Anti-inflammatory diet
The relationship between calorie restriction and health status has been established
Oksana Sholokhova, Naked Science
In recent decades, it has been shown that limiting calorie intake in flies, worms and mice can increase life expectancy in laboratory conditions. It remained unclear whether the same pattern was confirmed in humans. However, the latest study conducted by scientists from Yale University confirmed the benefits of moderate calorie restriction for improving health, and also revealed the key protein responsible for these processes.
The study, published in the journal Science (Rhoads, Anderson, Caloric restriction has a new player), involved 200 subjects. Initially, the scientists determined the basic amount of calories consumed for each participant. Then they asked some people to reduce their consumption by 14%, while the rest continued to eat as usual.
Experts analyzed the long-term effects of calorie restriction on health over the next two years. Previous experiments conducted on mice showed that limiting calorie intake led to a decrease in markers of chronic inflammation (their number, in turn, is associated with the amount of excess fat in the body). In this regard, scientists also expected to see the main effects in humans associated with an immune response and a decrease in markers of chronic inflammation.
The team focused on the study of the thymus gland, one of the key organs that support the immune system and are involved in the production of T cells. The research team used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine whether functional differences in the functioning of the thymus gland appeared in those who restricted calorie intake and those who did not.
As it turned out, the thymus gland in participants from the group with limited calorie intake had less fat and more functional volume after two years of calorie restriction. The scientists also showed that their thymus gland produced more T cells than at the beginning of the study. But at the same time, no changes in the functional volume of the thymus gland were detected in participants who did not limit their calorie intake.
The scientists also focused on finding specific genes that may be involved in improving the metabolic and anti-inflammatory response. They found noticeable changes in the expression of adipose tissue genes: in the group that restricted calorie intake, there was a decrease in the expression of PLA2G7 produced by immune cells-macrophages. Previous studies conducted on mice also showed that a decrease in PLA2G7 expression had a positive effect on their health.
To a certain extent, the results can be called breakthrough: according to the authors of the work, this opens up opportunities for manipulating the level of PLA2G7 expression in humans, which will allow you to get health benefits from calorie restriction without having to reduce the number of calories consumed.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru