Restricted diet ‘can extend lifespan’

A restricted diet can extend lifespan, even if it is adopted later in life, a study has shown.

Scientists conducted the study at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council’s Centre for Integrated Systems Biology of Ageing and Nutrition at Newcastle University.

Chunfang Wang, the lead researcher on the project, explained that a very low calorie diet can help to extend lifespan as it allows cells to replicate for longer and can reduce damage to the protective ends of chromosomes.

“In turn this prevents the accumulation of damaging tissue oxidation which would normally lead to age-related disease,” he added.

Alzheimer’s is one age-related disease that can be affected by being overweight or obese, the lead author of a study conducted by Northwestern University in Illinois revealed recently.

Dr Diana Kerwin said that excess fat could contribute to the formation of plaques associated with Alzhiemer’s.

Now that you know eating less and eating healthily can extend your life and prevent diseases, are you going to change your diet?