Cupcakes and Aging: The Effects of Calorie Restriction in New Study
For a while now scientists have speculated that a low calorie diet may have advantages in halting the body's aging process. Studies in yeast, worms, flies and rats have all shown that cutting calories can extend the life span and possibly stave off age-related disease. This theory came one step closer to human application this month with the publication of long-term research on calorie restriction in monkeys in this month's issue of
Science.
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Rhesus monkeys, left to right, Canto, 27, on a restricted diet, and Owen, 29, a control subject on an unrestricted diet, are pictured at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on May 28, 2009. The two are among the oldest surviving subjects in a pioneering long-term study of the links between diet and aging in Rhesus macaque monkeys, which have an average life span of about 27 years in captivity. This study, published in the journal Science, shows a nutritious, but reduced-calorie, diet blunts aging and delays the onset of such aged-related disorders as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and brain atrophy. Photo Courtesy: Jeff Miller/University of Wisconsin-Madison |
A group from the University of Wisconsin-Madison followed Rhesus monkeys over a span of 20 years. Half of the monkeys were allowed to go hog wild, eating as much as they wanted during the day, while the other half followed a restricted diet of 30% fewer calories than usual. Comparison between the two groups has found that 63% of the calorie-restricted monkeys were still alive versus only 45% of the free eating group. The big eaters also died of age-related causes like cardiovascular disease and cancer at three times the rate of the leaner monkeys and had a higher rate of brain matter deterioration.
While the full study is still in progress and data may not necessarily translate to humans, the evidence so far is compelling. The hypothesis is that cells are able to detect the level of nutrients available to the body, and that food restriction causes a gene-level response that tells the body to switch from breeding to tissue maintenance. But what fun is it to extend your lifespan if you can't spend your years eating cupcakes and Mexican food? It would obviously be extremely difficult for the average person to follow a strict, lifelong diet low in calories. The hope is that someday scientists will be able to develop a drug that would mimic the effects of caloric restriction, allowing us to have our cake and eat it too.