Australian Scientists: Diet May Be Better Than Medication in Preventing Diabetes prevention of diabetes, stroke and heart disease than medications. The results of the preclinical study are presented in an article published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Australian experts have developed 40 different diets, which differed from each other in the ratio of macronutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates), calories and the content of drugs that provide a powerful anti-aging effect: metformin, rapamycin and resveratrol. The effects of all types of interventions on the mouse liver, which is a key organ in the regulation of metabolism, were evaluated.
The researchers found that micronutrient balance and caloric intake had the greatest effect on the liver. At the same time, the consumption of protein and a high amount of calories strongly influenced not only the metabolic pathways, but also the fundamental processes that control the functioning of cells, including the activity of mitochondria. At a high level of protein intake, oxidative stress developed, when a large number of reactive oxygen species are produced, which damage cell membranes, proteins and DNA.
Antiaging drugs softened the effects of diet, but did not significantly affect the metabolic response of the cell in response to diet … Thus, the immunosuppressant drug rapamycin and the antidiabetic metformin reduced the mitochondrial response to dietary protein, while resveratrol suppressed the effects of carbohydrate and fat intake.