- Studies in mice suggest that dietary timing is important for maximizing the anti-aging effects of calorie restriction.
- On a calorie-restricted diet, mice ate only during the active phase of the circadian cycle lived nearly 35% longer than control mice ate at any time.
- Mice on a calorie-restricted diet that ate only during the inactive period lived only 10% longer than control mice.
- If the findings apply to humans, they suggest that to maximize lifespan, people should reduce their caloric intake and avoid eating late at night.
Studies have shown that in all these organisms, food deficiencies lead to physiological changes that promote longevity and delay the onset of age-related diseases.
Animal studies have shown that the timing of calorie restriction can be influenced by a circadian system that controls the daily cycle of behaviors such as physiology, metabolism, and diet. This is also related to aging.
As a result, researchers at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, Texas) investigated whether dietary timing contributed to the life-prolonging effect of calorie restriction.
Many studies have shown that calorie restriction increases life expectancy in mice. However, most of this study is aimed at scientists feeding laboratory mice a calorie-restricted diet during the day.
Unlike humans, mice are nocturnal. In other words, it has evolved to feed at night.
Therefore, in their study, scientists used an automatic feeder to ensure that some mice eat only at night.
Animals were divided into 6 groups to determine if dietary timing affected lifespan, regardless of calorie restriction or fasting.
In one group that acted as a control, the animals were able to eat Ad lib (Whenever they want, as long as they want).
The remaining five groups ate a calorie-restricted diet (30-40% less calories) with the same total caloric intake but a different feeding schedule.
Control mouse ate Ad lib Median lifespan was 800 days, but mice on a calorie-restricted diet and a 24-hour diet lived 875 days, or 10% longer.
Mice on a calorie-restricted diet that ate only during the day (inactive stage of the circadian cycle) and fasted for 12 hours overnight lived for 959 days. In other words, they lived almost 20% longer than the controls.
However, calorie-restricted mice that ate only during the active period and fasted for the remaining 12 hours lived the longest. These animals recorded an average lifespan of 1,068 days, which was almost 35% longer than control animals.
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“We have discovered a new dimension of calorie restriction that dramatically extends the lifespan of laboratory animals,” said a senior author, a researcher at Howard Hughes Medical Institute and chair of neuroscience at the UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Joseph Kahashi said.
“If these findings apply to people, we may want to rethink if we really want that midnight treat,” he adds.
They also found that a calorie-restricted diet improved the regulation of blood glucose and insulin sensitivity in animals, but the improvement was greatest in mice ate only at night (their active period).
This suggests that mice are healthier and age more slowly, Dr. Takahashi said. Today’s medical news..
Researchers have found that in all mice, aging increases the activity of genes involved in inflammation and decreases the activity of genes involved in metabolism and circadian rhythms.
Calorie restriction delayed these age-related changes, but mice that ate only at night enjoyed the greatest benefit.
“Because aging can be seen as a progressive increase in inflammation [calorie restriction] It also slows down this age-related increase in inflammation. This is in line with the delay in the aging process, “says Dr. Takahashi.
The author notes some limitations of their work.
In particular, they write that sleep disorders in mice eaten during the day (during inactivity) may have contributed to shortening their lifespan.
In addition, all mice in the study were male. The authors write that in women, ovarian hormones may provide some protection against circadian rhythm disturbances.
Like all studies, including animal models, this study may not translate well into humans.
If the findings apply to humans with an active phase opposite to that of mice, scientists suggest that eating early in the evening is best for healthy aging.
One day, it may even be possible to develop drugs that target circadian genes or the proteins they make to mimic the anti-aging effects of eating only during active periods.
“”[W]e is working on this idea and is looking for a drug that can boost circadian rhythms, “says Dr. Takahashi. “I wish you success!”
Eating late at night interferes with your body’s ability to keep your blood sugar within a healthy range.
Recent studies have found that this is especially true for people with certain variations of the melatonin receptor gene.
Melatonin is a hormone that helps control the sleep and wake cycle. As its level increases in the evening, this not only causes drowsiness, but
As a result, after a meal close to bedtime, the body becomes more difficult to control blood sugar levels.
“Many people choose carbohydrate-rich snacks such as chips, cookies, candies, and popcorn late at night, so these snacks impair glycemic control and are more likely to increase the risk of prediabetes and diabetes.” Said Mariam Eid of RD. , LD, a diabetic and founder of A Happy A One C. It provides advice for teens and young adults who have recently been diagnosed with prediabetes.
“Therefore, eating a carbohydrate-rich diet or light meal early in the day improves glycemic balance and helps prevent prediabetes and diabetes,” she said. MNT..
