Longevity Research Roundup: BCAAs, Ultra Processed Foods, and Skin Cancer
3 Interesting studies for this week
This “Longevity Research Roundup” is a new feature for paid subscribers of Longevity Lifehacks. Each week (or two), I will bring you a quick summary of new research studies that I think are important — and actionable — in the fields of longevity, lifespan, or healthspan.
1) BCAA, Cellular Senescence, and Aging
This study is a departure from the idea that more is better when it comes to protein. Instead, a more nuanced picture emerges showing that not all amino acids are used by the body in the same way.
Amino acids make up protein, and the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs; leucine, isoleucine, valine) have specific effects on metabolism and cellular senescence. You may be familiar with BCAAs from protein shakes. Milk, eggs, chicken, and soybeans are very high in BCAAs.
This new study looked at how the level of BCAAs in the diet affects both metabolic health and cellular senescence, which is a key hallmark of aging.
The study involved mice that were fed low, normal, or high protein diets, and then, for half the mice on a normal or high-protein diet, the BCAA content was kept low. Essentially, they were looking at overall protein in the diet and then seeing if just adjusting the BCAA level made a difference for metabolic health or cellular senescence.
The results showed that reducing the BCAA level helped with overall metabolic health — less weight gain, better insulin sensitivity.
(That wasn’t all that surprising to me. I’ve written about the genetic interactions involving BCAA and insulin resistance .)
What was surprising to me is that BCAA restriction (while keeping the rest of the amino acids high) in aged mice reduced cellular senescence and inflammation in the liver. However, it seemed to be tissue-specific, with fat tissue not benefiting, and sex-specific, with male mice benefiting more.
