20 year primate study: Calorie restriction means longer life and better health

July 10, 3:20 PMExtreme Weight Loss ExaminerMark Rubi

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Photo credit: Jeff Miller, University of Wisconsin - Madison

A study covering more than 20 years has confirmed in primates the claims made by calorie restriction advocates for many years: Calorie restriction leads to a longer life and better health.

The monkey to the left looks younger and healthier. His skin is tighter and his coat is in good shape. That monkey has a calorie restricted diet.

The monkey to the right consumes a regular, non-restricted diet. He looks older and shows many signs of aging. Sparse hair across the chest and sagging skin on the face and chest indicate this is a monkey of advanced years. The monkeys are roughly the same age.

Scientists have known since the 1930s that diets which maintain adequate nutrition while reducing calorie consumption greatly expanded life expectancy in mice, but the results from the University of Wisconsin - Madison are the first to publicly verify those results in primates. The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Animal Center in Poolesville, Maryland, has also been conducting a study on primate calorie restriction since 1987. Like the study at UW, all necessary nutrients are provided while reducing calorie consumption by 30%.

The NIH says that their monkeys have responded “as expected” to calorie restriction. Like rodents, skeletal development and the onset of puberty were delayed due to the calorie restriction.

The Calorie Restriction Society does not recommend the use of calorie restriction in children and adolescents. People should be at least into their early 20’s following completion of physical growth and brain development before beginning a calorie restricted lifestyle.

The NIH added that “The monkeys on the restricted diet are smaller and weigh about 20 percent less than monkeys in the control group. However, the calorically restricted monkeys are no less physically active than animals allowed to eat at will.”

Science Now reports that the UW study reports are taking on new meaning because the monkeys in the study are now in their mid to late twenties, and the average life span for those primates is 27 years.

Key statistics from the study show:

• 63% of the monkeys on calorie restriction are still alive versus only 45% of the non-restricted monkeys.
• Age related deaths due to illnesses such as heart disease and cancer were 300% higher in the monkeys with an unrestricted diet.
• The monkeys with the restricted diet retained muscle mass better than the non-restricted primates.
• Gray matter deterioration in the brain was also less in the calorie restricted monkeys.
• Gray matter and muscle mass deterioration are both significant signs of aging in humans.

Since the monkeys in the trials could possibly live another 15 years or more, researchers will continue to gather data on the health ramifications of calorie restriction.

Note: Calorie Restriction logo used courtesy of the Calorie Resctriction Society.