From coffee to peas – the 4 ‘anti-ageing’ foods and drinks that could help keep your body young

A KEY ingredient found in peas and coffee beans could help keep your body young, scientists say.

There’s no single miracle food that can turn back the clock when it comes to ageing, but consuming drinks and snacks rich in certain natural compounds might help slow down the process and keep your body healthy and strong, researchers claim.

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An inevitable part of getting old is the gradual decline of our muscles, in a process called sarcopenia.

This age-related and involuntary loss of muscle mass and strength can make your more frail and prone to falls, even making you less independent as you age.

In a study published in the journal Nature Metabolism, scientists from the National University of Singapore and Nestlé Research in Switzerland claimed a compound called trigonelline might help stall muscle deterioration.

The study team discovered that levels of trigonelline were lower in older people with sarcopenia.

An important factor in age-related muscle wasting is the decline of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, also known as NAD⁺, which plays an essential role in chemical reactions in our cells that generate energy and keep us alive.

Another thing that happens is that the mitochondria, the energy powerhouses in our cells, produce less energy as they rely on NAD+ to function properly.

As muscle cells are packed with mitochondria to power movement, decreasing levels of NAD+ are thought drive mitochondrial dysfunction and muscle deterioration over time.

But through a series of experiments in human muscle cells, mice, and tiny worms called C. elegans, researchers discovered that trigonelline boosted NAD+ levels.

Assistant Professor Vincenzo Sorrentino, from the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme at NUS Medicine, said: “Our findings expand the current understanding of NAD⁺ metabolism with the discovery of trigonelline as a novel NAD⁺ precursor and increase the potential of establishing interventions with NAD⁺-producing vitamins for both healthy longevity and age-associated diseases applications”.

Scientists found that trigonelline treatment boosted NAD+ levels and improved markers of mitochondrial function in aged muscle cells from both humans and mice.

Feeding trigonelline to elderly mice for 12 weeks was also found to increase their grip strength and lessen muscle fatigue.

Meanwhile, C. elegans worms lived longer and had stronger muscle cells that helped them wriggle as they aged when they were given the compound.

Despite these promising results, researchers noted that sarcopenia is a complex disease so diet alone isn’t enough to completely reverse it.

Older adults will still need to make sure they’re getting enough protein, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids and exercise to stave off muscle loss, but trigonelline could be an important piece to that puzzle.

And since researchers conducted their tests on mice, worms and cells, it’s not possible to say whether humans would see the same benefits from the compound and how high of a dose they would need for that.

Further research is need to confirm whether trigonelline supplements could slow or reverse muscle ageing.

What foods contain trigonelline?

More studies are needed before you start guzzling down food and drink with trigonelline in the hopes of combating muscle loss.

But here are some foods and drinks that are rich in the compound.

According to study authors: “Trigonelline is particularly abundant in plant-derived food products, such as coffee beans and fenugreek seeds, which have been reported to modulate endogenous trigonelline levels in humans.”

Recent research linked fenugreek seeds to lower blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and weight loss.

The £1.20 superfood might also give your sex life a boost, research has shown.

Trigonelline is also present in peas and oats, according to Science Direct.