Anti-Aging 101: It's All About the Calories

By Editorial Staff

As we get older, or even ponder getting older, one question remains top of mind: How can I age gracefully? Theories on the secrets of ant-aging abound, but new research points to an intriguing possibility: calorie restriction.

Aging isn't just about appearance; the aging process increases our risk of developing numerous diseases, and negatively impacts our immune strength in general – one reason why viruses such as influenza (flu) and coronavirus (COVID-19) seem to impact the elderly at a higher and more severe rate than others. In this study, published in the journal Cell, researchers used a rat model to compare the impact of a normal-calorie diet vs. a restricted-calorie diet (30 percent fewer calories) on cellular indicators of aging.

Researchers discovered that overall, nearly 60 percent of age-related changes in cell composition in rats fed the normal diet were absent in rats on the calorie-restricted diet. In other words, many of the cellular changes that would normally occur with age did not take place! Cells related to immunity, inflammation and lipid metabolism appeared to be the most affected by diet, and in one type of fat tissue, the calorie-restricted diet appeared to cause expression levels of many anti-inflammatory genes to levels normally seen in much younger rats.

Talk to your doctor about the health, wellness and anti-aging benefits of a healthy diet that's high on sound nutrition and sensible on calories. It could be the Fountain of Youth you've been searching for all these years.