Your body has a built-in repair system working around the clock. Stem cells help replenish cells that are damaged or lost during everyday life, contributing to the maintenance of tissues throughout your body. But as you get older, these hardworking cells don't always function as efficiently as they once did—and certain lifestyle habits can make matters worse. The encouraging news is that research suggests some surprisingly simple changes to your diet and daily routine can help create a healthier environment for your stem cells. Here are five easy ways to support your body's natural repair system for healthier aging.
Key Takeaways
- Your lifestyle can influence stem cell function. High blood sugar, inactivity, and other metabolic stresses may interfere with the ability of certain stem cells to function normally.
- Exercise and omega-3s may support healthier stem cells. Research suggests physical activity can stimulate stem-cell activity, while omega-3 fatty acids may encourage certain stem cells to develop into bone and muscle cells rather than fat cells.
- Small changes can support your body’s natural repair system. Cutting back on sugar, staying active, eating nutrient-rich foods, getting enough omega-3s, and supporting cellular health may help create a healthier environment for your stem cells as you age.
1. Cut Back on Sugar
If you want to support healthy stem cell function, one of the best places to start may be your sugar bowl.
Chronically elevated blood sugar doesn't just affect your waistline. Research suggests it can actually change the behavior of certain stem cells.
Researchers at the University of Oxford found that high blood glucose can cause lasting epigenetic changes in bone marrow stem cells that produce immune cells. Those altered stem cells can generate immune cells with a more inflammatory profile, potentially contributing to chronic inflammation and cardiovascular disease.
High blood sugar may affect other types of stem cells, too.
Japanese researchers found that high-glucose conditions impaired the function of stem cells involved in regenerating periodontal tissue and increased oxidative stress. Another study found that high glucose encouraged fat-derived stem cells to develop into fat cells rather than bone-forming cells.
Easy ways to start: Cut back on sugary drinks, candy, pastries and heavily sweetened processed foods, and choose more whole foods that don't send your blood sugar soaring.
2. Get Your Body Moving
Here's another reason to get off the couch: Your stem cells respond to movement.
Some stem cells are "mechanosensitive," meaning they respond to physical forces and mechanical stimulation. Research reviewed in the original article suggests regular exercise, paired with sufficient recovery, can help support stem-cell activity involved in maintaining muscle and bone. Inactivity, on the other hand, may encourage these cells toward fat formation instead.
Research has also explored how exercise affects stem and progenitor cells involved in the cardiovascular system. The original article cites research reporting that exercise training increased cardiac stem-cell activation and growth in experimental models.
You don't have to become an athlete to make movement part of your healthy-aging routine. Walking, resistance training, cycling, swimming and other activities you enjoy can all help you stay consistently active.
The key is consistency: Move regularly, challenge your muscles, and give your body enough time to recover.
3. Eat More Omega-3 Fats
What you put on your plate can also influence the environment in which your stem cells operate.
Omega-3 fatty acids are already well known for their cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory benefits. But research cited in the original article suggests they may also influence how certain stem cells develop.
Scientists at Sweden's Karolinska Institute studied how omega-3 fatty acids affect mesenchymal stem cells—cells capable of developing into several different types of tissue. Their findings suggest omega-3s can influence these cells in ways that favor bone and muscle formation over fat formation.
Good dietary sources of omega-3 fats include:
- Salmon
- Sardines
- Herring
- Tuna
- Other fatty fish
If you don't eat fish regularly, an omega-3 supplement is another way to increase your intake.
4. Load Your Plate With Antioxidant-Rich Foods
There's another simple dietary strategy that complements the steps above: eat more fruits and vegetables.
Why?
Stem cells don't operate in isolation. They're affected by the environment surrounding them, including oxidative stress and inflammation. The research discussed earlier found that high glucose increased oxidative stress in periodontal stem cells and interfered with their normal function.
That makes a diet rich in colorful plant foods a sensible part of a stem-cell-friendly lifestyle.
Fill your plate with berries, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, brightly colored vegetables and other whole plant foods that naturally supply antioxidants and protective phytonutrients.
It's a simple rule that's good for your entire body: the more naturally colorful your plate, the better.
5. Give Your Stem Cells Targeted Nutritional Support
Finally, you can complement these lifestyle changes with nutrients specifically selected to support your body's natural repair processes.
Green Valley Naturals' Stem Cell Restore combines several compounds chosen for healthy-aging and cellular support.
The formula begins with CyanthOx™30, a patented sea buckthorn berry extract. According to the product information discussed in the original article, a controlled human clinical trial found evidence that CyanthOx™30 can support the body's circulating repair stem cells.
Stem Cell Restore also contains resveratrol, the beneficial compound famously found in red grapes, along with grape seed and black currant extracts for additional antioxidant, cardiovascular and healthy inflammatory support.
Your Stem Cells Are Counting on You
You can't stop getting older—but you can influence the environment in which your cells age.
And supporting your stem cells doesn't require an extreme anti-aging regimen.
Eat less sugar. Move your body. Get plenty of omega-3s. Fill your plate with antioxidant-rich foods. And consider targeted nutritional support.
Those five simple habits can support the cellular processes your body relies on to maintain and repair itself—and help give your stem cells a healthier environment in which to do their jobs.
Because when it comes to healthier aging, taking care of the cells responsible for renewal is a smart place to start.
Summary
Your stem cells are an important part of your body’s natural maintenance and repair system, but their function can be influenced by the way you live. Research suggests that chronically high blood sugar may interfere with healthy stem cell behavior, while regular exercise can support stem cells involved in maintaining muscle and bone. Omega-3 fatty acids may also influence how certain stem cells develop, favoring muscle and bone rather than fat formation. Cutting back on sugar, staying physically active, eating a nutrient-rich diet, getting enough omega-3s, and supporting overall cellular health are five practical ways to create a healthier environment for your stem cells—and potentially support healthier aging from the cellular level up.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What do stem cells do in the body?
Stem cells serve as a source of new cells and are involved in maintaining and repairing tissues. Different types of stem cells can develop into specialized cells needed by the body, which makes healthy stem cell function important throughout life.
2. Does sugar affect stem cell function?
Research suggests that chronically elevated blood glucose can negatively affect certain stem cells. Studies cited in the article found that high glucose can alter bone-marrow stem cells that give rise to immune cells, increase inflammatory activity and oxidative stress, and influence how other stem cells differentiate.
3. Can exercise boost stem cell function?
Exercise appears to influence several types of stem and progenitor cells. Research discussed in the article suggests that regular physical activity, along with adequate recovery, can support stem-cell activity associated with maintaining muscle and bone.
4. Are omega-3 fatty acids good for stem cells?
Research suggests omega-3 fatty acids can influence the development of mesenchymal stem cells. The study cited in the article found that omega-3s favored differentiation toward bone- and muscle-related cells rather than fat cells, although more research is needed to determine the implications for healthy aging in humans.
5. What are some easy ways to support healthy stem cell function?
Start with the same habits that support overall healthy aging: limit excess sugar, exercise regularly, allow adequate recovery, eat plenty of nutrient-rich whole foods, and include omega-3-rich foods such as salmon, sardines, herring and tuna in your diet. These habits may help create a healthier metabolic and cellular environment in which your stem cells can function.
