In adults who are not obese, eating 25% fewer calories for two years is linked to a 3% slower rate of biological aging based on a DNA methylation test called DunedinPACE.
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Eating less food tells the body to slow down its aging processes by changing how genes are turned on and off through chemical marks on DNA. These changes make cells repair themselves better and cause less inflammation, which makes the body age more slowly at the molecular level.
Most probable mechanism
When the body gets less food, it detects lower energy levels and changes how it controls genes by adding or removing chemical tags on DNA. These changes affect genes that manage cell repair, inflammation, and metabolism, making the body age more slowly at the molecular level.
Reduced caloric intake lowers circulating nutrients and energy availability, decreasing activation of nutrient-sensing pathways including mTOR and increasing activation of AMPK and sirtuin families
Altered activity of AMPK and sirtuins modulates the expression and function of DNA methyltransferases and demethylases, leading to site-specific changes in DNA methylation at CpG sites
These methylation changes suppress pro-inflammatory gene expression and enhance expression of genes involved in cellular repair, autophagy, and metabolic efficiency
The cumulative effect of these methylation shifts reduces the rate of physiological decline as captured by the DunedinPACE epigenetic clock
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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EFFECT OF LONG-TERM CALORIC RESTRICTION ON THE PACE OF BIOLOGICAL AGING IN HEALTHY ADULTS FROM THE CALERIE TRIAL
Contradicting (0)
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