Cut The Cals To Live Longer: Study

A Moment on the Hips, a [Shorter] Lifetime on the Hips

It turns out that there may be a better reason than swimsuit season or even your high school reunion to start that low-calorie diet: Restricting calories may let you live longer, better and with fewer diseases, according to new research published last week in the Journal of Science.

The highly anticipated results of a primate study conducted at the University of Wisconsin have added to a growing body of evidence suggesting that over time, caloric restriction can reduce the risk of dying from heart disease, diabetes and certain forms of cancer by more than two thirds.

What’s more, caloric restriction in the monkeys’ case actually seemed to slow the aging process, keeping the brain sharp and the body “less wrinkled and flabby” while improving overall quality of life in old age.

The Wisconsin study followed a group of Rhesus monkeys at the over the course of twenty years, comparing a range of health data of one group of monkeys whose caloric intake was approximately half that of the control group.

Researchers say that two decades into the experiment, the monkeys are responding very favorably to the restricted diet, and that humans who follow similar eating patterns would likely do the same.

Previous studies have already documented increased longevity and survival rates in worms, yeast, flies and mice who sharply limited food intake.

Other experts are not as convinced, citing the need for further research into the Wisconsin study’s application to human populations, and pointing out that making the connection between fewer calories and slower aging is merely a first step. Getting people – even those who are at a healthy weight – to radically change their eating habits is a much bigger and more complex piece of the longevity puzzle.

Caloric restriction is defined as eating approximately 10-30% fewer calories than necessary.

Although researchers do not have a complete understanding of the biological mechanisms that make this practice so effective for slowing the aging process, they generally agree that it seems to activate a genetic response to famine. This primal reaction prompts the body to focus on preserving tissue over other biological functions, like reproduction, when operating with fewer nutrients.

The next wave of studies on calorie restriction in primates is being conducted by the National Institute of Health, and along with the Wisconsin study, should help pharmaceutical companies develop a drug that replicates the ‘famine’ scenario within human cells without requiring people to pass on their favorite foods.