Blog
Do these 4 Foods Accelerate Aging?
April 16, 2013

Before I write this piece, I’d like to welcome the new subscribers to my blog.  Thank You for subscribing.  If you have any suggestions for health topics, questions on nutrition, or comments on the posts, please feel free to write.

A friend of mine sent me an email about an article published by a US writer about how 4 foods accelerate aging.  The 4 foods named in this article are wheat, corn, sugar and vegetable oils (like soybean, canola, etc).  How factual is this information?

Wheat and corn do not accelerate aging, for sure.  On the contrary, they provide us with nutrients that are essential for good health.  Although gluten-free foods are becoming a rage in the West, the only persons who need to avoid wheat are those who are allergic or intolerant to wheat and its products.  Perhaps gluten can be a topic for another discussion!

Sugar and oils accelerate aging only if taken in large quantities and / or replace healthy foods.  Sugar consumption has gone up in urban India by large amounts.  Sugar robs the body of some important nutrients which can be replaced only by eating healthy foods.  In that sense, sugar can be a villain.  Also, extra oil intake (especially the high PUFA ones) can tilt the fatty acid balance in the body and accelerate free radical damage.  In that sense, some of the vegetable oils can be seen as villains.

The bottom line is reduce sugar and fat consumption, and there’s no need to avoid wheat and corn if you are not allergic to them.