Want to live a long and healthy life? Enter mTOR. The mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) pathway is a cellular signaling pathway that regulates growth, metabolism, and protein synthesis in response to nutrients, energy, and stress. Overactivation of mTOR is linked to aging and age-related diseases because it suppresses autophagy (cellular cleanup), leading to the accumulation of damaged cells and proteins.
Inhibiting the mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) pathway through diet and lifestyle is a strategy often associated with longevity and reduced risk of diseases like cancer and diabetes. Though there are many ways to inhibit the mTOR pathway, diet modification is the simplest way to do it. Below are four tips that will lead to a healthier and longer life. If you follow a whole-food, plant-based diet, you are already implementing them.
1. Don’t Eat So Much
Reducing calorie intake without malnutrition lowers mTOR activity by decreasing nutrient and energy availability. This can enhance autophagy and promote longevity. A whole-food plant-based diet is naturally calorically sparse because fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes have two powerful components working for them: fiber and water. These two components lead to satiety at a reduced caloric consumption.
2. Spend Less Time Eating
Practices like time-restricted eating or alternate-day fasting inhibit mTOR during fasting periods by limiting amino acid and glucose levels. This encourages cellular repair processes. To put this into practice on a simple level, stop eating by 7 PM and time breakfast for 8 AM. Having a window of 12+ hours gives your body ample time to take advantage of some of the benefits of time-restricted eating without the feeling of deprivation one often feels when fasting.
3. Eliminate Animal Proteins
Animal proteins, especially those high in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), activate mTOR. Shifting toward plant-based diets or moderating protein intake can mitigate this activation. Because a whole-food plant-based diet doesn’t include meat or animal products, protein intake declines to the level that is not cancer-promoting. Also, there is ample evidence that protein coming from plant foods (all foods have protein) is healthier than animal sources because animal sources have high levels of saturated fats, toxins, digestive byproducts that destroy your gut flora, and high levels of BCAAs like leucine, which is an mTOR activator.
4. Increase Dietary Polyphenols
Polyphenols in foods like green tea, turmeric, and berries suppress mTOR signaling and reduce inflammation. Polyphenols are natural compounds found in plants that act as antioxidants, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, which helps protect against chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
5. Exercise
Physical activity, particularly aerobic exercise, can regulate mTOR signaling. While resistance training temporarily activates mTOR for muscle building, overall exercise contributes to metabolic balance and cellular health.
Though the ketogenic diet is cited as a good way to downregulate mTOR, it comes with too many risks. Severe nutrient deficiencies, increased heart disease risk, kidney strain, digestive issues, poor bone health, and muscle wasting are some of the risks that would seem to counter the argument for the health component in a long life.
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