Wrinkles AREN’T inevitable! Cutting 500 calories a day can ‘delay the signs of ageing’
WRINKLES are NOT a fact of life, and can be prevented, an expert has revealed.
And dieting could be the answer!
Cutting calories can delay the signs of ageing, according to Dr Rozalyn Anderson, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She said: "One of the things people sometimes miss is the amazing fact that ageing can be altered.
"Calorie restriction research proves this."
Dr Anderson said a recent study showed eating 25 per cent fewer calories a day could be the key to warding off the ravages of time.
That equates to women slashing 500 calories a day - sticking to a total of 1,500 rather than the recommended 2,000.
And for blokes that means only eating 1,875 calories a day, rather than the 2,500 men are advised to stick to.
Fasting diets, such as the 5:2 diet, that encourage dieters to restrict their daily calorie count for two days a week, have prompted mixed reviews from the experts.
Many argue that fasting isn't a long-term solution with people piling on the pounds as soon as they stop.
But, Dr Anderson said the first-ever clinical trial looking at how effective fasting is in humans, has shown it can ward off the signs of getting older.
The idea was first raised around 80 years ago, when scientific studies revealed the findings in rodents.
But, in the last few decades, as techniques have improved and advanced at pace, scientists have made giant leaps in identifying what causes ageing.
One of the things that people sometimes miss is the amazing fact that ageing can be altered; calorie restriction research proves this
Dr Rozalyn Anderson
They've identified processes deep within the body's cells that contribute to the increased risk of various diseases linked to ageing.
And while for years the evidence has shown calorie restriction can delay ageing in animal studies, more recent findings could prove encouraging for us humans.
Dr Anderson said: "Remarkably, calorie restriction has been shown to be effective in delaying ageing in multiple species and the results in humans look equally promising.
"Indeed for many studies, calorie restriction is used as the gold-standard for enhanced longevity against which new drugs and anti-ageing strategies are measured."
Dr Anderson explores the issue in the recent, special issue of The Journals of Gerontology, which she edits.
One of the articles focuses on the CALERIE study, published in May, the first human clinical trial of calorie restriction.
Scientists across three sites in the US showed not only that fasting could be tolerated in humans, but that restricting calories also had benefits.
Those on the calorie-restricted diet, eating 25 per cent fewer calories a day, saw their biological age increase by 0.11 years.
MORE ON DIETS
In comparison, those eating their normal diet - in line with daily guidelines - aged by an average of 0.71 years.
Experts said this first study has paved the way for more investigations to look at how a fasting diet could ward off ageing.
Dr Anderson added: "Ultimately, what these studies show is that what you eat influences how you age, and it's not all bad news."