Health

Restricting calories can help you live longer and healthier life, researchers say

By Mallika Marshall, MD

October 23, 2023 / 5:49 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON – There is more evidence that eating less could help you live a longer and healthier life.

Previous studies have shown a link between calorie restriction and longevity.

Researchers at the National Institute on Aging have now discovered that restricting calories can improve muscle health.

They studied 90 healthy adults and found that a 12% reduction in daily calorie intake for two years not only improved skeletal muscle quality, but upregulated genes associated with metabolism and downregulated genes associated with inflammation, all of which help promote healthy aging.

Health

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

Twitter Facebook