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By Clare Wilson
Put down the cake. Going on a permanent diet could make you live longer, if findings from
monkeys hold true for people.
A long-running trial in macaques has found that calorie restriction makes them live about
three years longer than normal, which would translate to about nine years in people.
Such a strict diet might not be for everyone, but understanding the mechanisms behind any
benefits of calorie restriction may one day lead to anti-ageing medicines, says Julie Mattison at
the National Institute on Aging (NIA) in Baltimore, Maryland. The goal is to improve human
Side effects
In the Wisconsin trial, animals did live significantly longer than controls calorie-restricted
males lived about two years longer, while calorie-restricted females lived about six years
longer. There were also lower rates of heart disease and cancer in these monkeys. These are the
major causes of death in people, lending support to the idea that the results apply to humans,
says Luigi Fontana of the University of Brescia in Italy.
However, Brian Delaney, who is president of the Calorie Restriction Society, an organisation
that supports the practice in people, says some who follow this diet are disappointed by the
relatively modest benefits in monkeys compared with mice, which have lived up to 50 per cent
longer than normal.
Is it worth it? asks Delaney. My choice is to do it. But Im so used to the diet that it really
isnt very difficult for me anymore.
Delaney has been practising calorie restriction for 24 years. Until someone is used to it, the
diet involves planning every meal with precision, and side effects can include feeling cold and
reduced libido.
Journal reference: Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14063
Read more: Eat less, live longer?
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