Is it true that eating less can extend life? Here’s what scientists say

Restricting calories can prolong life. However, there are several terms and conditions that must be considered.

A study published in the Nature Journal (2024) shows that food restriction in mice can affect health leading to an increase in life. But, can food restrictions in humans extend life?

Check out the following explanation:

Food Restriction Studies in Rats

Researchers in the United States conducted experiments on nearly 1,000 mice to study the effect of food restriction on metabolism. This research consistently shows positive metabolic changes for the health of mice.

This study regarding food restriction in animals is not the first one that has been carried out, previously several studies have been carried out on other animals such as monkeys, flies and nematodes (worms).

These studies consistently show that food restriction in animals can extend their lifespan. However, researchers have not tested whether the same can happen in humans.

In a study on mice, researchers reported that food restriction through fasting on mice helped reduce the chances of premature death. Anyway, there were 960 mice that confirmed this research.

According to researchers, food restrictions can reduce body weight and body fat which has the effect of reducing the risk of chronic disease. This indirectly helps to extend the life of the animal.

However, the small sample size and limited research time make it difficult for researchers. It is difficult to say whether these changes are directly responsible for a long life or not, as mentioned from Science Alert.

Calories play an important role

Researchers believe that calorie restriction plays an important role in extending life. This is confirmed by the fact that a quarter of mice that reduced calories lived an average of 9 months longer, compared to mice that went through a normal diet.

Although the averages show differences in age ranges between the groups of mice that were calorie restricted and those that were not, the averages do not take into account individual changes within the groups.

In this case, the researchers explained that calorie restriction may not be the only thing that makes mice live longer. However, there are factors that can have a significant impact on the age range.

Other supporting factors

One of the factors that affect life expectancy is genetics or inherited characteristics, such as the ability to maintain body weight during stress, the strength of the immune system, and the stability of the size of red blood cells that play an important role in it to determine longevity in mice.

Simply put, mice with good genetics are more likely to survive and live a long life.

However, more research is needed to understand why food restriction and calorie reduction may make some mice live longer. This is because there are still many complex factors that can affect the age range.

Additionally, potential differences between mouse and human physiology need to be further investigated to test whether similar constraints can be applied to humans.

This research shows that food restrictions can keep the body’s metabolism more regular. In fact, if genes have a significant influence on the chances of reaching your 99th birthday, there is no harm in maintaining health by restricting food, as noted from a study was published by the Nature Journal in 2024.

(gas/gas)