Low-calorie diet may not prolong life

A healthy diet does improve longevity, and eating less of it may slow the onset of some diseases but will not actually prolong life suggests new research. Rhesus Monkeys studied over a long term showed that those on the calorie-restricted diet had a lower incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer than the rest, and dieting males also had lower cholesterol.

So calorie counting and healthy eating may no lengthen your life yet it will provide a potentially better quality of life.

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Scientists have found that a low calorie diet does improve health but does not lead to increased life-span. The scientists who were carrying out the study on rhesus monkeys over 23 years to look further into a perceived connection between food restrictions and life longevity.

The study was carried out on the monkeys as they are long-lived primates just like humans. Over the length of the study which started in Maryland in 1987 saw monkeys of varying ages fed a diet that was 30% lower in calories than the monkeys fed a normal diet.

The researchers noted in the journal Nature that the monkeys on a lower calorie diet had lower occurrences of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. “However, these effects did not translate directly to a beneficial effect in longevity,” over the control monkeys, Rafael de Cabo of the NIA’s Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology, told AFP.

These results contradict those of the study carried out at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, which has results to show that rhesus monkeys on a lower calorie diet do live longer.

Original Article from: http://m.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/low-calorie-diet-may-not-prolong-life