Researchers have found that dietary supplementation with marine ascidiacea (also known as ascidiacea) can reverse some of the main signs of aging in animal models Although more studies are needed to verify the effects on humans, because this study was carried out in mice, the results are very promising.
Sea squirts can be eaten raw and can be found in Korean and Japanese recipes. These small aquatic animals contain acetal phospholipids, which are crucial to human processes. They naturally exist in our bodies, especially in the heart, brain and immune cells. However, as we grow older, the number in our bodies will decrease. This loss is also a feature of various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
The researchers evaluated the effect of adding plastids to the food of elderly mice to see whether increasing the level of plastids could prevent the effects of aging. They found that these supplements had a significant effect on the learning ability and physical symptoms of mice. Studies have shown that acetal phospholipids may not only prevent the decline of cognitive ability, but also reverse the cognitive impairment of aging brain. In addition, older mice fed with acetal phospholipids developed new dark hair, which was thicker and more shiny than those without the supplement.
The effects of acetal phospholipid supplements on learning and memory were evaluated by training mice to navigate the Morris water maze, which consists of a pool of water and a platform as a resting place. Mice usually don't like swimming, so after five days of training, they will remember the position of the platform and swim directly to the platform as soon as they enter the pool. On the other hand, older mice need more time to find the platform after receiving the same amount of training.
Surprisingly, when fed acetal phospholipids, older mice behaved more like younger mice, finding the platform faster than the control group of older mice that were not supplemented. To find out why the fed mice showed improvement, the researchers carefully studied the changes that occurred in the brain. They found that the number and quality of synapses, i.e. connections between neurons, were improved in mice fed acetal phospholipid supplements compared with elderly mice not receiving supplements.