Biohacks that can activate your sirtuins
"Good stressors" can be triggered in the form of fasting, certain diets, hypothermia or exercise and activate your longevity genes. This condition is called "Hormesis" (Greek: "stimulation, impulse"), and is the hypothesis already formulated by Paracelsus that small doses of harmful or toxic substances can have a positive effect on organisms.
This state should be controlled in such a way that the target genes are activated for a short time and the entire organism is focussed on processes that maintain survival. Almost like a small workout at cellular level 😉
Activation of autophagy (cell renewal) through fasting
Fasting is so effective because we activate our body's own cell recycling system, i.e. autophagy. During autophagy, deformed proteins and faulty cell organelles are broken down and reorganised for recycling - which is why we also call it the waste disposal system of our cells.
This makes you feel fitter and healthier after such fasting intervals. But what role do the sirtuins play in this process? Sirtuins ensure that the genetic material and lifespan of our cells remain protected under extreme conditions such as "food shortages", even when we are fasting.
In fact, sirtuins are activated as soon as we consume fewer calories than our body needs. This is why we recommend intermittent fasting, e.g. 16/8 or 18/6, where nothing is eaten during the 16 or 18 hours. Except for coffee, for example, but we'll come to that at the end of the blog post.
The number of hours should only be seen as a guide, as it depends on how active your metabolism is, how many calories you ate the day before and, above all, when.
The body always follows the principle of first utilising easily accessible energy sources before switching to obtaining energy from other substances and, for example, using autophagy. When it comes to actual cell rejuvenation, it can therefore make sense to try out the 1/1 version. In other words, eat one day and fast the other. And then repeat. There is also therapeutic fasting. But we'll come to that later.
Eat foods that are rich in sirtuins!
We can also "trigger" the activity of the sirtuins in a more targeted way by eating certain foods that contain secondary plant substances, for example.
These secondary plant substances serve plants as colour, fragrance, aroma and defence substances and act as protection against UV radiation, heat, cold or predators, for example.
Tomatoes contain the plant substance lycopene (protects against the sun), grapes contain resveratrol (defence against mould cultures) and cabbage contains sulphur compounds (which in turn stop predators).
When we eat these secondary plant substances, it triggers slight "stress" in us. Our body's reaction to this type of stress is very healthy, as we activate antioxidants and thus our own defence system. It makes us "more robust" so that we can better prevent future damage.
Here you will find foods that activate sirtuins:
- Buckwheat
- Walnuts
- Parsley
- Turmeric
- Garlic
- Soya
- Green tea
- Celery
- Rocket salad
- Kale
- Capers
- Cold-pressed olive oil
- Red onions
- Kale
- Chillies
- Black coffee
- Red wine
- Dark chocolate (with a cocoa content of at least 85 per cent) or raw cocoa
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
Activate rejuvenating survival mechanisms through cold therapy
As described above, it is very good to stimulate the body from time to time to put it into "survival mode". This triggers or trains it not to remain comfortable, but to continue to function efficiently and optimally.
Cold activates the longevity gene UCP2 ("Uncoupling Protein 2"). Low temperatures change the mode of action of this gene and it can therefore produce more activate brown adipose tissue. In contrast to white fat, brown fat is rich in Mitochondria (our cellular power plants) and that's exactly what we want.
Unfortunately, with increasing age and our laziness 😉 we produce less and less of this precious brown fat. Sirtuins (SIRT3 to be precise) have an activating effect on this brown adipose tissue when exposed to cold, causing new fat to be produced.
Ways to activate SIRT3: Ice baths, cold showers, going for a run in summer clothes at low temperatures or climbing into the ice chamber.
You can find a detailed article on cold showers here.
Movement is key
According to a study, people who do at least half an hour of moderate exercise (e.g. jogging) every day are almost 10 years younger, measured by their telomere length. (Telomeres are the end caps of our chromosomes) Their length determines how often a cell can divide.
Why are telomeres longer in people who exercise regularly? The sirtuins SIRT1 and SIRT6 contribute to the lengthening of telomeres and these appear to be activated by physical exertion! The intensity plays a decisive role here, not the duration of your sporting activity.
Conclusion: Activate Sirtuine, preferably today!
To summarise, we can say that sirtuins are part of an ancient survival circuit and act as regulators that influence our longevity.
We now know that there are a total of 7 sirtuins that control genes and ensure that our cells can maintain their identity and optimal function.
Sirtuins always become particularly active when the body believes it needs to mobilise its survival forces. This happens when we are fasting, when we are exposed to environmental stress such as cold or physical strain.
You can activate your sirtuins as follows:
- skip 1 meal (e.g. through intermittent fasting!)
- Consume food containing sirtuin
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day
- Carry out cold therapies (e.g. cold showers)
