Significantly lowering caloric intake can prolong lifespan more successfully than intermittent fasting, according to a recent, ground-breaking study.
The research was conducted on a mice by scientists
No matter how much fat or glucose the mice had, the study found that very low-calorie diets helped them live longer.
The study’s findings could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy aging and provide valuable insights into the potential benefits of calorie restriction for human longevity.
The study found that mice with longer lifespans were more likely to maintain their weight while eating less.
The study, which included almost 1,000 mice given low-calorie meals or frequent fasting periods, discovered that these regimens do, in fact, result in weight loss and associated metabolic alterations.
However, the relationship between calorie reduction and longer longevity appears to be better explained by other factors, such as immunological function, genetics, and physiological markers of resilience.
To find out how various dietary patterns affect lifespan, the team carried out a comprehensive study on five groups of female mice: two with restricted calorie intake (60 percent and 80 percent of baseline), one with unrestricted food access, and two with intermittent fasting.
From the findings, mice fed an unrestricted diet lived for an average of 25 months, whereas mice fed an intermittent fast lived for 28 months. Mice that consumed 80 percent of their baseline calories survived for 30 months, while those that were restricted to 60 percent of their calories survived for 34 months.
The results showed that mice fed an intermittent fast lived for 28 months, while mice on an unrestricted diet lived for an average of 25 months. Mice that were only allowed to eat 60% of their baseline calories survived for 34 months, but mice that consumed 80% of their baseline calories survived for 30 months.
Even though they identified genetically encoded resilience as a crucial factor in lifespan, the researchers discovered that genetic factors had a significantly greater impact on lifespan than diets did.
It was established that mice that naturally maintained their body weight, body fat percentage, and immune cell health during periods of stress or low food intake, as well as those that did not lose body fat late in life, survived the longest.
Factors like weight, body fat percentages, blood glucose levels, and body temperature did not explain the link between cutting calories and living a longer life.
Rather, the study found that immune system health and traits related to red blood cells were more clearly connected to lifespan.
The findings mean that human studies of longevity — which often use metabolic measurements as markers for aging or youthfulness — may be overlooking more important aspects of healthy aging.
The lead author of the study, Gary Churchill, said, “Our research highlights the value of resilience. The most robust animals, those that maintain their weight even under stress and caloric restriction, are the ones that live the longest. This suggests that a more moderate level of calorie restriction might be the optimal approach for balancing long-term health and lifespan.
“If you want to live a long time, there are things you can control within your lifetime such as diet. While caloric restriction is generally good for lifespan, our data show that losing weight on caloric restriction is bad for lifespan.
“So when we look at human trials of longevity drugs and see that people are losing weight and have better metabolic profiles, it turns out that might not be a good marker of their future lifespan at all.”
