Eat Less, Live Longer

Studies have shown lifestyle choices such as following a healthy diet, getting enough exercise and sleep, not smoking and consuming less alcohol can lead to a better quality of life. Now a recent study funded by the National Institute on Aging reports restricting the amount of calories consumed each day may also help you live longer. Researchers found reducing our calorie intake can improve muscle health as well as stimulate biological pathways, both important for healthy aging. 

In the Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE) study, the NIA’s focus examined how calorie restrictions improved muscle health and conserved muscle function. The corresponding author on the study, Dr. Luigi Ferrucci, scientific director of the National Institute on Aging, said, “Previous studies have found that while people on calorie restriction were losing muscle mass, they did not lose muscle strength, which suggests that something occurred in the muscle that improves their performance, [and] we wanted to know what.”

Over a period of two years, participants were asked to reduce their daily calories. The highest reduction achieved by the group was 12 percent. In order to examine how calorie restrictions affect human genes, researchers studied biopsies from particpants’ thigh muscles. Their findings showed consuming fewer calories ``upregulated the genes associated with energy generation and metabolism, and downregulated inflammatory genes, resulting in less inflammation.”

Dr. David Cutler, a physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA said, a good way to start reducing calories is by limiting processed meats as well as red meat in general. He added our carbohydrates should come from foods less sweet and less processed. 

Experts caution that eating less should not interfere with the amount of vitamins and minerals our bodies need each day; and before you begin a calorie restrictive diet, talk to your healthcare provider. The average amount of daily calories an adult requires is between 1,300 to 3,000 calories a day depending on gender, height, age and activity level. 

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