Low calorie diet and longevity
These studies show why a calorie-restricted diet slows aging. This may give you an idea of how calorie restriction works.
A study recently published in the journal Cell details the research of Paolo Sassone-Corsi, director of the Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism at the University of California, Irvine, who together with his colleagues revealed how circadian rhythms (the body’s biological clock) change.** This is a result of physiological aging. The aging process is primarily based on efficient energy metabolism within cells. The researchers found that, in a comparison between younger and older mice, the 24-hour cycle in the circadian controlled metabolic system remained the same in the older rodents. Although there were notable changes in the circadian mechanism. It turns genes on and off based on the cells’ energy use. Simply put, older cells processed energy inefficiently. This mechanism works very well in a young animal, but basically shuts down in an old mouse. However, in a second group of mice, energy processing within the cells was unchanged. These mice were elderly that were fed a diet with 30% fewer calories for six months. In fact, calorie restriction works by rejuvenating the biological clock in a very powerful way. In this context, a good watch meant good aging. A research team from the Barcelona Biomedical Research Institute collaborated with Sassone-Corsi’s team to corroborate the results of the functioning of the body clock in the skin stem cells of young and old mice. They similarly concluded that a low-calorie diet preserved most of the rhythmic functions of youth. According to the UCI and Barcelona researchers, these studies may help explain why a calorie-restricted diet delays aging in rodents. The implications for human aging could benefit from this. It has been shown in previous studies that low-calorie diets can extend longevity. But the UCI and the Barcelona research are the first to demonstrate that calorie restriction influences the participation of the body’s circadian rhythms with the cellular aging process. This is crucial for our elderly patients. Since, based on this new research, we can help improve your quality of life.
