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. 2022 Jan 27;14(3):554.
doi: 10.3390/nu14030554.

The Effect of Nutrition on Aging-A Systematic Review Focusing on Aging-Related Biomarkers

Catarina Leitão  1 , Anna Mignano  1 , Marta Estrela  1 , Margarida Fardilha  1 , Adolfo Figueiras  2   3 , Fátima Roque  4   5 , Maria Teresa Herdeiro  1
Affiliations

The Effect of Nutrition on Aging-A Systematic Review Focusing on Aging-Related Biomarkers

Catarina Leitão et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Despite the increasing life expectancy, an individual's later years tends to be accompanied by a decrease in the quality of life. Though biological changes that occur through the natural process of aging cannot be controlled, the risk factors associated with lifestyle can. Thus, the main goal of this systematic review was to evaluate how nutrition can modulate aging. For this purpose, thirty-six studies were selected on (i) the efficiency of nutrition's effect on aging, (ii) the evaluation of biomarkers that promote healthy aging, and (iii) how to increase longevity through nutrition, and their quality was assessed. The results showed that choosing low carbohydrate diets or diets rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, cereals, fish, and unsaturated fats, containing antioxidants, potassium, and omega-3 decreased cardiovascular diseases and obesity risk, protected the brain from aging, reduced the risk of telomere shortening, and promoted an overall healthier life. With this study, the conclusion is that since the biological processes of aging cannot be controlled, changing one's nutritional patterns is crucial to prevent the emergence and development of diseases, boost longevity, and, mostly, to enhance one's quality of life and promote healthy aging.

Keywords: biomarkers; cardiovascular disease risk; healthy aging; nutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Application of search strategies to retrieve the total number of studies for analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Influence of diets in cardiovascular diseases hallmarks and inflammation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Influence of different diets in brain aging (up) and in aging-related disease/hallmarks (down).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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