Mediterranean diet hits cells
USC Leonard Davis researchers report the Mediterranean diet raises mitochondrial proteins tied to healthy aging — suggesting the diet boosts cellular energy pathways, not just heart markers. The finding frames long‑observed population benefits as molecular changes in protein profiles that could slow disease and extend healthspan. (rttnews.com) (koreatimes.co.kr)
The paper appeared March 9, 2026 in Frontiers in Nutrition under the title “Mediterranean diet adherence is associated with mitochondrial microproteins Humanin and SHMOOSE,” DOI 10.3389/fnut.2025.1727012. (frontiersin.org)) Researchers analyzed a cross‑sectional cohort of 49 older adults (mean age 78.4 ± 8.7 years; 57% female) drawn from an observational study of non‑valvular atrial fibrillation at Sapienza University of Rome. (frontiersin.org)) Study authors categorized Med‑Diet adherence with a 9‑item questionnaire and reported that 20 participants (40.8%) met the study’s “high adherence” threshold while 29 (59.2%) were low‑to‑medium adherers. (frontiersin.org)) Specific dietary correlations were quantified: plasma Humanin correlated with olive oil (p = 0.0069), fish (p = 0.038) and legumes (p = 0.0282), while SHMOOSE associated with olive oil consumption (p = 0.020) and lower intake of refined bread (p = 0.029). (frontiersin.org)) Oxidative‑stress measures used were soluble Nox2‑derived peptide (sNox2‑dp) and plasma 8‑iso‑prostaglandin F2α, and the authors report an inverse Humanin–sNox2‑dp association (p = 0.019) that remained significant after adjustment (B = −0.010; β = −0.302; p = 0.040). (frontiersin.org) The team measured Humanin and SHMOOSE with an in‑house sandwich ELISA, mapped Humanin to MT‑RNR2 and SHMOOSE to a smORF overlapping serine tRNA, and displayed AlphaFold 3–predicted 3D structures of both peptides in the article’s figures. (frontiersin.org)) Senior author Pinchas Cohen and lead author Roberto Vicinanza framed the results as evidence for a Humanin–Nox2 cardioprotective interaction and positioned SHMOOSE as a more recent mitochondria‑derived peptide discovered by Cohen’s lab. (eurekalert.org))
