If you have an interest in the whole anti-aging/bio-hacking world, chances are that you’ve come across the word sirtuins or sirtfoods. Research has been mounting about sirtuins for the past 10 or 15 years and it’s starting to seep into the more mainstream media outlets.
I became aware of them over the past few months and thought it might be useful to anyone out there interested in anti-aging and rejuvenation, if they haven’t heard of them yet.
Truth is even if you haven’t heard of sirtfoods or sirtuins and how important they are to health and a rejuvenating lifestyle, if you’re “taking care of yourself” it’s very likely you’re already doing a lot of things right for sirtuin activation. I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of sirtfoods and sirtuins already in my diet.
So, in this post I’ll go over sirtuins and their role in the body. I’ll explain the best ways to boost sirtuin levels and how that’s vital for an anti-aging lifestyle. I’ll then explain what are sirtfoods exactly and which ones might give you the most “juice”, if you include them in your diet.
What are sirtuins?
Sirtuins are a class of proteins that were first identified during the 90s in yeast as responsible for extending lifespan. Since then seven sirtuins have been identified in mammals, including us humans – SIRT1 to SIRT7. For the most part, their exact function is still being investigated.
They seem to be key regulators in cell metabolism and energy mobilization, controlling things like gene expression, the oxidative stress response, DNA and tissue repair, and even circadian rhythms.
They regulate lipid (fat) and glucose (sugar) metabolism and they are crucial in maintaining energy homeostasis (balance). (*)
Related content: How To Get Deeper Sleep in the Simplest (Scientifically Proven) Steps!
Why exactly are sirtuins so good for you?
They’re responsible for a wide range of health benefits, from anti-inflammatory, to anti-aging, brain-protective, cardio-protective and even anti-tumor activity.
In general, when sirtuins are downregulated in the body (inhibited) there are higher chances of developing degenerative diseases typically associated with aging. Things like cancer, brain degeneration, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, obesity, Type 2 diabetes.
Basically, all the disorders associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress that are more prevalent the older one gets. (*) Sirtuins are basically crucial to the pathways that fight aging and age-related diseases. (*)
They’re regulators of the cellular stress response and make sure that DNA damage doesn’t replicate and that mutations don’t accumulate. (*) These mutations are everyday things by the way, responses to environmental stressors of all kinds, including diet and emotional stress.
Related content: 8 Amazing Cold Water Benefits to Get Excited About!
How do you activate sirtuins?
The best known sirtuin activators so far are calorie restriction (i.e., fasting or restricted eating), exercise, and consuming foods high in specific antioxidants (sirtfoods).
The oxidants so far identified as potent sirtuin activators are: resveratrol, quercetin, curcumin, fisetin, luteolin, catechins, and anthocyanidins. (*)
What are sirtfoods?
Sirtfoods are all those foods that are known to activate sirtuin expression in the body. There are no sirtuins in the foods themselves, but they possess actives and antioxidants that increase our sirtuin levels.
It’s the case for resveratrol, which is perhaps the most studied natural sirtuin activator, and can be found in red grape skin, wine, but also tomatoes and berries.
A lot of the so-called sirtfoods are rich in more than one sirtuin activating compound. Nevertheless, eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits will pretty much guarantee that you’re getting a natural sirtuin boost.
Sirtfoods and skin
Sirtuins are involved in cellular processes related to skin structure and function. This includes cellular aging, UV-induced skin damage, inflammation, and cell expression. They’re vital to a variety of cell functions, including cell cycle, DNA repair and creation. (*)
In short, all the vital processes that ensure the health, vitality, and youth of the skin are boosted by sirtfoods and other sirtuin activating processes.
Related content: How To Tighten Skin Naturally – Bio-hack It!
Food-derived sirtuins (SIRTFOODS)
The antioxidants identified so far as the strongest sirtuin activators are mostly plant polyphenols. They are (in no particular order):
Anthocyanidins
This is the most potent known activator of SIRT6 so far. Sounds very fancy, but it’s basically the universal plant pigment responsible for the colors red, purple, and blue. Very abundant in red berries. (*)
It’s linked to a reduced risk of many age-related diseases and it has a protective effect against oxidative stress. It also has anticarcinogenic properties against skin, lung and colon cancer.
Resveratrol
So far resveratrol is the strongest candidate of the sirtuin food-based activators that has been shown to mimic the powerful effect of calorie restriction. It’s a strong SIRT1 activator.
Most of the studies have been performed on simple organisms and small mammals, like mice. The results in human trials are (unsurprisingly) a bit more complex and open to interpretation.
However, so far SIRT1 is the most touted as beneficial against aging. Resveratrol specifically can be found in red wine, red grape skins, as well as in over 70 different plants and fruits, among them cocoa, hop, peanuts, pistachios, tomato, and berries (blueberry, mulberry, raspberry).
It reduces inflammation and oxidative stress. It’s effective against cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and cancer. (*)
Quercetin
Quercetin is also very well known and a powerful anti-carcinogenic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. It improves mental and physical performance and it stimulates mitochondria.
Mitochondria is a crucial part of cells and they’re responsible for about 90% of the energy cells need to survive (*), so you definitely want more of that!
Foods highest in quercetin include mainly apples, berries, grapes, red onions, broccoli, black tea, green tea, pepper, red wine, and organically-grown tomatoes (75% richer than non-organic). (*)
But they’re also found widely in cruciferous vegetables (like cabbages and broccoli), capers, shallots, as well as many seeds, nuts, and several types of raw honey. (*)
They’re present in so many vegetables that increasing your overall plant intake will boost your quercetin levels easily.
Fisetin
Fisetin is antibiotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, chemopreventive and an anticancer agent. It also seems to fight cellular senescence (aging). (*)
It’s found in many fruits and vegetables, such as strawberry (one of the richest sources), apple, persimmon, grape, onion, Kiwi, Kale, and cucumber. (*)
Curcumin
It’s the main active in turmeric. As if you need other good reasons to consume turmeric. It’s also antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic, helping the body not only to kill cancer cells, but also to get better at recognizing them quickly (before they become a problem).
Curcumin is responsible for the yellow color of turmeric and it’s also found in curry powder. (*)
Luteolin
Luteolin is neuroprotective against age-related brain degenerative disorders. (*) It’s also an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and it has an anti-cancer action. (*)
It can be found in foods like celery, spinach, broccoli, pepper, and thyme. (*)
Catechins
Powerful antioxidants in the prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases, like brain degenerative disease, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.
The main sources of catechins are green tea, wine and cocoa-based products (at least 75% cocoa). (*)
Catechins are the major active in green tea and they’ve been demonstrated to activate SIRTs, protecting cells against oxidative stress and DNA damage. (*)
Sirtfoods with the highest all-round concentration of sirtuin activators
The top 20 Sirtfoods
According to the Sirtfood Diet, the top 20 Sirtfoods are:
They also have a list of 40 additional sirtfoods you could add to your diet, just for variety if you’re interested.
Food-derived sirtuins, or sirtfoods, are for the most part fairly easy to incorporate into most diets, whatever they might be. Since they’re pretty much plant-based antioxidants (and many are already known as immune and health-boosters), it can be as simple as getting a good variety of fruits and vegetables.
Not only that, some of the sirtfoods are a downright yummy addition. A perfect excuse for a more regular treat of (healthy) chocolate cake, or less of a reason to feel guilty about that glass of red wine 😉
Either way, I’m sure almost anyone can find a handful of sirtfoods they could happily add to their routine!
