Eating less made these tiny primates live longer — but their brains shrank in some spots
Caloric restriction increases lifespan but affects brain integrity in grey mouse lemur primates
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists fed some tiny primates 30% less food than usual and watched what happened as they aged. The少吃 group lived longer and got sick less often, but their brains lost more gray matter in areas linked to memory — even though they still remembered things just as well.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
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Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists fed some tiny primates 30% less food than usual and watched what happened as they aged. The少吃 group lived longer and got sick less often, but their brains lost more gray matter in areas linked to memory — even though they still remembered things just as well.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 518 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Publication
Authors
Pifferi F, Terrien J, Marchal J, Dal-Pan A, Djelti F, Hardy I, Chahory S, Cordonnier N, Desquilbet L, Hurion M, Zahariev A, Chery I, Zizzari P, Perret M, Epelbaum J, Blanc S, Picq JL, Dhenain M, Aujard F
Related Content
Claims (5)
Reducing calorie intake in laboratory animals results in a longer lifespan.
In male grey mouse lemurs, a 30% reduction in calorie intake over time does not change performance on tests of spatial or working memory, even though brain regions involved in memory show increased tissue loss.
In male grey mouse lemurs, a 30% reduction in food intake over four years is linked to maintained white matter in certain brain regions but greater loss of grey matter in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and retrosplenial cortex.
In male grey mouse lemurs, eating 30% fewer calories over a long period leads to fewer deaths from age-related diseases like cancer and kidney disease compared to lemurs that eat normally.
Male grey mouse lemurs that eat 30% fewer calories starting in early adulthood live 50% longer on average and die less frequently from age-related causes compared to those eating normally.