In a new scientific discovery, researchers from Texas A&M University in the United States have shown that reducing the amount of Folic acid In the diet can improve metabolic flexibility and delay aging. These findings from extensive animal studies open new avenues for our understanding of the complex interactions between nutrition and aging.
Folic acid, or vitamin B9, is a nutrient essential for cell growth and development. It is widely known for its role in preventing birth defects, and has a key function in the formation of red blood cells as well. DNA Folic acid is found naturally in foods such as leafy green vegetables, and is often added to refined grains. Despite its prevalence, the long-term health effects of consuming large amounts of folic acid over a lifetime are unclear.
the study
Scientists at Texas A&M University have found that reducing folic acid intake can support healthy metabolism in aging animal models. The results of the study were published in the journal Life Science Alliance It challenges the popular belief that consuming large amounts of folic acid is beneficial to overall health.
By reducing folic acid in animal models, researchers observed a decrease in processes associated with growth and new cell formation with an increase in metabolic flexibility, which may lead to healthy aging, according to Dr. Michael Polymenis.
“Optimal folate intake may vary depending on an individual’s age,” said Polymenis, a professor and vice chair of graduate programs in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, who led the study. “While increased folate intake early in life is essential for growth and development, lower intake later in life may be beneficial for metabolic health and longevity.”
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Changing needs throughout life
The researchers wanted to explore the effect of folic acid in age groups that are not typically studied, so they mimicked the effect of folic acid in older adults using animal models at an age roughly equivalent to middle age in humans. The researchers cut folic acid from the diets of the test animals in one group, and a control group was raised in the same way but continued on a typical folic acid-infused diet.
Polymenis said, according to the website, Youre Alert“When you sleep, your body burns fat. When you’re awake and active, you typically burn carbohydrates for faster energy. But as you age, it takes longer to transition between fat-burning and carbohydrate-burning states. This metabolic flexibility appears to be better preserved in animal models on a folate-restricted diet.”
Males on the diet that contained limited amounts of folic acid had an overall increase in metabolic rate during times of activity, which helped them maintain energy levels and physical activity.
The researchers found that female models limited in folate were able to switch more quickly between carbohydrate and fat metabolism between night and day than females on the typical diet.
“The folate-restricted group maintained their weight and body fat into old age, unlike the control group,” said Dr. Heidi Blank, a researcher in the Polymenis lab and the study’s first author. “Despite the importance of folate for red blood cell production, the folate-restricted models showed no signs of anemia or other negative health consequences.”
At this time, Polymenis said he does not recommend avoiding folic acid completely. “Based on our results, we think older adults may need less folic acid than they are getting now,” he said. “We still have more to investigate in this area, and we would not recommend complete elimination from anyone’s diet.”
