Reducing calories extends life of older mice

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2004

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Lab mice who ate fewer calories seem to live longer, even if they start cutting calories late in life, according to a study published that contradicts prior research contending that calories should be reduced at a young age to prolong life.

The study showed that putting older mice on a diet brought immediate results as the rodents' lives were extended by six months and cancer rates were reduced.

Reducing calories slowed the growth of tumors, according to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Tumors as a cause of death declined from 80 percent to 67 percent.

Genes in older mice's livers experienced the same effect as in the younger mice who also went on a diet,...