Exciting research from the University of Coimbra in Portugal suggests that watching what we eat may reduce the speed at which we age.
The research sought to determine the role of Neuropeptide Y (NPY, structure below) in aging and its role in what is called autophagy in the hypothalamus. NPY is a type of protein-like compound found in the brain that has been shown to induce autophagy by binding to specific NPY receptors. Autophagy is the process by which the body removes dysfunctional cells, like a self-recycling mechanism that removes the old or broken cells and makes way for new ones. NPY is known to induce autophagy in the hypothalamus, a critical region of the brain that regulates a lot of hormone-controlled processes in the body, such as the maintenance of body temperature, hunger, and sleep. Notably, the hypothalamus is also important for processing memory.
As we age, the rate of autophagy slows down, and as a result, the body starts to deteriorate as dysfunctional cells accumulate. Thus, doing something to induce autophagy in the body is one potential way to slow the aging process. Interestingly, it has been previously researched that caloric restriction, reducing calorie intake without reaching malnutrition, stimulates increased autophagy by increasing NPY levels in the hypothalamus. A more detailed representation of autophagy can be seen below.
Image Source: Caiaimage | Dan Dalton
The researchers inserted genes into mice that would over-express the NPY gene in the hypothalamus region of the brain. The over-expressed NPY mice showed about a 70% increase in NPY activity in the hypothalamus region compared to regular mice. This increased NPY activity translated into a longer average lifespan and greater stress tolerance in mice.
The team suggests that because autophagy has been observed to decrease with age, reduced autophagy in the hypothalamus may play a significant role in the body’s deterioration, a phenomena that may be driven by reduced NPY levels. Researchers propose that caloric restriction in humans may help to slow the aging process, but that caloric restriction is not as important as NPY for regulating autophagy activity (mice who did not have NPY receptors but underwent caloric restriction showed no change in autophagy levels or life span). In either case, further studies of NPY and its role in the regulation of autophagy may provide new therapeutic targets for slowing down aging and treating neurodegenerative diseases.
Feature Image Source: THE JOY OF EATING BLACK BEANS by ROBERT HUFFSTUTTER
