Most have probably heard at one time or another that broccoli has benefits. Some may not like the taste of broccoli, but the idea of eating greens to stay healthy is hardly a new concept. New research has now provided another reason to think about including broccoli in your diet.
In a new paper, which was published in Cell Metabolism on October 27, researchers found that supplementing older mice with a compound known as nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), which is found in broccoli, may help to slow down the aging process. According to the study, the older mice who received NMN supplementation experienced a number of benefits, such as improved vision, better liver function, higher energy levels, stronger bone density and reduced weight.
In addition to broccoli, NMN can also be found in cucumbers, avocados, cabbage and edamame, according to the study. Though the study was conducted with mice, Dr. Shin-ichiro Imai of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that the research may also translate to possible benefits in humans.
“This means older mice have metabolism and energy levels resembling that of younger mice. Since human cells rely on this same energy production process, we are hopeful this will translate into a method to help people remain healthier as they age.”
As can be read in the studies’ summery, a big part of human health rests on the body’s ability to “manufacture and use energy.” As people age, cells have a lessened ability to produce energy, for reasons still unknown. Apparently, NMN may work as something of an elixir, with the authors of the study saying that it appears to help compensate for the “loss of energy production.”
It is further explained that with age, the body loses its ability to make NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). In the past, it has been discovered that NAD is ineffective when given to mice directly. Giving the mice NMN dissolved in drinking water proved to be an effective, indirect method of solving this problem. It is explained that the NAD appeared in the bloodstream in a matter of minutes and was ultimately converted to NAD.
“We wanted to make sure that when we give NMN through drinking water, it actually goes into the blood circulation and into tissues,” Imai said in the paper. “Our data show that NMN absorption happens very rapidly.”
The researchers studied three different groups of male mice: those who were given high-doses of NMN-supplemented water, those who received a lower dose, and the final category was a control group, which did not receive any NMN. The research began when the mice were five months old and went on for a full year.
It is also explained that when given to younger mice, the benefits were not as noticeable. Dr. Jun Yoshino, who also contributed to the study, explained that the younger mice do not become “healthier young mice,” largely because their supply of the compound is still plentiful.
“NMN supplementation has no effect in the young mice because they are still making plenty of their own NMN. We suspect that the increase in inflammation that happens with aging reduces the body’s ability to make NMN and, by extension, NAD.”
The next question that many are now wondering is the issue of whether or not NMN could lead to a longer lifespan. While that may be the hypothesis, the answer will have to wait.
“Those NMN [fed] mice definitely have longer health-span – entire lifespan, we’re not sure, but if this keeps working in this way they could have a longer lifespan as well,” said Imai in an article written by Ian Johnston on The Independent.
There was, however, a question that was raised about whether or not NMN supplementation could correlate to higher risks of cancer. In the groups of mice that have been studied so far, though, there did not appear to be a difference.
“Some tumor cells are known to have a higher capability to synthesize NAD, so we were concerned that giving NMN might increase cancer incidence,” Imai said in the study. “But we have not seen any differences in cancer rates between the groups.”
More research is still clearly needed at this point, but “phase 1” of a clinical trial to study the safety and effects of NMN in humans is reportedly underway in Japan. The paper points out that “high grade NMN for human consumption” is not available commercially at this point, but there is broccoli for now.
Finding a way to stay young, find the fountain of youth and live a long life is something that many have hoped to find the answers to. If broccoli has benefits that can help people achieve these goals, it obviously wouldn’t be surprising to see the popularity of the vegetable increase — along with cucumbers and avocados for that matter.
[Featured Image by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images]
Does Broccoli Have Anti-Aging Powers? NMN Compound Found In Vegetable Benefits Older Mice, Study Shows is an article from: The Inquisitr News
