Sirtuin diet: does Adele’s method work to lose weight?

Sirtuins are protein enzymes that you have most likely never heard of, or maybe you have, but in recent weeks and in relation to the singer’s weight loss Adele. Her new image has revolutionized the media, which has been quick to comment that the cause of this change is that the artist follows a diet called “sirtfood”, the sirtuin diet.

In fact, these enzymes have been investigated for many years, mainly related to the delay aging and longevity, and linked to caloric restriction. The theory on which the diet is based says that there are different compounds in food that activate the production of these enzymes. Specifically, they stimulate SIRT1, which is the gene that encodes these proteins, which in turn have an anti-inflammatory effect and improve metabolism in situations of obesity and glucose intolerance.

1. Does the “sirtuin diet” help you lose weight?

A large part of the studies do not focus only on weight loss, but on finding effective treatments for diabetes and improving the life expectancy of people with a high cardiovascular risk. They are also possible therapeutic targets in pathologies associated with aging, in which they can improve the quality of life in recent years.

In Spain, the University of Navarra has carried out studies on how caloric restriction activates SIRT1 in obese people, favoring weight loss and reducing oxidative stress. Whether this activation can be induced with food (rather than caloric restriction) is being studied, but the research is not yet conclusive in humans.

2. What is the “sirtfood diet”?

The Sirtfood Diet is the book by two British doctors, Aidan Goggins and Glen Matten, who propose a diet with notable caloric restriction, based on green juices and some foods that favor the action of sirtuins. It has become famous because it has been followed by Adele, the media chef Lorraine Pascale or the model Jodie Kidd.

3. Why do you lose so much weight?

The diet announces that more than 3 kg are lost in a week. Is it because of the sirtuins? No. Extremely hypocaloric (the first few days it barely reaches 1,000 kcal), it is a very low carbohydrate diet. This supposes a depletion of liver and muscle glycogen together with the water that accompanies it, and this is what produces such a striking weight loss.

4. What exactly do sirtuins do?

Sirtuins are protein enzymes that modify other proteins in such a way that they manage to reduce the oxidative stress of cells and help their survival under adverse conditions. They favor DNA repair and increase its energy efficiency.

5. What is the relationship between sirtuins and longevity?

Much scientific literature relates sirtuins to a longer and healthier life thanks to the cellular protection they confer. But almost all of the research relates to caloric restriction (not diet) and there is still very little quality research in humans.

6. And they have nothing to do with weight loss?

We know that SIRT1 and 3 are activated by caloric restriction (which itself causes weight loss) and that their production improves metabolic problems such as high blood glucose. In theory, if they can be activated with food, no restriction is necessary.

7. Is the scientific evidence consistent?

No, in humans we still don’t have conclusive evidence that this really happens. In fact, we see that the diet we are discussing is very hypocaloric in several of its phases, which is why it continues to resort to caloric restriction to achieve this activation of the SIRTs.

8. What foods contain sirtuins?

Plant foods rich in antioxidants are the ones that activate SIRT1 the most. They do not contain sirtuins, but rather compounds, such as some polyphenols, capable of activating their production. Some are kale, berries, green tea, and extra virgin olive oil.

9. And the red wine, how much is named?

As much as red wine contains polyphenols, which can activate SIRT1, recommending it is not an option, since the less alcohol the better. We can find polyphenols in other foods without consuming an alcoholic beverage: grapes and other fruits, onions, legumes, etc.

10. Is it reasonable to base the diet on these foods?

They are healthy foods and their consumption is advisable (except wine). But there are also many other healthy foods that this selection leaves out and there is no reason to exclude them, even more so when there is no conclusive scientific evidence to support the “Sirtfood diet”.

Scientific evidence links the activation of sirtuin production with caloric restriction, so the intermittent fasting strategy (in vogue in recent years) could work in this regard, according to Dr. Martin Wegman, from the University of Florida.