Can Calorie Restriction Increase Your Lifespan?
Longevity science is the study of ageing, age-related illnesses and the human lifespan and is a rapidly growing field in the scientific community. A topic of particular interest is caloric restriction and its effect on the human lifespan.
The first recognised study on the topic was published in 1935. After feeding rats a diet containing 20% indigestible cellulose, researchers found lifespan significantly increased. Since then, thousands of articles have come out assessing the efficacy of caloric restriction.
A 36-year follow-up study reported a modest reduction in daily caloric intake decreased risk of all-cause mortality in healthy Japanese-American men, however, mortality risk increased when caloric intake was reduced too low.
Further, a link between Sir2 gene and caloric restriction has been identified, suggesting caloric restriction increases activation of Sir2. Sir2 decreases replicative ageing, by stabilising rDNA.
Caloric restriction is suggested to increase lifespan by improving cardiovascular health. A study conducted on 238 young, non-obese adults found moderate caloric restriction resulted in improved total cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as a significant improvement in insulin sensitivity, metabolism and inflammatory markers.
The Okinawans are a population in Japan with the highest rate of longevity worldwide. For every 100 000 people, 68 of them are centenarians (living over 100 years old), which is threefold more than the US population. Mortality rates from cardiovascular disease, cancer and cerebral vascular disease were found to be significantly lower than other populations, and compared to other Japanese, all-cause mortality for 60-64 year olds was only half.
Upon observation, researchers found that Okinawan school children ate only 62% of the calories of other Japanese children. Other studies found a consistent caloric deficit of 11%, on average (roughly 1785 calories per day).
Multiple studies have found caloric restriction delays the onset and progression of many age-related diseases. It has been shown to have a protective effect on cognition, protect against heart disease and arthritis, decrease the prevalence of cancer and reduce osteoporosis.
In essence, moderate calorie restriction may likely increase lifespan and prevent or slow the progression of many age-related illnesses.
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