Scientist Explores: Can Longevity Diets Slow Ageing?

Discovering Spelt: An Ancient Grain for Optimal Health

You may have only recently come across spelt, an ancient cousin of wheat, which resurfaced on health food shelves after centuries of obscurity. Known for its impressive nutritional profile, including being a rich source of fibre and various vitamins and minerals, spelt could become an integral part of your daily diet. But how can the regular consumption of foods like spelt impact your aging process?

As a neuroscientist, the increasing understanding of the biology of ageing, a field known as geroscience, has always intrigued me. It’s a well-known fact that certain types of food can accelerate ageing. For example, research has found that an excess of calories and saturated fat can lead to premature puberty, a sign that the body’s biological clock is ticking faster than it should. However, the right foods can also offer numerous benefits. Wanting to explore this further, I decided to experiment with two different longevity diets to assess their impact on various aspects of my health.

Low-Calorie, Nutrient-Dense Diet

The first diet I tried was inspired by a unique experiment conducted in the nineties, dubbed Biosphere 2. In this experiment, volunteers were restricted to a diet of approximately 1,800-2,000 calories a day, consisting only of organic vegetables, eggs, fish, goat’s milk, and occasional lean meat. Despite the initial struggles, the volunteers ended the experiment with improved blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, blood sugar control, cholesterol levels, and reduced inflammation.

Investigating the benefits of this low-calorie, nutrient-dense diet, I embarked on a two-month journey where I limited my calorie intake to 2,100 per day and focused on nutrient-rich foods such as spelt, nuts, seeds, lean meats, broths, and green tea. The elimination of highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and sugars from my diet resulted in remarkable improvements in my energy levels, stress management, mental sharpness, and overall health.

Ultra-high Fibre Diet

The second diet I embraced was a high-fibre one. Consuming 40-50g of fibre a day can significantly reduce rates of colorectal cancer, inflammatory diseases, and even positively impact cognition. However, the average person falls short of even the minimum recommended daily intake of 20g.

Over the course of five months, I increased my daily fibre intake to 50g by adding whole grains, legumes, and additional servings of chickpeas to my meals. As fibre is highly satiating, this transition also reduced my reliance on snacks between meals. Not only did this diet help slow the rate of ageing according to DNA tests, but it also reduced my biological age, making me younger than my chronological age.

The Future of Ageing

Geroscience continues to unearth breakthrough discoveries in the field of ageing. For instance, recent studies found that astaxanthin, a plant chemical available in dried seaweed, can activate a particular gene that enhances your body’s self-repair ability.

The most encouraging aspect of these findings is that you can improve your health at any age by making simple dietary changes. Now, I make a conscious effort to include at least 40g of fibre in my diet every day, along with an omega-3 supplement to boost muscle, immune, brain, and heart health. Although these changes have slightly increased my grocery bill, the health benefits and potential for slowing down the ageing process make it a worthy investment.

Learn more about these dietary interventions and their impact on ageing in The Age Code: The New Science of Food and How It Can Save Us by David Cox. Grab your copy at the Times Bookshop.