Closer to the elusive dream of eternal youth? A new study analyzes how people can cheat their biological clock, slowing down aging and staying healthy longer.

For decades, researchers have studied calorie restriction as a potential method to increase lifespan. There have been a number of promising tests done on lab animals, some from a century ago, but this new study, published today Thursday in the scientific journal Nature Aging, is considered important because it proves that calorie restriction does indeed have the potential to slow aging. person.

The study, conducted by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, was based on sample of at least 200 adults, not overweight, aged 21 to 50 years. Some participants were asked to cut their calorie intake by 25% over two years, while the rest continued on their regular diet.

Three methods of DNA analysis

The researchers aimed to determine whether participants with restricted calorie intake grew more slowly than those who ate normally. To find out, they used blood samples collected at the beginning of the study, as well as first- and second-year blood samples, looking for signs of aging in the participants’ DNA.

The researchers used three different DNA analysis methods, two of which calculated the biological age of the participants regardless of their calendar age. With these methods, they did not notice significant changes after two years of fewer calories.

A third model of DNA analysis tracked the rate at which a person ages rather than their current biological age. In this context, the researchers found that two years of eating fewer calories resulted in a 2-3% reduction in the rate of aging.

That may not sound like much, but according to the authors of the study, a previous study found that a similar slowdown in biological aging could reduce the risk of death by 15 percent — about the same longevity benefit as quitting smoking.

“But” research

However, as scientists note, this is just an estimate. Since the scope of the study only lasted two years, experts cannot know how and how much their diet affects their health and longevity in the long run.

In addition, a 25% reduction in calorie intake is dramatic and unacceptable for many people. Of course, as scientists note, even those who could not limit their calories as much by reducing their calorie intake by only 10% noticed an effect on the aging process, although not significant.

Some researchers have raised the question of the possible effects of long-term calorie restriction, such as mental health problems and decreased bone density and muscle mass.

A 2018 study on non-human primates also found that cutting calories can increase lifespan, but it can also lead to changes in brain composition.

Not applicable, but important findings

Extensive calorie restriction “is not a practical strategy to slow population aging,” decision makers note in their new study. However, the new data “demonstrates that slowing aging in humans is possible and provides evidence for the effects of broader interventions such as intermittent fasting and drug therapy,” they add.

While the results of the study are not currently being translated into practical advice, let alone solutions, the findings are a step forward in understanding—and perhaps one day slowing or even reversing—the negative effects of human aging.

Source: time