Secrets of Aging… Can be Found in Science?

It seems like science really has all the answers: A recent scientific study has revealed two keys for successful aging: eating food high in antioxidants and doing regular exercise.

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University and their collaborators at Kyoto University have discovered that metabolites can reveal how the body ages.

Metabolites are any substances produced during metabolism, or digestion and other bodily chemical processes.

"Longevity is a great mystery for us," said lead author Prof. Mitsuhiro Yanagida in a statement. "We want to find how elderly people can live a happy final stage of life. This is the way we can contribute to human health."

According to the study published in Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, 30 healthy males and females volunteered to participate in the research; one half is composed of young adults, while the other half belongs to the more elderly.

Blood samples were taken from all the participants.

To identify the metabolites within the blood, the team used Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), a technique that separates liquids and detects substances.

The standard deviation metabolite abundance divided by the average was then calculated to identify the compounds that had increased and decreased in older adults.

The researchers discovered 14 age-related compounds. Out of this, half had decreased in older adults. The decrease was found in antioxidants and in compounds related to muscle strength.

While the other half that increased were metabolites related to declining kidney and liver functions.

"This makes sense," Yanagida said. "Common sense tells you that as we get older we lose abilities like muscle strength and kidney function, but no one has ever scientifically proved that this is the case before."

This research shows that people, particularly those who are aging, need to eat more food rich in antioxidants and continue to do regular exercise.

With this study, the evidence somewhat becomes stronger that the so-called "Okinwan diet" can really provide longevity.

According to The Guardian, the Okinawan diet consists mostly of fish, whole grains, vegetables, soy products, tofu and konbu seaweed.

Fish, soy products and whole grains, according to Web MD, are all great sources of antioxidants.