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Whether we like it or not, time marches on. Before we know it, there’s another candle on the birthday cake, we take longer to recover from aches and pains, and looking in the mirror reveals an ever-changing picture. But are there foods that can keep all this at bay? Can what we eat help turn back time?

Believe it or not, none of us is designed to grow old. Nature planned for us to die before we age, like most animals in the wild. Our primary function is to ensure the survival of the species by reproducing. We are then, biologically, redundant. This is illustrated most brutally by Pacific salmon, who toil from the ocean up river against the flow for one final night of passion and egg-laying before literally pressing the self-destruct button.

Fortunately, unlike the poor fish, we are not programmed to die immediately after fulfilling our biological obligations. We don’t have a ‘death’ gene or internal systems to finish us off. In fact, the reverse is true: we are geared towards survival at all costs. We have killed off or banished to remote wilderness areas all of our large land-based predators, found ways of preventing many formerly deadly childhood diseases, made huge gains in public health initiatives like access to clean drinking water, and secured stable and abundant food supplies (in fact, we have more than abundant supplies, as evidenced by the growing rates of obesity). Growing old is now all part of the rich tapestry of human life, serving no apparent purpose at all. But if we aren’t meant to age, why and how do we? And why do some people appear to look younger than others?

WHAT IS AGING? 

Aging is like love: it has no perfect definition, but you know when you’ve experienced it. Aside from sneaking a peek at someone’s birth certificate or passport, it is often hard to tell that person’s age. We are not trees; we don’t have a set number of rings around our girth (well, not officially, anyway). In fact, we are more like a clock shop, with many different clocks ticking away independently of each other.

Over the years, there have been several theories about how we age. It was once believed we began life with a healthy bank balance of vitality, which we continued to draw upon until the funds were running low and the cheques started to bounce, making us age. When we finally hit the red we died, as the bank of life had no overdraft facilities.

More recently, the concept of long life being inherited has gained popularity, as there are undoubtedly some populations whose members live longer than others. The Japanese top the life expectancy table, with an expected average age of 82 years: that’s 85 for women and 78 for men. Australians have the second-highest average life expectancy in the world: Australian women should expect to see their 82nd birthday, with men living an average of 77 years.

Looking further abroad, it seems that not only do French women not get fat, as a popular recent book suggests, but they also live on average slightly longer than Australian women, by a matter of a few months. The overall average life expectancy for the French is slightly lower, though, due to a comparatively poor showing by French men, who live on average to the age of 75. In the United States, on the other hand, the expected ages are 80 and 75 respectively. Choosing to be a woman and selecting parents carefully, is therefore advisable, if a little tricky.

Genetics is only part of the story, though. It’s thought that your genes probably contribute around a quarter of the factors that determine how long you live. The other 75 per cent is due to the environment in which you live and the lifestyle you choose to lead. Yes, that means long life is mainly up to us.

WHY DO WE AGE?

Aging is a life-long build-up of minor ‘faults’. We are constantly renewing our body cells on a daily basis. Amazingly, many of the dust particles in our homes and offices are cast-off skin cells. This renewal also involves DNA, our genetic code, being copied and passed on. 

Our inherent ability to maintain and repair ourselves is less than perfect, though. This wasn’t a problem when we were only expected to live half the time we do today. Small changes occur every time a cell is replaced, leading to the differences we see – and those we don’t.

The other major process attacking us on a daily basis is oxidation. While oxygen is undoubtedly essential for life, some oxygen is good, but more is not necessarily better. Excess oxygen causes us to rust like a car, or go brown like a sliced apple. Because we are now living long enough to see these changes, we must control our exposure to damage and our capacity to overcome it. Therefore, anti-aging strategies are all about damage limitation. 


SLOWING DOWN AGING

Meet the antioxidants 

The ‘rusting’ we experience from excess oxygen is due to the production of substances called free radicals, which cause damage to our cells. This damage can occur to almost any cell, so aging is not just about appearance. Now that we have almost eliminated deaths from infectious diseases in the developed world, the focus needs to switch to combating longer-term illnesses involving cell damage, many of which are caused by lifestyle. The foods we are encouraged to eat for a healthy heart and to assist in the prevention of cancer are also good for our skin and body clocks. Beauty, therefore, really isn’t skin deep. 

