Epigenetic rejuvenation
How to "epigenetically" get younger by two years in two months
There is no such disease as biological aging. In fact, this is the accumulation of various disorders in the work of cells, tissues and organs, but they can already cause the development of so-called "age-related" diseases. The actual aging of a particular organism can now be assessed using an "epigenetic clock" that takes into account specific markers of the state of its DNA. But is it possible to restore health and youth by reversing these hours?
Epigenetics studies the mechanisms of changes in the work of genes that are not related to their structural rearrangements, i.e. mutations. One of the well–studied mechanisms of such supra-genomic regulation is the attachment of a methyl group (-CH3) to a specific place (site) of DNA. This makes it impossible to read genetic information – the gene is blocked. And when the methyl group is removed, the gene can become active again.
Of the 20 million methylation sites in the human genome, there are several thousand, the level of methylation of which is associated with age – on their basis, researchers create the so-called epigenetic clock. According to their "indications", it is possible to assess the risk of developing a number of non-communicable diseases, such as oncological, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
There is an idea that it is possible to rejuvenate the body by trying to slow down the epigenetic clock, i.e., the age-related "switching on" and "turning off" of genes in different tissues. Until recently, a similar effect was demonstrated in three small studies. In the subjects, taking vitamins and other biologically active substances for several months, it was possible to "lower" the biological age estimated by the DNAmAge epigenetic clock by about a year and a half.
Now researchers from the USA and Canada have made a new attempt: 43 healthy adult men aged 50 to 72 years participated in the study, who followed the proposed dietary and lifestyle recommendations for two months.
Article by Fitzgerald et al. Potential reversal of epigenetic age using a diet and lifestyle intervention: a pilot randomized clinical trial published in the journal Aging.
The diet of the subjects included animal proteins in sufficient quantities against the background of reduced carbohydrate intake; a regime of moderate intermittent fasting was used. Participants also received probiotics, vitamins and various dietary supplements (for example, curcumin and quercetin), including those affecting methylation processes. Healthy sleep was also recommended for at least 7 hours a day, at least half an hour of physical education a day, and twice a day – breathing exercises to reduce stress, which is associated with accelerated aging. At the end of the experiment, a genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation was performed using saliva samples.
The result is encouraging: according to the DNAmAge indicators, the participants of the experimental group were more than 3 years "younger" compared to the control group. And for almost 2 years – themselves at the beginning of the experiment, although these results fell a little short of reliable due to the large variability and limited sampling.
The results of this work serve as a weighty argument in favor of changing eating habits and lifestyle. At least in this way we will definitely be able to influence the "methylation profile" of our DNA associated with aging. But will we be able to reduce the risk of age-dependent diseases at the same time? Now scientists are recruiting participants for a larger study, hoping to answer this question.
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