Сибирский федеральный университет

Sirtuins are a broad family of proteins involved in fat cell formation and glucose metabolism. The SIRT1 protein, a member of the sirtuin family, is involved in many intracellular processes, including those underlying aging. The maximum amount of sirtuin is produced during stress, for example, when the calorie intake of the daily diet becomes limited. Simply put, the fewer calories are consumed, the higher the longevity protein level will be. It is known that starvation starts the processes of cells repair and increases their service life. It would seem that a solution has been found: one should be malnourished from time to time in the name of health and long life, but this method is definitely not optimal.

“There is no doubt about the direct relationship between SIRT1 production and longevity, but stimulating the production of this protein through fasting is not an option. There are people with severe chronic diseases, pregnant women, and children whose body must receive a certain amount of calories for healthy development. Fasting is strictly contraindicated for them, and sirtuin is necessary. Our challenge was to find a product that would help produce enough of this protein without severe dietary restrictions. This product is buckwheat (or flour) well known to Russians, and widely represented in the national cuisines of Russia, China, Japan, Korea and even India, which is the historical homeland of this plant,” said Valentina Kratasyuk, head of the Department of Biophysics, SibFU.

Shubhra Pande, associate professor of SibFU, researcher at the laboratory of bioluminescent biotechnologies, and the initiator of the study, considers buckwheat an excellent object of research. This product is rich in plant protein and amino acids, which, in turn, the human body uses to produce its own proteins. Add to this a large amount of B vitamins, which contribute to the health of the nervous, circulatory and immune systems, as well as a significant amount of fiber, which is responsible for the feeling of satiety, and it turns out that buckwheat is a real superfood available to Siberians all year round.

“We were the first in the world to study buckwheat in connection with the expression of SIRT1 in the body. It is loved by nutritionists for its high nutritional quality, and it is easy to buy. There are works devoted to the antioxidant resveratrol, which it is found in grapes and is also considered useful for prolonging cell life. But grapes and products made from it, firstly, are not readily available in many regions of the world (particularly in Siberia), and secondly, this berry is very high in calories and does not differ in dietary properties. It's hard to imagine how many grapes one will have to eat to trigger cellular repair mechanisms,” noted Shubhra Pande.

The experiment showed that rats which ate food enriched with ground buckwheat kernels showed optimal weight gain. Also a 30-fold increased level of SIRT1 was found in the body of these animals, which confirmed the hypothesis of the researchers.

“We observed high levels of SIRT1 expression in the experimental animals whose diet was limited in calories. Such a stress factor associated with malnutrition increases the stability of the DNA, starts the processes of cell repair, thereby increasing its life expectancy. However, calorie restriction led to a decrease in the total amount of protein in the blood by 19 %, in the stomach by 95 %, and in the liver and kidneys by 35.2 % and 27 % respectively. Something similar can be observed in people who go on strict diets, avoiding physical activity: their muscle tissue and the entire body as a whole suffers from a lack of the main building material — protein. In a group of rats whose diet included buckwheat, we found moderate expression of the longevity protein SIRT1. The expression wasn't too low or dangerously high. This is the golden mean that positively affects the health of the body,” added Maria Ryazanova, co-author of the study, master's student at the School of Fundamental Biology and Biotechnology, SibFU.

The researchers also gave some recommendations on the use of buckwheat. Shubhra Pande believes that this delicious and healthy cereal should be eaten in large quantities, added to salads, side dishes, soups or consumed as traditional porridges. The main thing is not to overdo it, so as not to acquire an aversion to the product. However, unlike fasting, eating buckwheat even in large quantities will not cause excessive production of SIRT1, which means that it will not cause dangerous oxidative stress for the body — a side effect of overproduction of sirtuin.

In addition to the researchers from Siberian Federal University, the research team included employees of Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, the Research Institute for Medical Problems in the North and the Institute of Biophysics, and the Institute of Biophysics of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences.