14 DAY TRIAL // Researchers found that following a restricted diet, even later in life can help extend lifespan. It appears that what we eat does influence our cells and may prevent age-related diseases. Scientists observed two phenomena in their experiments that are a very plausible explanation for a longer disease-free life.
It seems that a restrictive diet is good for you even if you don't have a weight problem, because it keeps you healthier and alive for a longer period of time. Experiments on mice had very conclusive results. Admitting that one of the major causes of aging is cell senescence, researchers observed the effects of a restrictive diet of mice's liver and intestines. Senescence is the point when cells cannot replicate any longer and the intestines and the liver usually accumulate them as the body ages. When mice were analyzed there was a quite low quantity of these cells present in the organs.
Another part of the organism that benefits from low calories diet are the telomeres of the chromosomes of mice. They were found to be more resistant and better maintained even with age. Telomeres are chromosomes' protective terminals formed from the DNA's replication, that avoid errors and diseases.
Low calories diet can begin even later in life, its effects will still be beneficial for the body. These experiments help scientists understand the aging process and maybe prevent some age-related diseases in humans. The lead researcher on the project at CISBAN, Chunfang Wang, stated: "Many people will have heard of the theory that eating a very low calorie diet can help to extend lifespan and there is a lot of evidence that this is true. However, we need a better understanding of what is actually happening in an organism on a restricted diet.”
“As lifespan continues to extend in the developed world we face the challenge of increasing our 'healthspan', that is the years of our lives when we can expect to be healthy and free from serious or chronic illness,” said professor Douglas Kell, BBSRC's Chief Executive. “By using a systems biology approach to investigate the fundamental mechanisms that underpin the aging process the CISBAN scientists are helping to find ways to keep more people living healthy, independent lives for longer.”
This research was made by scientists at the BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) Center for Integrated Systems Biology of Aging and Nutrition (CISBAN) at Newcastle University and was presented at the conference of the BSRA (British Society for Research on Aging), in Newcastle.