New research has called into question the commonly held notion that free radicals increase the effects of aging on the body.
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Free radicals are oxygen molecules that are often blamed for the physical effects of aging on the body’s cells and DNA. As a result, nutritionists have advised consumers to increase their intake of anti-oxidant fruits and vegetables such as spinach and broccoli to reduce the numbers of harmful free radicals in their bodies. A large diet and supplements industry has also grown around the need to reduce the excess oxygen molecules.
A recent study conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and published in today’s [Thursday] issue of the journal Nature suggests that cutting down free radicals is not necessarily the key to a youthful body and increased longevity.
The scientists found that yeast cells lived up to 20% longer when they made genetic changes that speeded up their metabolism. Metabolism is the rate at which cells turn food into energy, a process that produces free radicals.
