According to French and Spanish animal study, cereal polyphenols may restore the immune system function and could potentially extend the lifespan.

"The supplementation used in the present study seems to decrease the biological age of prematurely aging mice and probably can increase the longevity of these animals," wrote the researchers from the Complutense University of Madrid and Danone Vitapole.

In this study the cereals used are wheat germ and buckwheat (provided by Danone Vitapole) which were found to be rich sources of polyphenols, specifically gallic acid, catechin, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, quercetin, and rutin.

"The close relation between oxidative stress and the immune system implies that the balance between oxidants and antioxidants in immune cells is critical, because they need to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) to carry out their functions," explained the researchers.

"Thus, the age-related increase in oxidative stress has been found to have a profound effect on immune system competence and that antioxidants exert a favorable effect on immune system function in adults and especially in aged subjects."

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