New Study Suggests Calorie Restriction May Slow Aging

A new study conducted by an international team of researchers led by the Butler Columbia Ageing Centre at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health has shown that calorie restriction can slow the pace of ageing in healthy adults.^[0] The trial, CALERIE™, involved 220 healthy, non-obese men and women from three sites across the United States, who were put on either a 25 percent calorie-restricted diet or a normal diet for two years.^[1]

The researchers looked at the PhenoAge and GrimAge clocks, as well as DunedinPACE, to measure the rate of ageing. The intervention effect in the trial represented a 2-3% slowing in the pace of aging, which is equivalent to a 10-15% reduction in mortality risk, according to Medical Xpress.^[2] An investigation is currently being conducted to determine if the intervention had any lasting impacts on healthy ageing, based on the tracking of trial participants.

However, critics of the study were not impressed.^[3] The performance of the DunedinPACE test was “mediocre at best,” according to Attia, who found only a weak association with biological aging.^[4]

“We’re trying to learn more about aging and we are, but calorie restriction is just one intervention,” said Belsky, a scientist with Columbia’s Robert N. Butler Aging Center. In order to slow the aging process, it is likely best to exercise, get adequate sleep, maintain a positive outlook, and maintain good mental health. All these factors combined will likely have a much larger impact than any single one alone.^[4]

Dr Sai Krupa Das, the leader of the long-term follow-up, said: “Our study of the legacy effects of the intervention will test if the short-term effects observed during the trial translated into a longer-term reduction in ageing-related chronic diseases or their risk factors.”

Although calorie restriction is not appropriate for everyone, it is a dietary approach where a person gradually reduces their caloric intake below what is considered typical or average. This research brings scientists closer to an elusive goal: figuring out how to outsmart humans’ biological clocks to slow the aging process and keep people healthier, longer.^[5]

0. “Eat (much) less, live longer, major scientific study finds” TimesLIVE, 9 Feb. 2023, https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/news/2023-02-10-eat-much-less-live-longer-major-scientific-study-finds

1. “Calorie restriction may slow pace of ageing in healthy adults, study suggests” Belfast Telegraph, 9 Feb. 2023, https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/calorie-restriction-may-slow-pace-of-ageing-in-healthy-adults-study-suggests/1098115583.html

2. “How To Slow Aging In Healthy People While Keeping Dementia, Stroke, Heart Disease At Bay – New Study Shows” Revyuh, 9 Feb. 2023, https://www.revyuh.com/news/lifestyle/health-and-fitness/how-to-slow-aging-in-healthy-people-while-keeping-dementia-stroke-heart-disease-at-bay-new-study-shows/

3. “Eat less to live longer, study says, but are the tools measuring longevity accurate?” Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News, 10 Feb. 2023, https://whdh.com/news/eat-less-to-live-longer-study-says-but-are-the-tools-measuring-longevity-accurate/

4. “Restrict calories to live longer, study says, but critics say more proof is needed | News Channel 3-12” KEYT, 10 Feb. 2023, https://keyt.com/health/2023/02/10/eat-less-to-live-longer-study-says-but-are-the-tools-measuring-longevity-accurate/

5. “Researchers May Have Found a Way to Slow Human Aging” TIME, 9 Feb. 2023, https://time.com/6254236/slow-human-aging/