What and when we eat are important lifestyle factors that affect our health. Scientists continue to find valuable insights into what habits can bring the greatest benefits to our health A new study has explored this problem through years of research on hundreds of mice and found that a careful balance between limiting calorie intake and eating at the most active time of the day can greatly prolong life
Scientists are gaining substantial evidence that fasting may affect long-term health in a positive way. For example, a compelling 2017 Harvard study showed how fasting can slow aging and improve health by bringing young plasticity to mitochondrial activity in our cells.
Since then, other studies have explored the biological mechanisms supporting this relationship and achieved some interesting results. A 2019 study showed that fasting can promote metabolic changes in the blood related to longevity and healthy aging. Mouse studies have also shown that fasting can promote gene expression related to improving long-term memory and reducing age-related cognitive impairment. At the same time, studies on monkeys have shown that calorie restriction can also increase life expectancy and improve health.
The latest findings in this field came from a team at the Howard Hughes Institute of medicine. They studied hundreds of mice, which were placed on different diets over four years. Scientists should not only explore how a time limited diet can delay aging, but its effect may be further enhanced when combined with prudent calorie restriction.
These mice were placed in automatic feeders. Some mice were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, while others were limited in calories by 30% to 40%, and had different eating schedules. Some mice were fed only at the most active time of the night. The study found that calorie restriction alone increased the lifespan of rodents by 10%, but when combined with eating only at night, it increased their lifespan by 35%.
The results show that time limited diet is beneficial to the body and has nothing to do with weight loss. An interesting study published last month found that limiting food intake to a short period of time a day is no more effective for weight loss than calorie restriction. In fact, the authors of the new study observed no differences in body weight between mice with different eating schedules, but "profound differences in longevity".
The combination of reduced calorie intake and nighttime eating increased the typical two-year lifespan of mice by nine months. Scientists say a similar plan in humans would be equivalent to eating only during the day. Learning more about how calorie restricted diets interact with the biological clock, known as our circadian rhythm, is a key focus for scientists. This may lead to more effective calorie restriction diets or even drugs that mimic these effects.
Researcher Joseph Takahashi said: "if we find a drug that can promote your biological clock, we can test it in the laboratory to see if it will prolong life."
The study was published in Science 》In the magazine.