It turns out to a team of scientists from the National University of Singapore that daily consumption of grapes can improve vision in older people.
Food & Function magazine indicates that this random experiment conducted by the scientific team included 34 volunteers who were asked to eat 1.5 cups of grapes daily for 16 weeks, and the members of the control group were taking a placebo.
After the end of the experiment, the researchers discovered that the macular pigment optical density (MPOD) of the participants who ate grapes improved significantly. In addition, the level of antioxidants and phenols in plasma increased. These results are consistent with the results of previous studies that showed that eating grapes protects the structure and function of the retina.
It should be noted that grapes contain large amounts of natural antioxidants and polyphenols, which can reduce oxidative stress caused by aging.
The blood of centenarians shows key differences underlying their exceptional longevity
Centenarians are the fastest growing demographic group in the world's population, with their numbers doubling approximately every decade since the 1970s, after previously being somewhat rare.
Seeking to understand the secrets behind exceptional longevity is not easy, as it involves unraveling the complex interplay between genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors and how they interact throughout a person's life.
A recent study published in the journal GeroScience revealed some common vital indicators in people over the age of ninety.
To date, studies of centenarians have often been small-scale and focused on a select group. But the recent study, which is described as the largest study of its kind, made it possible to compare the profiles of vital signs that were measured throughout life between people who lived exceptionally long lives (those who exceeded the age of 100 years) and their peers who lived shorter lives so far.
The study included data from 44,000 Swedes who underwent health assessments at ages 64-99. These participants were followed through Swedish registration data for up to 35 years.
Of these participants, 1,224, or 2.7%, lived to be 100 years old. The vast majority (85%) of centenarians were female.
Twelve blood-based biomarkers related to inflammation, metabolism, liver and kidney function, as well as possible malnutrition and anemia were included. All of these things have been linked to aging or mortality in previous studies.
The biomarker associated with inflammation was uric acid, a waste product in the body resulting from the digestion of certain foods.
The team also looked at markers related to metabolic status and function, including total cholesterol and glucose, and those related to liver function, such as alanine aminotransferase (Alat), aspartate aminotransferase (Asat), albumin, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase (Alp). ) and lactate dehydrogenase (LD).
The team also examined creatinine, which is linked to kidney function, and iron and total iron binding capacity (TIBC), which is linked to anemia. Finally, they also studied albumin, a biomarker linked to nutrition.
The scientists found that, in general, those who reached their 100th birthday had lower levels of glucose, creatinine and uric acid from their 60s onwards.
Although mean values did not differ significantly between centenarians and noncentenarians for most biomarkers, centenarians rarely showed very high or low values.
For several biomarkers, both centenarians and noncentenarians had values outside the range considered normal in clinical guidelines. This may be because these guidelines were developed based on a younger, healthier population.
When exploring biomarkers associated with the likelihood of reaching the age of 100, the scientists found that all but two of the 12 biomarkers (instruments and albumin) showed an association with the likelihood of reaching the age of 100. This was even after taking into account age, gender and disease burden.
People in the bottom five groups for total cholesterol and iron levels had a lower chance of reaching 100 years of age than those with higher levels. Meanwhile, those with higher levels of glucose, creatinine, uric acid and markers of liver function also had a decreased chance of becoming centenarians.
The scientists also found that people in the group with the lowest levels of uric acid had a 4% chance of reaching 100 years of age while in the group with the highest levels of uric acid, only 1.5% reached the age of 100.
Even if the differences are fairly small overall, they suggest a potential link between metabolic health, nutrition, and exceptional longevity.