Calorie restriction acts like a real “magic pill”, counteracting the factors that lead the elderly to be susceptible to many diseases. A study uncovers the role of a key protein
A confirmation and a novelty: that calorie restriction slowed down the aging process was known, now a study published in the journal Science
it also proves that “Rejuvenates” the immune system.
The searches
A group of researchers from Yale University (USA) has described the effects of moderation at the table and the physiological processes that cause even a diet made of modest sacrifices can get surprising benefits. A moderate weight loss, in fact, is able to combine the effects of several drugs and now scientists have begun to understand how this is possible. The anti-aging effect of calorie restriction was also known thanks to a multicenter study called CALERIE (acronym for “global evaluation of the long-term effects of calorie reduction”) which began in 2007. 140 people between 20 and 50 years (not obese) had been asked to lose weight. By the end of the two-year observation period, the participants had dropped an average of 10 kilos, about 14% of their initial weight. From the data of that experimentation, collateral insights were born, which from time to time investigated specific aspects.
The already known effects
“Caloric reduction acts on many metabolic and molecular factors – explains Luigi Fontana, director of the Center for Longevity and Health of the University of Sydney and co-author of many researches connected to the CALERIE trial -: a reduction of all inflammatory indices and an enhancement of homeostatic mechanisms that They “rejuvenate” the cells. Over the years we have shown that weight loss is linked to lower insulin production (a very powerful risk factor for aging and cancer), rejuvenation of the heart (which becomes more elastic) and a reduction in many underlying pathological processes of cardiovascular diseases, tumors, strokes and cognitive impairment “.
The news on thyme
However, Yale researchers studied a subgroup of 25 people in the CALERIE trial and showed that calorie restriction had also rejuvenate their immune systems acting on the thymus (a gland above the heart) thanks to a protein called PLA2G7. The thymus produces thymocytes, the precursors of T lymphocytes (the “conductors” of the immune response), but over the years it loses volume and efficiency. Through magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers noted, in people who had lost weight, a lesser involution of the thymus than in the control group: the diet had succeeded in slowing the aging of the gland and, consequently, of the immune system. Scientists would have expected to find some difference in the cells produced by the thymus showing this effect, but the sequencing of the genes showed nothing. This fact prompted them to look for the effects of thymus rejuvenation where they were not expected to be found, that is, in the fat cells of the abdomen. In the fat cells of people whose thymus was less involved, there was a simultaneous reduction of a protein produced by a gene called PLA2G7. To find out if the protein actually caused the beneficial effects seen with calorie restriction, the researchers conducted a trial on guinea pigs. Mice artificially deprived of this gene, even if fed a high-fat diet, were protected from obesity and recorded lower rates of inflammation and loss of thymus volume.
Like a wonder drug
«The exceptional discovery is that, with a very moderate reduction in calorie intakeslow down or, in some way, the thymic involution and therefore the immunosuppression typical of aging is blocked, which is why elderly people are more susceptible to many diseases – illustrates Luigi Fontana -. The Yale research has explained that this effect, which is very important for the protection of the immune system, seems to be regulated by this molecule in the fat ». Protein is therefore one of the driving factors behind the effects of calorie restriction and in the future it could be manipulated to artificially obtain the observed benefits, but how does this discovery translate into everyday habits? «What we propose, based on the results of 30 years of scientific studies, is a modification of lifestyles, but within everyone’s reach. The intervention on the portions of meals has “miraculous” effects: the reduction of even a couple of centimeters in the waist circumference translates into an advantage similar to that obtained by taking together an antihypertensive, anti-glycemic, anti-cholesterol, anti- inflammatory and that lowers the levels of insulin and oxidation of the tissues “.
What to do
There is no need to radically change your eating habits or adhere to yet another do-it-yourself punitive diet. Just a few forethought (see the expert’s advice in the last paragraph, ed), but if you think about a more important calorie restriction, you need to be followed by a professional. «The nutrients must remain, because otherwise there is a risk of” malnutrition “- underlines the specialist -. The intake of all vitamins, mineral salts and trace elements must be adequate to the needs. What must be reduced are refined foods and the so-called “empty calories” ». It is therefore appropriate to eat less, but not all that you want. And it is good to start doing it as soon as possible, because eating without excess and correctly is good for any age and the advantages described above are quickly appreciated. «Already after a year we notice improvements in the cardiometabolic profile. Obviously the earlier you start, the more chances you have to live long and healthy – concludes Fontana -, but at any age the decline can be slowed down. It is clear that, if at sixty there has already been a thymic involution of 90%, the tissue that is “saved” will be less, but the benefits are the same because the thymic involution (as well as the stiffening of the arteries and of the heart) is something progressive that can be accelerated or slowed down ».
How to reduce portions
Moderating oneself at the table does not require a radical change in one’s lifestyle: as Luigi Fontana assures, it is enough to lose two centimeters of the waistline to gain health and longevity. «To reduce portions efficiently, the first advice is to consume a diet rich in vegetable fibers and fish, the classic “Mediterranean diet” which has a satiety effect and, in itself, reduces caloric intake – explains the expert -. Not bringing excessive portions to the table also helps and you can try to stop when you are not completely full. Studies show, then, that two (non-consecutive) days of “vegetable fasting” induce a reduction in8% of body weight in 6 months: on those occasions eat only cooked or raw vegetables, seasoned with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Finally, some people are happy to eat all meals within an 8 hour window of time ».
July 10, 2022 (change July 10, 2022 | 10:23)
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