*Shorter print version for limited amount of space.
Studies show there is a new tool to living longer: lowering calorie intake.
BYU researchers were examining how the body's ribosomes function and found there is a way to slow down the aging process.
Chemistry professor John Price recently conducted a study involving mice and the ways calorie intake can affect the lifespan of their cells.
By cutting calories, the cells' protein makers — ribosomes — slow down, which slows aging, according to Price's study. The slower speed of calorie intake allows extra time for the ribosomes to repair.
The goal of this research project was to find biochemical mechanisms that can decrease the rate of aging.
'If we can identify these processes, we may be able to intercede and prevent the development of age-related diseases like frailty, neurodegeneration and cancer,' Price said.
Andrew Mathis, a BYU master's student who worked with Price on this research, said controlling calorie intake can help better maintain ribosomes. This control can lead to higher quality protein, which aids in a longer lifespan and reduces age-related diseases.
Research on the rate of biological aging has been conducted since the 1930s, but Mathis said this was the first time a study was done to measure specific ribosomal parts. Price and his team were not the first to make the connections between cutting calories and lifespan, but they were the first to recognize that slowing down protein synthesis can extend cell life.
Chad Hancock, associate professor of nutrition, dietetics and food science, said there could be potential health benefits of calorie restriction.
'The physiological mechanisms for the benefits of calorie restriction are not clear, and this study provides new and very specific information regarding how caloric restriction may change an organism’s biochemistry (and) physiology,' Hancock said.
Price said he believes this study can aid in the understanding of how eating healthier can help us live longer. He also said people should not start depriving themselves of calorie intake to live longer even though cutting calories can increase lifespan.