New studies show that calorie restriction improves metabolism and immune response and helps determine how long a person will live and how many years of health he or she will enjoy.
“Two years of moderate calorie restriction have reprogrammed the way mitochondria generate energy, the body’s anti-inflammatory response, and the pathways of adipocytes that potentially help regulate longevity,” Pennington Organisms said. Medical Research Center. “In other words, calorie restriction rewires many of the metabolic and immune responses that extend life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.”
The new study used data collected by Pennington Biomedical’s CALERIE 2 (a comprehensive assessment of the long-term effects of reduced energy intake). This is the longest-running calorie restriction test in humans.New research published in journal Chemistry..
The study found that people who reduced their caloric intake by about 14% in two years produced more T cells that play an important role in immune function and slow down the aging process.
Dr. Eric Ravesin, Deputy Managing Director of Clinical Science at the Pennington Center for Biomedical Research.Credits: Pennington Center for Biomedical Research
“As people grow older, the thymus contracts and produces less T cells. As a result, older people struggle to fight infections and certain cancers,” said the Pennington Center for Biomedical Research. Dr. Eric Ravesin, Deputy Managing Director for Clinical Sciences, said. “Calorie restriction prevents the thymus from contracting and helps a person produce more T cells.”
In addition to improving immunity, an increase in T cells is associated with an increase in the ability to burn fatty acid stores for energy, Dr. Ravussin said. This is important because if a person does not burn this fuel, fat can build up in organs such as muscles and liver, leading to insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and aging.
There was another important discovery in this study. It is a potential treatment to reduce age-related inflammation and improve metabolic health.
Studies have shown that limiting calories in rodents by 40% increases lifespan. However, there were trade-offs in growth, reproduction and immunity.
However, calorie restriction also reduces the level of the gene that encodes the platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PLA2G7). Reducing PLA2G7 has health benefits such as reducing age-related inflammation and improving metabolic health.
“If researchers can find a way to take advantage of PLA2G7, they can create treatments that extend an individual’s health, which is the time for an individual to experience health,” said Pennington, Executive Director of Biomedicine. Dr. John Kirwan said.
Reference: “There are new players in calorie restriction” by Timothy W. Rhodes and Rosalin M. Anderson, February 10, 2022, Chemistry..
DOI: 10.1126 / science.abn6576
This study was partially supported by the National Institutes of Health under the Awards AG031797, AG045712, P01AG051459, and AR070811 for VDD.Glenn Medical Research Foundation (VDD); Cure[{” attribute=””>Alzheimer’s Fund (V.D.D.); and the Aging Biology Foundation (M.N.A.). The CALERIE study was funded by the National Institute on Aging under awards U01AG022132, U01AG020478, U01AG020487, and U01AG020480. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
About the Pennington Biomedical Research Center
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the triggers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. The Center architected the “Obecity, USA” awareness and advocacy campaign to help solve the obesity epidemic by 2040. The Center conducts basic, clinical, and population research, and is affiliated with Louisiana State University. The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes over 480 employees within a network of 40 clinics and research laboratories, and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. Its scientists and physician/scientists are supported by research trainees, lab technicians, nurses, dietitians, and other support personnel. Pennington Biomedical is located in state-of-the-art research facilities on a 222-acre campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
