It News: Low-Calorie Diet Not High on Longevity, Boosts Only Health

August 30, 2012

Low-Calorie Diet Not High on Longevity, Boosts Only Health

Drishya Nair

First Posted: Aug 30, 2012

Low-Calorie Diet Not High on Longevity, Boosts only Health

Many of us count calories while eating every single time because we know that restricting calorie intake not only keeps us in shape, but also healthy.
The calorie count has no long term effect on the body. According to a new study, the low-calorie diet befits are limited to boosting health and does not prolong life.
A research conducted by researchers on rhesus monkeys shows that there is no link between food restriction and longevity.
The 23-year study showed that though fewer calorie intake in monkeys did boost up their health in
comparison to other monkeys, it did not make them live any longer.
Like Us on Facebook
The average life span of Rhesus monkeys in captivity is 27 years and the usual maximum is 40 years, reports Medical Xpress.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) in Maryland began the study in 1987 on monkeys of different age groups. One group was fed 30 percent lower calories while other group was on a normal diet.

It was found that while none of the monkeys in both groups were malnourished, they all lived a little longer than wild rhesus monkeys. The monkeys involved in the study were heavier too.
It was found that those on lower calorie diet had lesser incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer compared to others and also had lower cholesterol.
"However, these effects did not translate directly to a beneficial effect in longevity," Rafael de Cabo of the NIA's Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology, told AFP.
However, there are studies conducted previously, including a study at WNPRC, which has shown that rhesus monkeys placed on a restricted calorie diet lived longer than others.
Ricki Colman, senior scientist at WNPRC told AFP that there were many differences between the two studies that could explain the contradicting outcomes.
One important difference is that monkeys of the control group at WNPRC were allowed free access to food, which resembled the food intake of a human. However, monkeys at the NIA control group had limited access to food similar to an ideal human diet which resulted in the same life span as that of monkeys on the low-calorie diet.
The comparison of the two studies brought De Cabo to the conclusion that low-calorie diet though boosts up health, it does not prolong life span, Medical Xpress reported.