How does our diet affect our healthy longevity? This is a complex dynamic system

According to a new study from the Butler Columbia Center for Aging at Columbia University's Melman School of Public Health, the answer to a relatively succinct question — how our diets affect our aging — is inherently complex
.

Dr.

Using multidimensional modeling techniques to test the effects of nutrient intake on physiological disorders in older adults, the researchers identified key patterns
of specific nutrients associated with minimal biological aging.

The researchers analyzed data from 1560 elderly men and women aged 67-84 years who randomly selected from Montreal, Laval, or Sherbrooke regions of Quebec, Canada, between November 2003 and June 2005, and examined them annually for 3 years and followed for 4 years to assess the relationship between
nutrient intake and the aging process at scale.

Ageing and age-related loss of homeostasis (physiological disorders)
are quantified through the integration of blood biomarkers.

Four main patterns are observed:

• The optimal level of nutrient intake depends on the aging indicators
  used.

  
  

• In some cases, moderate levels of nutrients perform well in many results (e.

  
  

• There is a broad tolerance for patterns of nutrient intake that do not deviate from normal standards ("homeostasis
  platforms").

  
  

• The optimal level of one nutrient often depends on the level of another nutrient (e.

  
  

The research team has also developed an interactive tool that allows users to explore how different combinations of micronutrients affect different aspects of
aging.

The results of this study are consistent with earlier experimental work in mice, suggesting that a high-protein diet may accelerate aging early in life, but is beneficial in old age
.

"These results are not experimental and need to be validated
in other cases.

The study was supported by research council Australia (ARC DECRA: DE180101520), the Canadian Institutes of Health (CIHR) 153011 and 62842 grants; and the Quebec Aging Research Network Foundation (FRQ) 2020-VICO-279753 grant
.

Journal Reference:

1. Alistair M.