October 19, 2000 – Don’t be surprised if within a few years your doctor or health advisor recommends that you control the amount of calories you consume a little better every day: everything suggests that this is a problem. secrets to maintaining optimal health and significantly slowing down the aging process.
We know that the decrease in cognitive faculties (memory, learning, language, etc.) and motor skills is due to aging of the brain. Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are two examples of the consequences of this process due to the accumulation of free radicals, instability of genetic material and damage to neurons caused by inflammatory reactions. However, in mammals, the rate of aging and the deterioration of neurons can be slowed down by reducing the caloric intake in the diet. And, as French researchers say1, this phenomenon can be easily reproduced which proves beyond any doubt its validity.
Researchers led by Dr Cheol-Koo Lee therefore wanted to know the mechanisms involved in this slowing down of aging by comparing the genetic profiles of mice at the age of 5 and 30 months, which is equivalent to the beginning and the end of adulthood. It was thus discovered that the genes involved in the inflammatory response and the reaction to oxidative stress were very active in elderly mice. Then we compared two groups of 30-month-old mice, one fed normally and the other with a caloric intake reduced by 26%. However, the hypocaloric diet reduces by 30% to 75% the expression of genes linked to aging.
The researchers therefore conclude that calorie restriction attenuates the mechanisms of aging by reducing the expression of genes linked to the stress response and inflammatory reactions.2. These mechanisms are similar to those implicated in neurodegenerative diseases in humans.
Without agreeing to follow a diet that always leaves us with a slight feeling of hunger, it is probably wise to get used to eating moderately.
1. Nicolas AS, Lanzmann-Petithory D, Vellas B. Caloric restriction and aging. J Nutr Health Aging. 1999; 3 (2): 77-83. Review.
2. Lee CK, Weindruch R, Prolla TA. Gene-expression profile of the aging brain in mice. Nat Genet. 2000 Jul; 25 (3): 294-7.
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