Eating less can really make you live longer, the study says

Eating less can add years to your life if new research is to be believed.

Researchers at Yale University say that reducing calories can “rejuvenate” a key part of your immune system.

Adults who reduced their calorie intake by approximately 14 percent had a better functioning thymus gland.

This is equivalent to about 300 calories for men who follow a dietary guideline of 2,000 per day for women or 2,500 for men.

The thymus gland, an organ above the heart that produces disease-fighting T cells, usually ages faster than the rest of the body.

Stopping its decline could “extend healthy life expectancy,” according to Professor Vishwa Deep Dixit, a nutritionist who was part of the research team.

Researchers believe that reducing calorie intake can also thwart inflammation – when the immune system overreacts, leading to a number of diseases.

Labeled “exciting” by researchers, the study adds to decades of evidence that reducing calories can prolong the lives of flies, worms and mice by strengthening the thymus gland.

He was the first to consider whether the same thing happens to humans.

Reducing the amount you eat can add years to your life by rejuvenating a gland vital to your immune system, say Yale University researchers [stock pic]

What is the thymus gland?

The thymus is a small gland located in the thorax just below the sternum; and is critical to the body’s response to disease invasion.

With age, their thymus glands shrink and become harder to find.

White blood cells come from the bone marrow. About half of them go directly into the bloodstream and tissue fluids, but the rest have to pass through the thymus gland.

The thymus gland is a central figure in the immune system due to its major role in the processing of these white blood cells into T lymphocytes.

These thymic lymphocytes perform three protective functions.

First, they stimulate the production and growth of antibodies by other lymphocytes.

Second, they stimulate the growth and action of phagocytes, which surround and absorb invading viruses and microbes.

Finally, thymic lymphocytes recognize and destroy foreign and abnormal tissue.

The study, published in sciencerecruited 238 non-obese adults aged 26 to 47 and assigned two-thirds to reduce calorie intake.

They were instructed to follow a diet plan aimed at reducing their intake by a quarter. They were not asked to adhere to a certain amount of food.

Their body weight of all participants is measured regularly to assess how much they adhere to the plan.

Measurements show that volunteers have reduced their intake by an average of about 14%, ranging from 12 to 22%.

When researchers examined magnetic resonance imaging two years later, they found that those who ate less had better-functioning thymus glands.

They measure the number of T cells, as well as the weight and fat mass around the thymus glands.

They also found a reduction in fat around the gland, compared to a small change in the group that had no dietary restrictions during the test.

Senior author Professor Dixit, who is director of the Yale Center for Aging, said the thymus was producing more T cells after two years of eating less than at the start of the study.

He said: “I think the fact that this organ can be rejuvenated is staggering because there is very little evidence of what is happening to humans.

“It’s very exciting that this is even possible.

“There is so much debate about which type of diet is better – low in carbs or fat, high in protein, periodic starvation – and I think time will tell which one is important.

“But this is a very well-controlled study, which shows a simple reduction in calories and lack of a specific diet, has a remarkable effect in terms of biology and the shift of the immune-metabolic state in a direction that protects human health.

“So, in terms of public health, I think it gives hope.”

The study also showed that reducing calorie intake inhibited the production of a specific age-related protein called PLA2G7.

It is produced by immune cells known as macrophages and can cause age-related inflammation.

Professor Dixit said: “These findings show that PLA2G7 is one of the drivers of calorie-limiting effects.

“Identifying these engines helps us understand how the metabolic system and the immune system talk to each other, which can lead us to potential goals that can improve immune function, reduce inflammation and potentially even increase healthy living.”