Eating Less Is Key To Long Life - New Findings

Scientists now have evidence to show that putting just a bit less portion of meal on the dinner plate each day might be key to a longer life. The findings of a preliminary research suggests that people who reduced their caloric intake by just 15 per cent over two years experienced a significant decrease in their metabolism, according to a small clinical trial.

The study was published in the journal ‘Cell Metabolism’. Lead researcher, Leanne Redman, an associate professor of clinical sciences at Pennington Biomedical Research in Baton Rouge in Louisiana, United States (US), said the study also saw improvements in biomarkers associated with slower ageing and longer life span. Specifically, they developed a lower core body temperature, lower blood sugar and insulin levels, and significant drops in hormones that moderate metabolism, researchers reported.

“We know these things are lower in people who live longer lives,” Redman said. Overeating is a common tendency. Besides, there are a number of reasons why people may eat more then they need. However, doing it regularly may cause serious health issues, from weight gain to diabetes.

Thus, portion control should be of top priority when people are looking to lead a healthy lifestyle, according to previous studies.

According to Rozalyn Anderson, an expert with the American Federation for Ageing Research, who reviewed the findings, ageing studies in animals have tied lower calorie intake to longer lives, but this is the first clinical trial to bridge the gap between animals and humans, “So much of what they’re reporting is entirely consistent with what we’ve seen in our monkey studies,” said Anderson, an associate professor who studies ageing and calorie restriction at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

The research team recruited 34 healthy people with an average age of 40 to follow a calorie-restricted diet for two years. Researchers taught the study participants how to cut 25 per cent of their daily caloric intake using three different models of a healthy diet, Redman said.

The participants then were free to follow their diet by any means they chose. On their own, they achieved a 15 per cent reduction in calorie intake that was sustained for the two years. On average, the group lost about 20 pounds, mostly in the first year, even though half entered the study at normal weight and the rest were only modestly overweight at the end of the trial.