Antioxidants may prevent age-related diseases in women

Researchers find that eating colorful fruits and vegetables packed with carotenoids can reduce the risk of disease for women.

Though women tend to live longer than men, they are more likely to develop autoimmune conditions, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and age-related macular degeneration.

For years, science has known that carotenoids, which are antioxidants, are good for people. But new research reviewed studies of carotenoids’ impact on women’s health and found strong correlation between their consumption and the prevention of conditions that tend to affect older women more than men: vision and cognitive loss.

But the benefits may go much further. Researchers reviewed previous studies that linked carotenoids to a variety of health benefits for women, including:

·       Slowed bone loss.

·       Slowed formation of fibril and beta amyloid deposition in the brain, which are associated with dementia.

·       Increased cellular efficiency and improved cognitive function in people of all ages, including those who already suffer from cofnitive impairment.

·       Reduced risk of ovarian and breast cancer, sarcopenia or loss of skeletal muscle, skin wrinkly, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis.

There are more than 600 different types of carotenoids, including lycopene (found in tomatoes), beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthan (all found in leafy greens and eggs). Researchers concluded that lutein and zeaxanthan may be the most useful to keep women healthy.

“The old adage that you are what you eat is literally true,” study co-author Billy Hammond of the Behavioral and Brain Sciences faculty at the University of Georgia told Medical News Today. “What you eat influences the composition of your brain and the chemicals called neurotransmitters and hormones that are involved in its function.”

He said antioxidants can help to protect the brain, which is vulnerable to oxidative stress, a condition that occurs when antioxidant levels are low, leading to a proliferation of potentially damaging free radicals. To counteract any potential damage, our brains typically incorporate lipid-soluble antioxidants from foods like eggs and leafy greens to protect the brain. The problem is that modern diets tend to contain fewer antioxidants than we need.

The study offers further evidence that we have control over our healthspan. At Methuselah Foundation, we have spent more than two decades focused on making “moonshot” science possible so that 90 will be the new 50 by 2030.

But studies have consistently demonstrated that we don’t have to wait for the big breakthrough to live longer, healthier lives. If you would like to join us in our mission of making this opportunity possible for anyone, donate to Methuselah Foundation.