Those on the lookout for reasons to eat more cheese and ways to live longer will be ecstatic as a new study has discovered that a compound found in aged cheese could slow the ageing process.
The study, conducted by Nature Medicine, explored the effects of spermidine, a naturally-occurring compound found in certain foods.
Past studies have found that the compound lengthens the lifespan of ringworms and fruit flies and this new study has found it has similar affects on mice. By supplementing the water supply of one group of mice with spermidine, researchers found that those mice lived longer and had improved cardiac health, compared with control mice that drank regular water.
The study also found a correlation in humans between a spermidine-rich diet and “reduced blood pressure and a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease”.
The compound is believed to induce multiple beneficial cellular processes, including one called ‘autophagy’, which is the destruction and recycling of unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular components.
Spermidine is a compound found in soybeans, aged cheeses, whole grains as well as … well, you know!
More studies are required to understand more about this compound and its affects, but in the meantime, cheddar off safe than sorry?
Do you eat a lot of aged cheese?
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