Eat less, live longer. That’s the from-the-hip conclusion of new research by NYU Langone Medical Center that shows reduced-calorie diets have a beneficial effect on the nearly 900 genes linked to aging, lifespan, and memory.
In a study prepared for presentation to the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C., this week, NYT neuroscientists have shown that low-cal stop the normal rise and fall in the activity levels longevity-related genes in female mice.
The findings suggest how diets with fewer calories derived from carbohydrates likely deter some aspects of aging and chronic diseases in mammals, including humans,
Medical Xpress reports.
"Our study shows how calorie restriction practically arrests gene expression levels involved in the aging phenotype — how some genes determine the behavior of mice, people, and other mammals as they get old," said NYU Langone neuroscientist Stephen D. Ginsberg.
He cautioned, however, that the study does not mean calorie restriction is the "fountain of youth," but that it does "add evidence for the role of diet in delaying the effects of aging and age-related disease."
Past studies have suggested low-cal diets reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension, and stroke, but the widespread genetic impact on the memory and learning regions of aging brains has not before been shown.
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