Extreme Calorie Counting – the Key to Long Life?

Amy Taylor April 03, 2014

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There’s a huge deal of research suggesting that a low-calorie diet is probably the solution to better health and longer life. Now, a new study found that extreme calorie counting boosts lifespan in monkeys.

The research, published in the Nature Communications, found that a wealth of scientific evidence dating back more than 75 years suggest that primates also benefited from the regime. Much of the research is based on experiments in animals such as mice and worms, with primate studies giving conflicting results.

"CR works to delay ageing in primate species," Dr Rozalyn Anderson of the department of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told BBC News. "Our study data is consistent with that."

The research team found that calorie counting boosted survival in a group of rhesus monkeys studied over the course of decades. Wisconsin-Madison said conflicting findings, from a previous study at a different institute, might be due to flaws in the control group.

"The concept is to delve into the biology of ageing and try to understand what’s the basis for increased risk for diseases as you get older and with advanced age," she said. "It would be very difficult to implement CR in a long term way in humans."

A US study is currently looking at whether healthy humans live longer on less food.

The participants restrict calories by 25% over several years, existing mainly on a diet of vegetables, fruits (especially apples), and soups.

Dr Emma Williams, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, said caution was advised until results from human trials were available.

"Perhaps Benjamin Franklin was right when he said, ’To lengthen thy life lessen thy meals,’" she said.

"However, as this research was based on studies in primates more research is needed regarding the precise role of calorie restriction in human life expectancy before any definitive conclusions can be made."

Source of this article:

Dieting monkeys offer hope for long life