- A new study finds that reducing caloric intake may slow the pace of aging according to some biomarkers.
- Participants in the study who reduced their caloric intake with a carefully constructed and monitored dietary program slowed their pace of aging, shown by certain epigenetic biomarkers, by 2–3% after two years.
- Similar effects have previously been shown in some animal trials, although other such studies found a detrimental effect.
A new study investigates whether calorie reduction could be a way to slow down aging. In a first-of-its-kind, randomized, controlled human study, scientists have looked at a single biomarker to show it could.
In promising results, the researchers of a recent study found that reducing calories resulted in a 2–3% slowing of participants’ pace that some molecules attached to their DNA, or their epigenome ages.
The authors cite previous research that equates the 2–3% rate decrease to a reduction in mortality risk of 10–15%. This is similar to the risk reduction expected when a smoker quits smoking.
Exploring calorie reduction as a way to slow down aging is a test of the geroscience hypothesis. It suggests that by slowing down or reversing aging-related molecular changes, a person’s lifespan may be extended and they may be able to avoid serious chronic diseases.
The study is published in
The study’s senior investigator Dr. Daniel W. Belsky, associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, said:
“Our results are exciting because they suggest it may be possible to slow the pace of aging in humans. That opens a lot of doors to what we might be able to do in the years ahead.”
The researchers of the current study employed a precision calorie-reduction and assessment system called “CALERIE.” CALERIE is an acronym for “Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy.” It is very different from what one would find in a diet for weight loss based on reducing…
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