Introduction
A new study has found that consuming too much of a certain mineral may shorten your life. The mineral in question is selenium, which is found in many foods, including nuts, grains, and seafood. The study, which was conducted by researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, found that people who had higher levels of selenium in their blood had a higher risk of death from any cause. The findings suggest that consuming too much selenium may be detrimental to health, and that people should be aware of their selenium intake.
Too Much of This Mineral May Shorten Your Life, Study Finds
A new study has found that consuming too much of a certain mineral may shorten your life. The mineral in question is sodium, which is found in many processed and restaurant foods.
The study, which was published in the journal Circulation, looked at the dietary habits of over 95,000 people from the United States, China, and Japan. The researchers found that those who consumed more than 3,000 milligrams of sodium per day had a 27% higher risk of death from any cause than those who consumed less than 1,500 milligrams per day.
The researchers also found that those who consumed more than 3,000 milligrams of sodium per day had a 24% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease than those who consumed less than 1,500 milligrams per day.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Fang Fang Zhang, said that the findings suggest that reducing sodium intake could help people live longer and healthier lives. She added that the findings should be taken into consideration when setting dietary guidelines.
“Our findings suggest that reducing sodium intake to less than 2,000 milligrams per day could help reduce the risk of death from any cause and from cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Zhang said. “These findings should be taken into consideration when setting dietary guidelines.”
The World Health Organization recommends that adults consume no more than 2,000 milligrams of sodium per day. However, many people consume much more than this, with the average American consuming over 3,400 milligrams per day.
The researchers noted that their study was observational and did not prove that sodium intake directly causes an increased risk of death. However, they said that their findings should be taken into consideration when setting dietary guidelines.
A current examine unveils a possible new connection between iron ranges and longevity.
The examine, which appeared within the journal Nature Communications, pooled information from three massive human genetic research, “reaching an unprecedented pattern of greater than 1,000,000 individuals,” the lead examine creator and information analyst Paul Timmers, from the College of Edinburgh within the UK, tells Eat This, Not That!
“Utilizing genetics, we discovered a number of traces of proof indicating poor management of blood iron ranges is causally linked to a shorter lifespan and fewer years lived in good well being.” (Associated: The One Vitamin Medical doctors Are Urging Everybody to Take Proper Now.)
What did the examine reveal?
After inspecting the DNA of people who lived lengthy and wholesome lives versus those that skilled age-related illnesses and even demise early in life, the researchers had been in a position to pinpoint 10 areas of the genome that had been associated to a few key measures of growing old: lifespan, years lived freed from illness (healthspan), and dwelling to previous age (longevity). Two such areas, LDLR and FOXO3, had been explicitly discovered to affect the expression of genes that assist the physique metabolize iron, which is what led the researchers to hypothesize that iron ranges may play a job in growing old.
Senior examine creator Joris Deelen, PhD, who research the biology of growing old on the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Germany explains that “genetic variation in these areas appears to be an important for wholesome iron metabolism. Genes influenced by genetic variation within the different eight areas are usually not straight linked to iron metabolism.”
So, how may your iron ranges impression your lifespan?
Basically, these with excessive iron ranges could have an elevated threat of dying youthful.
“It’s well-known {that a} deficit in iron could cause poor well being, however we confirmed, for the primary time, that for most individuals a small discount in blood iron—from their present ranges—is probably going useful to their well being,” says Deelen. “Iron metabolism and wholesome growing old weren’t linked earlier than.”
The researchers found that genetic predisposition to larger iron ranges is what’s related to a decreased lifespan, which is basically out of your management.
“We discovered that DNA variations, which elevate your iron ranges within the blood (from start), additionally improve your probability of getting age-related illnesses and dying,” says Timmers.
So, this does not imply it’s best to by no means eat pink meat or take away different iron-rich meals out of your eating regimen altogether, nonetheless, it could encourage you to develop into extra aware of what your iron ranges are.
“Folks are likely to lose their skill to control iron ranges as they become old, so recurrently checking your iron ranges might be vital to take care of optimum well being into previous age,” says Timmers.
In fact, additional analysis is required as a result of it is not clear on what can be thought of an optimum iron stage within the blood. The truth is, it may range from individual to individual.
“Additional medical research are wanted to find out the exact mechanisms by which iron metabolism is linked to wholesome growing old,” Deelen provides.
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