(RxWiki News) Many have heard that restricting calories is good for your health and may also make you live longer. Most of the research that proved this has been done on animals, but not anymore!
Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine have found that people match the findings from animal studies. People who lived longer also had lower body temperatures.
"Reduce calorie consumption to live longer."
Fontana and researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis performed a study to compare body temperatures in people with different diets and lifestyles for at least six years. There were 24 people who practiced calorie restriction; another 24 people who consumed a Western diet, which is high calorie and fat; lastly, another 24 endurance runners.
The people who participated in calorie restriction during the study showed a modest reduction in core body temperature when compared to the others. The endurance runners did not show reduction in body temperature.
Researchers are unsure of how lower body temperatures increase longevity, but it is certain that they are related.
A different study showed that reduction in body temperature needs to be obtained a certain way for it to work properly. Simply lowering body temperature had no benefits of longer life.
More research needs to be done to find the relationship between longer life and lower body temperature and to find out specifically if calorie restriction is causing the body temperature to drop.
The Study
- 72 people age mid 50’s
- Measured core body temperature using telemetric capsules that recorded and transmitted internal body temperatures every minute
- People on calorie restriction showed 0.2 degree Celsius drop in core body temperature, which was found significant
- Those that live longer also have lower core body temperatures; unsure of reason
