facebook twitter LinkedIn
News
Researchers have discovered a gene mutation which they believe could lead to..
Obesity gene discovered by mice study
Researchers have discovered a gene mutation which they believe could lead to....
Find out more..
bottom
Wellbeing Resource Centre
Wellbeing Resource Centre
Your complete free access health portal...
Click here..
bottom
YourDoc Shop
YourDoc Shop
The YourDoc Medical shop is where you can purchase all our products and our Wellbeing Partners' products and services. ..
Click here..
bottom
Charity
Charity
blue berries and pear

Anti-ageing super foods

Whilst there are many variables involved in how long you live, staying active and eating a nutrient-packed diet may help protect you against age-related diseases. By feasting on foods that pack the most potent disease-fighting, anti-ageing punch you can help boost your body’s natural defence systems against conditions such as cancer, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, arthritis and diseases of the eye.

Sound good? Start now by including more of these 5 super nutritious and wholesome foods in your diet:

Olive Oil

  • Olive oil is the favourite anti-aging ingredient of the Mediterranean diet - and for good reason. Four decades ago researchers from the Seven Countries Study first concluded that the monosaturated fats found in olive oil (most notably oleic acid) were largely responsible for the low rates of heart disease and cancer on the Greek island of Crete1.
  • Monosaturated fats can also help reduce the levels of harmful LDL cholesterol in the blood and increase HDL (or 'good') cholesterol and contain an anti-inflammatory compound which may prevent or relieve arthritis2.
  • Why not try extra virgin olive oil as a salad dressing (mixed with balsamic vinegar for taste) and virgin olive oil for cooking.

Fish

  • Oily fish (including salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring) are a much richer source of anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids than white fish. For this reason the consumption of oily fish can be beneficial for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and arthritis3. 
  • The fatty acids found in abundance in oily fish also appear to slow or even halt the progress of both early and late stage eye disease4 and lower the risk of dementia5. 
  • To get the most benefit you should aim to eat two portions of oily fish per week and avoid swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish, which have higher levels of mercury.

Broccoli

  • Don’t turn your nose up to this vegetable. Broccoli is low in calories, high in fibre and iron and contains a potent anti-cancer compound called sulforaphane6, making it the king of vegetables. 
  • Why not try it steamed in pasta; steaming for 3–4 minutes is the recommended cooking method to maximize broccoli's anti-cancer properties7.
  • Don’t like broccoli? Try other cruciferous vegetables- such as cabbage and Brussels sprouts- which offer similar benefits.

Avocado

  • Nutritionally, avocados are almost a complete meal in themselves containing high levels of many vitamins and minerals (including vitamins E, C, K, B vitamins and potassium) plus high levels of monosaturated fat which enhances absorption of fat-soluble phytonutrients.
  • Avocado intake has been associated with a reduction in cholesterol levels8 and is under preliminary research for potential anti-cancer activity9. Try mashed on toast or chopped in a salad with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese.

Blueberries

  • The compounds found in blueberries (including flavonoids such as anthocyanins which give the berries their deep blue colour) have the potential ability to limit the development and severity of certain cancers and vascular diseases including atherosclerosis (build up of plaques within the arteries), stroke and neurodegenerative diseases of aging10-13. They are likely to work by alleviating the inflammation and oxidative damage associated with age-related problems in memory and motor function.
  • Sprinkle them on porridge or cereal for a power breakfast or blend frozen blueberries in a smoothie.

Not only are these foods healthy, they're also delicious. So here’s to good, wholesome, natural foods and living a long, healthy life!

About the author

Sarah West Bsc. (mBANT) is a freelance nutritionist with a degree in Nutritional Therapy from Westminster University.

References

  1. Keys, A., Menotti, A., Karvonen, MJ et al., (1986). The diet and 15 year death rate in the seven counties study.  Am. J. Epidemiol. 124 (6): 903–15. Retrieved from: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/124/6/903.long
  2. Covas, MI., (2007). Olive oil and the cardiovascular system. Pharmacol. Res. 55 (3): 175–86. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661807000333
  3. Arita, M., Bianchini, F., Aliberti, J., Sher, A., Chiang, N., Hong, S., Yang, R., Petasis, NA., Serhan, CN., (2005). Stereochemical assignment, anti inflammatory properties and receptor for the omega 3 lipid mediatorresolvin E1. Journal of Experimental Medicine.  201 (5): 713–22. Retrieved from: Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2212834/?tool=pmcentrez
  4. Leaf, A.., Kang, JX., Xiao, Y., Billman, G., (2003). Clinical prevention of sudden cardiac death by n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and mechanism of prevention of arrhythmias by n-3 fish oils.  Circulation 107 (21): 2646–52. Retrieved from: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/107/21/2646.full
  5. Barberger-Gateau, P., Letenneur, L., Deschamps, V., Pérès, K., Dartigues, JF., Renaud, S., (2002). Fish, meat and risk of dementia: cohort study. British Medical Journal.  325 (7370): 932–3. Retrieved from: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/325/7370/932
  6. Zhang, Y., Talalay, P., Cho, CG., Posner, GH., (1992). A major inducer of anticarcinogenic protective enzymes from broccoli: isolation and elucidation of structure. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89 (6): 2399–2403. Retrieved from: http://www.pnas.org/content/89/6/2399.long
  7. University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign / Agricultural, Consumer And Environmental Sciences (2005). Maximizing The Anti-Cancer Power Of Broccoli. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2005/03/050326114810.htm
  8. Lopez, L R., Frati, M., Hernandez, D., Montalvo, C., Hernandez, L., Moran, L (1996)., Monsaturated fatty acid (avocado) rich diet for mild hyperchol,esterolemia. Arch-Med-Res. 27 (4): 519–23.
  9. D'Ambrosio, S., Han, C., Pan, L., Kinghorn, AD., Ding, H. (2011). Aliphatic acetogenin constituents of avocado fruits inhibit human oral cancer cell proliferation by targeting the EGFR/RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK1/2 pathway. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2011 Jun 10;409(3):465-9. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006291X11007807
  10.  Srivastava, A., Akoh, CC., Fischer, J., Krewer, G., (2007). Effect of anthocyanin fractions from selected cultivars of Georgia-grown blueberries on apoptosis and phase II enzymes. J Agric Food Chem. 55 (8): 3180–5. Retrieved from: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf062915o
  11. Schmidt, BM., Erdman, JW., Lila, MA., (2006). Differential effects of blueberry proanthocyanidins on androgen sensitive and insensitive human prostate cancer cell lines. Cancer Lett. 231 (2): 240–6. Retrieved from: http://www.cancerletters.info/article/S0304-3835%2805%2900099-6/abstract
  12. Yi, W., Fischer, J., Krewer, G., Akoh, CC., (2005). Phenolic compounds from blueberries can inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. J Agric Food Chem. 53 (18): 7320–9. Retrieved from: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf051333o
  13. Russell, WR., Labat, A., Scobbie, L., Duncan, SH., (2007). Availability of blueberry phenolics for microbial metabolism in the colon and the potential inflammatory implications". Mol Nutr Food Res. 51 (6): 726–31. Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mnfr.200700022/abstract

 

Copyright 2011 YourDoc Medical Ltd. All rights reserved.