Although aging is inevitable, research shows there are healthy choices people can make — such as not smoking, being physically active, and following a healthy diet — that may allow them to age slower and in a healthier way.
When it comes to diet, previous studies show that certain foods may help slow down the aging process due to the nutrients they contain.
One example is polyphenols — naturally-occurring micronutrients known to help lower damage to the body’s cells and lower inflammation.
Polyphenols are found in a variety of foods, including berries, pomegranates, artichokes, spinach, dark chocolate, extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, green and black teas, and coffee.
“Aging and associated age-dependent development of chronic diseases are facts of life, however, there are dietary and lifestyle choices that can slow this process,” Stephen Safe, PhD, a distinguished professor and Sid Kyle Endowed Chair in Veterinary Toxicology in the Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University, explained to Medical News Today.
“For example, individuals that live in Blue Zones or drink coffee live longer and have decreased age-related health problems,” Safe told us.
Safe is the lead author of a new study published in Nutrients that helps to shed more light on how coffee may help provide aging benefits.
Researchers found that polyphenols and other compounds in coffee help activate a specific protein in the body known to help alleviate inflammation and protect against stress and chronic diseases, leading to healthier aging.
Using multiple cellular models, scientists examined how certain polyphenols and other compounds in coffee might interact with a specific protein in the body called NR4A1.
“NR4A1 was initially discovered as a gene that responds to various types of stress including oxidative and inflammatory stress,” Safe explained.
“In my [previous] review, it was clear that NR4A1 was involved in aging and mortality and levels of this gene in humans decreased [in] age. And in mice, animals with loss of NR4A1 had a shorter lifespan. It was also evident that NR4A1 protected mice from tissue/cell injury and compounds that bound NR4A1 further enhanced the protection. Therefore, we hypothesized that coffee components would bind NR4A1 and be protective.”
– Stephen Safe, PhD
At the study’s conclusion, researchers found that various compounds in coffee — including polyphenols like caffeic acid — bind to and activate NR4A1, potentially reducing cellular damage and offering disease protection.
“The significance of this finding is that now we know at least one pathway (coffee-NR4A1) that explains some of the age-protective effects of coffee that have been observed in humans, and these results further support a protective role of NR4A1 in aging,” Safe explained.
“It also suggests that NR4A1 may be a target for developing pharmaceuticals and nutriceuticals that are health protective,” he told us.
MNT had the opportunity to speak with Dung Trinh, MD, an internist for MemorialCare Medical Group and chief medical officer of the Healthy Brain Clinic in Irvine, CA, about this study.
Trinh — who was not involved in this research — commented his first reaction to these findings was one of cautious optimism.
“The study offers an intriguing biological explanation for some of the health benefits that have long been associated with coffee,” he explained.
“At the same time, it is important to put the findings in context,“ he told us. “This was primarily a laboratory study using cell models — not a clinical trial showing that drinking coffee slows aging or prevents diseases such as Alzheimer’s. I view it as an important mechanistic clue and a strong reason to continue the research, rather than proof that coffee is an anti-aging treatment.”
Trinh said while we can’t stop chronological aging, we may be able to influence how well the body ages.
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“The goal should not simply be to add years to life; it should be to add healthy, functional years,” he continued. “This is especially important as populations live longer. Delaying the onset of disability, cognitive decline, or chronic disease by even a few years could have a major impact on patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare systems.”
“Research into receptors such as NR4A1 may help scientists identify new prevention strategies, biomarkers, and therapeutic targets, although those possibilities still require rigorous human testing,” Trinh added.
For those who may not want to drink coffee, MNT asked Trinh if there were any other ways to activate the NR4A1 protein for its potential health benefits.
Trinh said that at this point, we do not have a clinically proven diet, supplement, or lifestyle prescription specifically designed to activate NR4A1 in people, and that distinction is important.
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“The compounds that appeared most active in this study were not primarily caffeine,” he detailed. “They included plant-derived polyphenols such as caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and ferulic acid. Related compounds are found in a variety of fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods, and previous laboratory research has identified substances such as resveratrol, quercetin, and kaempferol as potential NR4A1 ligands.”
“However, we do not yet know whether consuming a particular food produces enough of these compounds in human tissues to generate a meaningful NR4A1 effect,” Trinh added.
For those who do not drink coffee, Trinh said the most responsible advice remains to follow an overall healthy pattern:
“Those behaviors have much stronger human evidence behind them than attempting to target one receptor through a particular food or supplement,” he added.
