Study Finds Calorie Restriction Can Slow Aging in Healthy Adults
In a first-of-its-kind trial, an international team of researchers led by the Butler Columbia Ageing Centre at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health has found that calorie restriction can slow the pace of ageing in healthy adults. The findings were published online in the journal Nature Ageing.[0]
220 healthy, non-obese individuals from three locations in the US took part in the trial.[0] [0] Every individual had to follow their assigned diet for a period of two years.[0]
Belsky's team used blood samples obtained from CALERIE Trial participants at the pre-intervention baseline and after 12- and 24-months of follow-up to measure biological aging.[1] Chemical tags known as DNA methylation marks are present on the DNA sequence and can affect the expression of genes, with alterations observed during the aging process.[2]
An algorithm called DunedinPACE was used by the team to measure their aging rate through testing their blood DNA methylation.[0] Before the participants began their diet, researchers took blood samples, which were measured again after 12 and 24 months.[0]
Research has revealed that individuals on a calorie-restricted diet age at a rate two to three per cent slower, which would result in a 10 to 15 per cent lower likelihood of untimely death.
In order to comprehend the aging process, scientists studied the blood samples of participants and evaluated several physiological markers, such as organ system stability and the standard parameters measured during a medical examination.[3] Before the study commenced, samples were taken, followed by another set at one year, and a final collection at two years.[3]
Belsky and colleagues focused on three measurements of the DNA methylation data, sometimes known as “epigenetic clocks.”[4] PhenoAge and GrimAge are the first two clocks that measure biological age, which is the age at which an individual's biology appears to be “normal”.[0] These measures can be likened to “odometers” which provide a static indication of the amount of aging a person has undergone.[5] The researchers studied DunedinPACE as their third measure, which is a measure that computes the pace of aging, or the speed of biological decline over time.[6] DunedinPACE can be likened to a “speedometer”.[7]
0. “Low-calorie diets slow down the aging process as much as quitting smoking” Study Finds, 9 Feb. 2023, https://studyfinds.org/low-calorie-diets-aging-process
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. “The diet that can help you live longer” The Telegraph, 9 Feb. 2023, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/09/diet-can-help-live-longer
3. “Reducing calories may help you live longer, a new study suggests” Fortune, 9 Feb. 2023, https://fortune.com/well/2023/02/09/reducing-calories-may-help-you-live-longer-a-new-study-suggests
4. “Restricting Calories May Slow the Aging Process, Study Finds | HealthNews” Healthnews.com, 9 Feb. 2023, https://healthnews.com/news/restricting-calories-may-slow-the-aging-process-study-finds
5. “Calorie restriction slows pace of aging in healthy adults” Medical Xpress, 9 Feb. 2023, https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-02-calorie-restriction-pace-aging-healthy.html
6. “Researchers May Have Found a Way to Slow Human Aging” TIME, 9 Feb. 2023, https://time.com/6254236/slow-human-aging/
7. “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/
