Small Changes Hold Aging at Bay
May 15, 2006
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A little dieting and exercise can go a long way when it comes to minimizing the effects of aging, report researchers who conducted a study in mice.
They found mice that exercised just a little (the equivalent of a short walk a day in humans) and ate only a bit less (a few hundred calories a day in people) not only lived longer but also reduced key markers of cellular aging.
The authors note previous studies in humans linked a drastic reduction in caloric intake -- 20-percent to 40-percent daily -- to a slowing of the aging process. In this study, mice enjoyed anti-aging benefits by eating just 8 percent less than normal and only moderately increasing their physical activity.
The investigators tracked aging by looking at biomarkers in the liver, an organ considered essential for healthy aging. Mice placed on the reduced calorie diet and moderate exercise program were compared to other mice that were allowed to eat their fill and followed normal exercise patterns.
"This finding suggests that even slight moderation in intake of calories and a moderate exercise program is beneficial to a key organ such as the liver, which shows significant signs of dysfunction in the aging process," says study author Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, Ph.D., from the University of Florida's Institute on Aging in Gainesville.
The authors believe the diet and exercise strategy works by reducing inflammatory responses in the body and preventing the death of cells.
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SOURCE: Antioxidants and Redox Signaling, 2006;8:529-538