Polyphenols and Aging

 

The world has come a long way from the 1980's when I remember a famous medical radio talk show hots arguing that the flavonoids and polyphenols in citrus and other foods were not essential nutrients and offered no benefit. A recent article titled The Epigenetic Link between Polyphenols, Aging and Age-Related diseases points out that polyphenols mimic the effects of caloric restriction on the DNA of cells in the body. Fasting or caloric restriction is generally accepted as one of the most successful means of prolonging lifespan and reducing the incidence of degenerative diseases of aging in both humans and animals.

Polyphenols do not change genes, but they change the way genes function through a process called epigenetics (this literally means "on top of the genes)." This highly technical article suggests that polyphenols not only slow the aging process but can also be beneficial in a number of health conditions including cancer, arthritis, heart disease, nerve degeneration, diabetes, lung and kidney problems, and Alzheimer's. After discussing many polyphenols, the article concludes "These polyphenols and many others provide evidence that polyphenol-rich diets may provide benefits to an organism's health and display strong anti-aging properties as well as attenuate the effects of various diseases."NeoLife has long been a leader in polyphenol research and has many products which include flavonoids and polyphenols including Tre, Flavonoid Complex, NeoLife Tea, Aloe Drink, and Super C.

Reference:

Link to article on polyphenols and aging. Arora, I., Sharma, M., Sun, L. Y., & Tollefsbol, T. O. (2020). The Epigenetic Link between Polyphenols, Aging and Age-Related Diseases. Genes, 11(9), 1094. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11091094