Previous research suggests that restricting calories by 20-60% can extend lifespan in animal studies. This two-year study of calorie restriction in humans found that the calorie-restricted group lost telomeres at a different rate than the control group, even though both groups finished the study with approximately the same length of telomeres. did.
Telomeres are like protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. However, each time a cell replicates, telomeres become shorter, potentially damaging the genetic information they once protected, preventing future reproduction and proper functioning of the cell, and ultimately causing human Senescence and apoptosis of replicating cells can occur throughout life.
Telomeres are the focus of much anti-aging, regeneration, and longevity research because cells with long telomeres are functionally younger than cells with short telomeres. This means that even if your chronological age is the same, your biological age can differ depending on the length of your telomeres.
How often our cells replicate and how long our telomeres last can be affected by things like typical aging, disease, stress, genetics, and diet. This study investigated the effects of caloric restriction on telomere length in humans. Because telomere length indicates how quickly or slowly cells age, studying telomere length may help identify ways to slow aging.
“There are many reasons why calorie restriction may extend human lifespans, but this topic is still being researched,” said Dr. McConlogue, who earned his Ph.D. in biobehavioral health from Pennsylvania State University in 2020 and is the author of the study. said lead author Waylon Hastings. “One of the main mechanisms for extending lifespan is related to intracellular metabolism. As energy is consumed within cells, waste products from that process cause oxidative stress, which can damage DNA and , which can destroy cells. When a person’s cells use less energy, however, calorie restriction means less waste and the cells are not destroyed as quickly.”
Telomere length was determined in 175 participants (two-thirds participating in caloric restriction and the remaining one third served as a control group). Years of calorie restriction. Analysis revealed that telomere loss changed its trajectory over the study period. Over the first year, those in the restricted group lost weight and telomeres more rapidly than the control group. After one year, weight loss stabilized in the restriction group. During the second year, people in the restricted group lost telomeres more slowly than the control group. However, after two years, the telomere lengths of the two groups were not statistically different.
Previous research on CALERIS data has shown that calorie restriction may help lower levels of harmful cholesterol and lower blood pressure. However, when it came to telomeres, the two-year timeline was not long enough to show a benefit, but participants were given a 10-year follow-up to see what happens to telomere length over a longer period of time. As scheduled, those benefits may yet become apparent.
“This study shows the complexity of how caloric restriction affects telomere loss,” Shalev said. “We hypothesized that telomere attrition would be slower in people on calorie restriction. Instead, telomere loss would be faster in people on calorie restriction initially, and their weight would stabilize. We found that it happened more slowly after that.”
