Calorie Restricted Diet Slows Aging and Disease

From Geriatric Pharmacy Intern, Amalia Castro, PharmD(c)
Nova Southeastern University School of Pharmacy


A new study shows that cutting back on calories reduces aging, as well as, the incidence of age related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and preserves the brain in primates. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison performed the study for a period of 20 years. Study author Ricki J. Colman, PhD, reports that this was the largest and the most highly controlled study showing the benefits of calorie restriction on disease prevention and increased survival. He also believes that the results of this study can be applied to humans due to the close relationship between both primates and humans. The study reveals that only 50% of the monkeys that were allowed to eat freely survived, while 80% of the monkeys eating the same foods, but with a 30% calorie reduction, continue to exist.

Richard Wiendruch, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and co-author of the study, states that a calorie restricted diet can lead to a longer life span and improve quality of life in old age, as seen with the primates. The study proved an increase in survival by reporting that the incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer was twice as much for the monkeys on the unrestricted diet. Wiendruch also reports that surprisingly only 42% of the primates on the unrestricted diet had diabetes or pre-diabetes, while none of the monkeys on the calorie restricted diet showed any signs of this disease. This last finding is astonishing and is worth studying on human subjects.

As far as avoiding brain atrophy, the study revealed that the monkeys that consumed fewer calories where able to preserve regions of their brain responsible for short-term memory and problem solving, which are greatly affected with age. The study also showed that a restricted diet appears to have an effect on brain mass. Nevertheless, more studies need to be conducted on these findings, especially on the effects of a calorie-restricted diet and the lack of brain shrinkage.

More information on this topic can be found on the July issue of Science.