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Scientists recently discovered an unexpected role for a protein they associate with premature aging. They showed that it is a master regulator of cellular senescence and argue its loss leads to normal aging. Aging is an inevitable part of our lives. But an increasingly aging population poses public health challenges. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of people in the United States aged 65 years and older will reach around 71 million in the next 10 years. But what actually happens when we in Paris in France have been studying a protein called Cockayne syndrome B (CSB), which is involved in the repair of damaged DNA and premature aging. Writing in the journal Nature Communications, the team explain that the levels of this protein naturally decline as cells age, kick-starting a process known as cellular senescence. Senescence is a cellular process that limits a cell's ability to multiply. It usually happens when stress factors cause substantial damage to a cell. A senescent cell is alive but cannot divide. It has an active metabolism and secretes signalling molecules to communicate with other cells. This can be beneficial, such as during wound healing, or detrimental, in the case of chronic inflammation. People living with Cockayne syndrome have a mutated form of the CSB protein, leading to premature aging and other symptoms. Miria Ricchetti, senior study author, and her colleagues set out to investigate if CSB may have a role in driving normal aging. "We had previously shown that the absence or impairment of CSB is also responsible for dysfunction of mitochondria, the power plant of cells," she explains. "This new study reveals the very same alterations in replicative senescence, a process strictly linked to physiological aging." (Credits: www.medicalnewstoday.com)

Sugary drinks, packaged snacks, and ready-made meals all count as ultra-processed foods — that is, foods that contain a higher number of additives and last longer because of the added preservatives. New research suggests that these foods also raise the risk of type 2 diabetes. Sugary drinks, packaged snacks, and ready-made meals all count as ultra- processed foods — that is, foods that contain a higher number of additives and last longer because of the added preservatives. New research suggests that these foods also raise the risk of type 2 diabetes. Some packaged foods may be ultra-processed and raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to new research. Research has linked ultra-processed foods with conditions such as cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, as well as with a higher risk of premature mortality. These foods are prevalent in Western diets, and the Western world has also seen a surge in the incidence of diabetes in recent decades. Are ultra-processed foods and type 2 diabetes linked? And if so, how? Bernard Srour, Ph.D., of the Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center–University of Paris in France, and his team of researchers set out to answer this question. They did so by examining the dietary habits of more than 100,000 people. The results of their analysis appear in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. Furthermore, research has associated metabolites that form as a result of high-temperature cooking — such as acrylamide and acrolein metabolites — with insulin resistance. "Finally, industrial partial oil hydrogenation may lead to the creation of trans unsaturated fatty acids in products containing hydrogenated oils," mention the authors. "Although still debated, trans fats were linked to increased risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes," they note.

Nevertheless, Srour and team conclude: "Additional research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms underlying the present observations." (Credits: www.medicalnewstoday.com)