As we age, there are many alterations our bodies undergo, and one such silent player in the etiology of age-related disease is accumulation of toxic cholesterol breakdown products called oxysterols. Here, the authors describe two specific oxysterols—7-ketocholesterol (7KC) and 7β-hydroxycholesterol (7β-OHC)—that are produced when cholesterol is metabolized. These are usually increased in larger amounts in aging individuals, especially those with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, cataract, and muscle-wasting diseases like sarcopenia.
These oxysterols cause cell damage by triggering oxidative stress (a toxic cellular chemistry imbalance), inflammation, and aberrant cell death. One type of damage that they cause is called oxiapoptophagy, a three-pronged assault of oxidative stress, cell death, and abnormal recycling processes inside cells.
The exciting news? The researchers note that nutrients in the Mediterranean diet—olive oil, omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acids, polyphenols, and vitamin E (especially α-tocopherol)—might protect cells against the toxic effects of these oxysterols. These nutrients are seen to be protecting against harm and promoting cell survival in laboratory tests and animal models. Argan, pomegranate seed, and milk thistle seed oil were also found to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
Clinical trials, while still in infancy, show early hope that these foods may be advantageous to humans, especially in preserving heart and brain function. Lastly, the article emphatically lends credence to the idea of “nutritherapy”—nutrition-based therapy from the food we eat—to avoid or slow aging-related disease. This presents an exciting, low-risk intervention for increasing healthspan throughout life.
Full text: Anne Vejux, Imen Ghzaiel, John J. Mackrill, Irundika H.K. Dias, Leila Rezig, Mohamed Ksila, Amira Zarrouk, Thomas Nury, Fatiha Brahmi, Adil El Midaoui, Smail Meziane, Atanas G. Atanasov, Sonia Hammami, Norbert Latruffe, Pierre Jouanny, Gérard Lizard, Oxysterols, age-related-diseases and nutritherapy: Focus on 7-ketocholesterol and 7β-hydroxycholesterol, Prostaglandins & Other Lipid Mediators, Volume 178, June 2025, 106993, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2025.106993.