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Restricting the amount of yeast in the diet can
increase life expectancy by 50%, research into fruit flies
has shown. It is not yet clear whether the same might be true
in humans. But the authors say their findings hint it might
be what you eat rather than total calorie intake that influences
longevity, contrary to current belief. The University College
London team told PLoS Biology how it could be down to metabolic
pathways triggered by foods.
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2005/05/30
Quality not quantity
Lead researcher
Professor Linda Partridge said: "Yeast and sugar trigger different metabolic pathways
with different effects on life span.
"The dramatic impact of
reducing yeast suggests that protein or fat plays a greater
role in fly longevity than sugar."
She said the results made
a "strong case" that calories per se are not the important
factor in prolonging life - at least in fruit flies.
A spokesman
from the International Longevity Centre UK said: "At this point
in time, it is difficult to state whether or not diet, rather
than simply calorific intake, has a major bearing on life expectancy
in humans."
Mediterranean foods
But he added: "Diet is an important issue we have largely ignored until recently.
"It
is well established that obesity can be both highly unpleasant and harmful to
life expectancy.
"It is interesting to note however that studies (such as Healthy
Ageing:
A Longitudinal Study in Europe) appear to confirm that a Mediterranean
diet, rich in plant foods and fish, low in meat and dairy products, and with
a high ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to polyunsaturated fatty acids, strongly
correlated with a lower mortality risk for cardiovascular disease and cancers.
"It
seems likely, therefore, that calorific intake per se is not the only factor
in assessing diet.
He said that a Mediterranean diet combined with exercise,
moderate alcohol consumption and abstaining from smoking gave a person more years
of good heath than any of these lifestyle factors alone.
He stressed that too
little food could also be harmful.
For example, because metabolism slows with
age, this often means the appetite for calories falls behind the nutritional
needs for fluids, vitamins, minerals and protein, leaving the older person vulnerable
to unnecessary malnutrition and disease, he said.
Story from BBC NEWS
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