI: 10.1007/s11357-023-00797-3   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230531101947.htm   
      
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