When it comes to aging, many people's first reaction is resistance and panic, which means that there may be sagging skin, decreased body function, and memory loss......
But there are also "afraid" things about aging, and it is most afraid of you doing these things!
Health Times Chart
1. Aging is afraid of you: Eat antioxidant foods often
In January 2024, a study published in the journal Aging showed that the intake of an antioxidant diet, which delayed biological aging, reduced the phenotypic age of the highest participants by 0.52 years compared to the participants with the lowest scores. ①
Zuo Xiaoxia, director of the Nutrition Department of the Eighth Medical Center of the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, pointed out in an article in the Health Times in 2017 that vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E are known as the "iron triangle" of antioxidants, and these three vitamins must be guaranteed in order to delay aging. Animal foods are rich in vitamin A in meat, eggs and milk, fresh vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamin C, and a handful of nuts contain vitamin E. The anthocyanins in purple foods such as blueberries, grapes, mulberries, purple cabbage, carrots, and lycopene in tomatoes can play an antioxidant role. ②
2. Aging is afraid of you: eating habits are eight points full
As long as you eat "two less bites" per meal, you can slow down the aging process in adults. In 2023, a study published in Nature Aging showed that a 12% reduction in daily caloric intake can strengthen muscles and delay aging. (3) This is equivalent to reaching "eight or nine points full" in calorie intake, and you may wish to eat two less bites per meal.
3. Aging is afraid of you: Have regular and stable sleep
A 2023 study published in the journal Sleep Health said that maintaining a stable sleep routine can help slow down the biological aging process. Participants with large deviations in sleep onset time and large differences in weekday and weekend sleep were 9 months older than those with stable sleep habits. ④
Therefore, maintaining a regular and stable sleep habit and maintaining a similar time to fall asleep and wake up every day can help slow down the biological aging process.
4. Aging is afraid of you: Take time to exercise every day
A study published in the journal Nature Metabolism in 2020 found that aerobic exercise can improve the muscle repair ability of elderly mice, improve the muscle stem cell function of aged mice, and restore them to a youthful state. The muscle injury repair ability of the old inactive mice was significantly lower than that of the young inactive mice, and the muscle injury repair ability of the old mice with regular exercise was much better than that of the control group without exercise. ⑤
5. Aging is afraid of you: Have a nap habit every day
In 2023, this study, published in the journal Sleep Health, analyzed data from people aged 40~69. The study found that people who had a napping habit had a larger total brain volume, and the average difference in brain volume between those who were used to napping and those who were not napping was equivalent to an aging of 2.6 to 6.5 years. People who are accustomed to napping have more brain volume, better brain health, and a lower risk of dementia and other diseases.
For many people, napping is an essential part of life, researchers say. And as you age, this will help keep your brain healthy (6). However, it is worth noting that the nap time should not be too long, otherwise it will be counterproductive, and it is best to control the nap within 30 minutes.
6. Aging is afraid of you: always maintain a good attitude
A study published in the journal "Aging" in 2022 showed that negative emotions such as loneliness, fear, and depression have a significant accelerating effect on aging, which can make the biological age age older by nearly 20 months, which is more harmful than smoking. ⑦
The important thing in health is to nourish the heart, the mood is comfortable, the meal is fragrant, the sleep is also fragrant, people are willing to move, the spirit is good, and it looks young and healthy.
7. Aging is afraid of you: Have a daily sun protection habit
In the process of skin aging, photoaging is the most important cause of skin aging. Direct sunlight not only darkens people, but also accelerates skin moisture loss and skin aging, aggravates freckles, and may also breed wrinkles. If possible, it's best to use sunscreen all year round, and you can also use hats, parasols, sunglasses, etc. to protect yourself from the sun when you go out.
This article is synthesized from:
①He, Huiqin et al. “Composite dietary antioxidant index associated with delayed biological aging: a population-based study.” Aging vol. 16,1 (2024): 15-27. doi:10.18632/aging.205232
(2)2017-12-01Health Times "Why do you age faster than others?"
③ayanta Kumar Das, Nirad Banskota, Julián Candia, etal. Calorie restriction modulates the transcription of genes related to stress response and longevity in human muscle：The CALERIE study. Aging Cell.2023.
④Day-to-day deviations in sleep parameters and biological aging: Findings from the NHANES 2011-2014. Sleep Health.
⑤Exercise rejuvenates quiescent skeletal muscle stem cells in old mice through restoration of Cyclin D1, Nature Metabolism (2020).http://med.stanford.edu/
⑥Valentina Paz, Hassan S. Dashti, Victoria Garfield. Is there an association between daytime napping, cognitive function, and brain volume? A Mendelian randomization study in the UK Biobank. Sleep Health, 2023; DOI: 10.1016/j.sleh.2023.05.002
⑦Fedor Galkin et al, Psychological factors substantially contribute to biological aging: evidence from the aging rate in Chinese older adults, Aging (2022). DOI: 10.18632/aging.204264
Source: Health Times