β-Hydroxybutyrate, the body's major source of energy during exercise or fasting, blocks histone deacetylases that otherwise promote oxidative stress
From the article:
“Over the years, studies have found that restricting calories slows aging and increases longevity – however the mechanism of this effect has remained elusive” Dr. Verdin said. Dr. Verdin, the paper’s senior author, directs the Center for HIV & Aging at Gladstone and is also a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, with which Gladstone is affiliated. “Here, we find that βOHB – the body’s major source of energy during exercise or fasting – blocks a class of enzymes that would otherwise promote oxidative stress, thus protecting cells from aging.”
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Normally HDACs keep a pair of genes, called Foxo3a and Mt2, switched off. But increased levels of βOHB block the HDACs from doing so, which by default activates the two genes. Once activated, these genes kick-start a process that helps cells resist oxidative stress. This discovery not only identifies a novel signaling role for βOHB, but it could also represent a way to slow the detrimental effects of aging in all cells of the body.