Low calorie diet does not prolong life
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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According to research results that lasted for 25 years and were published in the journal Nature, the rejection of calories does not prolong life.
Scientists from the State University of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, tested the theory of the positive effects of a low-calorie diet on the life expectancy of rhesus monkeys - the most prominent representatives of all species of this genus.
Under the supervision of specialists for a quarter of a century there were two groups of rhesus monkeys, one of which was fed normally, and the second followed a diet containing 30% fewer calories.
According to scientists, the restriction of diet did not affect the life expectancy of primates - macaques, who observed the diet, on the average lived the same as their comrades from the control group. Moreover, the causes of the death of monkeys were not very different: primates were dying from kidney diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and simply from old age.
An earlier experiment, authored by Don Ingram, a gerontologist at the National Institute of Aging, showed a positive effect of calorie reduction on short-lived animals, such as rats. By reducing calorie intake, the experimental animals glittered with shiny fur and were much more energetic than those who ate well.
In addition, a cascade of changes in the expression of genes caused by a lower caloric intake was observed and, in general, slowed the aging process.
And in 2009, there were results of 20-year observations of macaques by rhesus biologists from the Wisconsin National Center for Primate Research. They contradict the results of scientists from Louisiana and again confirm the benefits of moderate nutrition. Out of the diet group, only 13% of monkeys died of old age, while 37% of those in the normal diet group died for the same reason.
Don Ingram believes that it's not about calories, but about the improperly organized nutrition of primates. Appetite monkeys no one limited, they ate as much as they wanted, and 28.5% of their diet was sucrose. Also, the scientist believes that the genetic differences of the primates played a significant role in the discrepancy between the results of the studies.
Do not console the results of the research of the influence of a low-calorie diet on a person.
Experts say that longevity, mainly, depends on good genes and a balanced, healthy diet. Therefore, those who live to the advanced age, in the first place, should thank their set of genes, rather than diets.
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