Fewer calories for a longer life

Contrary to a previous post that suggested Dieting May Shorten Your Life, CNN now suggests that Fewer calories equals a longer life — At least in monkeys

Cutting daily calorie intake by 30 percent may put the brakes on the aging process, have beneficial effects on the brain, and result in a longer life span, according to a new 20-year study of monkeys published in the journal Science. Calorie restriction needs to be done carefully in order not to turn into malnutrition, say experts. The study confirms in primates what’s long been known in other species, including mice, worms, and flies. And it’s no surprise to the humans who have taken the animal research to heart and adopted calorie restriction as a means to a (hopefully) longer and healthier life.

In the study of 76 adult rhesus monkeys (a species that shares many similarities with humans), only 13 percent of the calorie-restricted animals died during the 20-year period, compared with 37 percent of monkeys allowed to eat their usual diet. (The study began with 30 monkeys; an additional 46 were added in 1994.)

This is hardly surprising news to Brian M. Delaney, coauthor of “The Longevity Diet: Discover Calorie Restriction–the Only Proven Way to Slow the Aging Process and Maintain Peak Vitality“. He has been eating 20 percent fewer calories than most people of his size and stature since 1992. Delaney is president of the nonprofit Calorie Restriction Society, which had 2,000 members in 2007 and thousands more on mailing lists.

How to square these two conflicting theories is not at all clear. Perhaps you should have a reduced diet all through until you reach a designated senior age, then ease off a little to ensure your body has the resiliance to handle whatever health hazards life may throw at you.

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• Low-cal diet slows aging in monkeys (msnbc.msn.com)