Nutrients capable of increasing the body’s capacity to fight the aging processes, or assist in destroying the free radicals responsible for aging, are called antioxidants. Although the body has a well-developed system of antioxidant enzymes to fight free radicals, it can become overwhelmed. Eating plenty of foods that contain antioxidants enhances our internal ‘army’, increasing our fighting capacity. 

Our most potent dietary antioxidant is vitamin E. Found in nuts, seeds, oils and some cereals, it destroys free radicals and protects DNA from damage. It also needs protection from being harmed itself, and vitamin C is its guardian. Just as squeezing vitamin C-rich lemon juice over an apple prevents it browning, the same is true for us. The main sources of this powerful antioxidant are fruits and vegetables, which also provide flavonoids, and beta-carotene, which is converted by the body into vitamin A. Smokers need more vitamin C, as their reserves are used to fight the toxins and free radicals introduced to the body by cigarette smoke.

Known appropriately as the ACE vitamins, they are often found in protective combinations and with other beneficial compounds, such as the flavonoids and other phytochemicals. These are compounds found in plants which aren’t actually classified as nutrients, because they are not essential to life, but nonetheless have beneficial effects on health. They are found in fruit and vegetables, and in soy products like tofu, miso and soy milk. Most Australians are not big tofu-eaters, but we do tend to drink a lot of tea, which is the most common source of flavonoids, along with good quality dark chocolate and red wine (in moderation).

Among minerals, selenium is the main antioxidant, promoting the production of probably the most powerful antioxidant enzyme we possess: glutathione peroxidase. You will find a good source of selenium in brazil nuts: just two a day are all you need. Other sources include fish, shellfish and red meat. (These foods also contain zinc, another mineral needed in a range of enzymes.)

 

 

This may be an area where the Japanese know something we don’t. As well as eating plenty of antioxidants in soy-based foods, vegetables and green tea, they are also the masters of portion control, and there is some evidence that this behaviour could also extend our lives. While scientists have discovered that eating less can increase the length of life, the evidence so far has only come from studying animals. As well as the external causes of free radical production, such as sunlight, everyday internal processes like metabolism cause oxidative damage. So, in theory, eating less results in a slower metabolism, causing less oxidative damage to your body.

There may also be some link with the way we process carbohydrate foods and sugars, suggesting low glycaemic index (low GI) foods are of value, but this has yet to be fully established. Restricting how much we eat can be hard to put into practice, and is hard to measure. It is easier for us to reduce oxidation by eating more foods rich in antioxidants and maximising our radical-fighting enzyme systems.

This is also vital if we are trying to improve the quality as well as the quantity of life, and prevent major chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.


IF MOTHER NATURE DOESN'T ET YOU, FATHER TIME SURLEY WILL

Queen Elizabeth II sends a telegram to any citizen of the UK, Northern Ireland and the Commonwealth who celebrates their 100th birthday, and for each birthday in the following years. In 1952, the year that the Queen came to the throne, 255 telegrams were sent out. Over the course of 2005, the number of birthday messages she sent out hit 6914, including 576 telegrams to people who were celebrating reaching the age of 105 or older. If she were also congratulating those citizens of Japan who had reached their centenary year she would be sending over 20,000 such messages. By 2050, one in five of the world’s population, including those in developing countries, is expected to be over 65 years old.

 

But while our life expectancies have increased steadily in the last century or so, our maximum lifespans (that is, the longest we can potentially live) haven’t. We can’t expect to live forever, but as we add years to life, we can also add life to those years. There seems little point looking young if we can’t enjoy it. As the saying goes, life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, screaming “Woo hoo, what a ride!”

For those who would like to be somewhere between immortal and old before their time, aim to maintain a healthy weight, and don’t overeat. Make sure your food is packed full of antioxidants, which includes those strawberries. Keep yourself active every day to make yourself feel good as well as look good. ‘Slip, slop, slap and wrap’ to avoid the sun’s harmful rays, and don’t smoke. Then sit back and enjoy that glass of champagne.









Fiona Carruthers is a British-trained dietitian with vast experience in professional practice.



Article contributed by

Healthy Food Guide
www.healthyfoodguide.com.au