A new study published in the journal Nature Aging shows that a two-year intervention that required participants to cut 25% of their daily calories slowed the pace of aging by 2 to 3%. This translates to a 10 to 15% reduction in mortality risk. The study is part of an ongoing investigation called CALERIE (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy) that began in 2006. A previous study showed that calorie restriction reduced risk factors for heart disease and type 2 diabetes and improved cardiovascular and metabolic health. While maintaining a 25% calorie reduction proved challenging, there was no evidence that caloric restrictions negatively affected participants’ sleep, cognitive performance, or quality of life.
The study found that participants in the calorie restriction group had a reduction in biological aging of 2 to 3 percent compared to the control group. This reduction in biological aging was measured by looking at changes in DNA methylation, which is an epigenetic marker associated with aging.
Specifically, the researchers found that the calorie restriction group had a decrease in the “epigenetic clock” – a measure of biological aging that is based on DNA methylation patterns – by 1.92 years compared to the control group. This decrease in the epigenetic clock is equivalent to a 2.7 percent reduction in biological aging.
In addition, the researchers found that the calorie restriction group had a decrease in another epigenetic marker associated with aging – mitochondrial DNA copy number – by 13 percent compared to the control group.
Taken together, these results suggest that calorie restriction can slow biological aging in healthy adults. While the reduction in biological aging observed in this study is relatively small, the researchers note that it is equivalent to the effect of quitting smoking, which is a well-known risk factor for age-related diseases.
Moreover, the researchers say that the results of this study are particularly noteworthy because they were obtained in a randomized, controlled trial of humans. Previous studies on calorie restriction and aging have mostly been conducted in animals.
The study’s authors caution that further research is needed to confirm these findings and to determine whether other types of interventions, such as time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting, can achieve similar results.
Nonetheless, the results of this study suggest that behavioral changes such as caloric restriction may have a measurable impact on the pace of biological aging in humans, which could have important implications for improving health and longevity.
