Aging, Protein, and Amino Acids
The effects of protein on aging are ambiguous, but the effects of specific amino acids can help us make sense of this
The food matrix
As we seek to age gracefully and extend our healthy years as much as we can, we explore several routes to achieve this: pharmacology, the potential of genetic interventions, lifestyle and exercise tweaks…
And diet, of course. The link between dietary patterns and (healthy) longevity is — rightfully — a topic of research.
But it’s complicated.
Different bodies respond differently to different food. Depending on your genetics, overall health, medication, and so on, your body will process food items in a certain way. The longevity diet is personal.
That’s far from the only issue, however. Many studies look at specific food components. This vitamin or that mineral, this much protein, that percentage of fat… We rarely eat food components in isolation, though. The foods we generally eat are often a mixture of macro- (carbs, proteins, and fat) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).
This is sometimes called the food matrix idea.
