Older adults who most closely followed a Mediterranean-style diet had significantly higher blood levels of two tiny protective proteins produced inside their mitochondria, according to a study led by researchers at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition on March 9, 2026. The study has received renewed widespread attention this week following a feature by ScienceDaily on July 16, 2026.
The two proteins, called humanin and SHMOOSE, are mitochondrial microproteins, meaning they are encoded and produced not by the main genome in the cell nucleus but by the mitochondria themselves, the energy-producing structures found in nearly every cell. Both have previously been linked in the scientific literature to protection against cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, and neurodegeneration, including conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.
