NEW YORK—Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have completed initial studies into the physiological reasons behind the concept that dietary restriction leads to lower incidence of age-related diseases and increased longevity and overconsumption leads to the opposite. This work has been spearheaded by Charles Mobbs, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience and geriatrics and palliative medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Initial results of this study were published Nov. 17 on PLoS Biology.
Initial results from this study show that following a diet about 30 percent lower in calories leads to an optimal level of reduction in development of age-related conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, as well slowed the aging process, increasing lifespan by about 50 percent. Interestingly, it appears the specific means of how the diet is restricted—by reducing fats, proteins, carbohydrates, etc.—is inconsequential. A 10 percent reduction in calories led to only a slight increase in lifespan.
Conversely, the researchers found that a high-calorie diet has a tendency to accelerate age-related disease by promoting oxidative stress and reduce lifespan.
The core of this study deals with CREB-binding protein, which controls the activity of genes that regulate cellular function. Mobbs notes that the protein “predicts lifespan” and that it “accounts for 80 percent of lifespan variation in mammals.”
