2023-11-30 10:44:17
Eating less would extend lifespan. American researchers targeted a particular amino acid in their research on mice. Those who consume less isoleucine live longer… and in better health.
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Many studies establish a link between calorie (and/or protein) restriction and increased lifespan. Even better, researchers believe that a small reduction in daily calories is beneficial for healthy aging. “ It is interesting and encouraging to think that a change in diet can still make such a big difference in lifespan and what we call “healthy life expectancy”, even if this change begins closer to the middle of life », reported Dudley Lamming, professor and researcher in metabolism at the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin (United States). Lamming is the lead author of a new study published in Cell Metabolismwhich shows benefits in this direction in middle-aged mice – around six months at the start of the study, which is equivalent to a 30-year-old person – and subjected to a diet low in isoleucine.
An amino acid widely consumed by overweight people
Isoleucine is an essential amino acid for building proteins in our body, but we do not know how to synthesize it without a food source (eggs, dairy products, meats and soybean contain it). The Wisconsin Health Survey showed that isoleucine consumption varies from person to person, and is surely over-represented in overweight, overweight and obese people. “ The different components of your diet have value and impact beyond their function as calories, and we looked at one component that many people may be consuming in excess of. », Specified the professor.
The researchers divided genetically different mice into three feeding groups: either a balanced control diet containing 20 common amino acids, a diet in which all amino acids were reduced by regarding two-thirds, or a diet in which only isoleucine was reduced by the same amount. The mice might eat as much as they wanted. Yet the mice on the reduced-isoleucine diet burned more calories than the others and maintained a lower body weight, even though their activity levels were no different.
According to the results of the study, restricting dietary isoleucine increased the lifespan of mice (on average 33% longer for males and 7% longer for females). Additionally, these mice had better health. They performed better than others in 26 health measures, including muscle strength, endurance and blood sugar control. Male mice in this group had less age-related enlargement and were less likely to develop cancerous tumors.
Good results to be confirmed in humans
Could these encouraging results be transferred to humans? The authors explain that the task is far from simple for several reasons. “ We can’t just switch everyone to a low-isoleucine diet, explained Lamming. But by reducing these benefits to a single amino acid, we move closer to understanding biological processes and perhaps potential interventions for humans, such as an isoleucine-blocking drug. “. Additionally, diet is a complex chemical reaction and other dietary components might be involved in achieving these results. The authors add that we should not ban isoleucine from our diet because we need it to function.
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