Cutting calories may help you fend off age-linked disease: Study

Want to enjoy a healthier old age? Try eating a little less each day. That's the suggestion from a new study led by researchers at the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA).
The "results are quite intriguing," study co-author Dr. Evan Hadley, director of geriatrics and clinical gerontology at the NIA, said in an agency news
release. "They show that this degree of sustained calorie restriction can influence disease risk
factors and possible predictors of longevity in healthy, non-obese people."
The research included more than 200 healthy adults. The adults were young or middle-aged, and either at normal weight or slightly overweight. They were randomly assigned to either a calorie restriction group or to a control group who continued their regular eating habits.
Previous animal studies have shown that calorie restriction -- taking in fewer calories while still getting essential nutrients -- extends longevity and slows progression of many age-related diseases, the researchers said. The participants in the calorie restriction group were given a target of 15.5 percent weight loss in the first year, the researchers said. To do that, the study volunteers would need to reduce their calorie intake by 25 percent. They were asked to keep their weight stable in the second year of the study.
The people in this group lost an average of 10 percent of their body weight in the first year, and maintained this weight loss over the second year. Even though the group did not achieve the weight loss target, it was the largest sustained weight loss seen in any dietary trial in non-obese people, according to the researchers.
The average 12 percent decline in calorie intake was far short of the 25 percent target, but the participants maintained calorie restriction for the entire two years of the study.
The people in the calorie restriction group didn't have any of the changes in metabolism that were seen in previous animal studies. But they did have significant improvements in several predictors of heart disease, including a 6 percent decrease in total cholesterol, a 4 percent fall in blood pressure, and increased levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.
Health Day

 

 

Cutting calories may help you fend off age-linked disease: Study

Want to enjoy a healthier old age? Try eating a little less each day. Thats the suggestion from a new study led by researchers at the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA). The results are quite intriguing, study co-author Dr. Evan Hadley, director of geriatrics and clinical gerontology at the NIA, said in an agency news release. They show that this degree of sustained calorie restriction can influence disease risk factors and possible predictors of longevity in healthy, non-obese people. The research included more than 200 healthy adults. The adults were young or middle-aged, and either at normal weight or slightly overweight. They were randomly assigned to either a calorie restriction group or to a control group who continued their regular eating habits. Previous animal studies have shown that calorie restriction -- taking in fewer calories while still getting essential nutrients -- extends longevity and slows progression of many age-related diseases, the researchers said. The participants in the calorie restriction group were given a target of 15.5 percent weight loss in the first year, the researchers said. To do that, the study volunteers would need to reduce their calorie intake by 25 percent. They were asked to keep their weight stable in the second year of the study. The people in this group lost an average of 10 percent of their body weight in the first year, and maintained this weight loss over the second year. Even though the group did not achieve the weight loss target, it was the largest sustained weight loss seen in any dietary trial in non-obese people, according to the researchers. The average 12 percent decline in calorie intake was far short of the 25 percent target, but the participants maintained calorie restriction for the entire two years of the study. The people in the calorie restriction group didnt have any of the changes in metabolism that were seen in previous animal studies. But they did have significant improvements in several predictors of heart disease, including a 6 percent decrease in total cholesterol, a 4 percent fall in blood pressure, and increased levels of good HDL cholesterol. Health Day