Hungry for a Longer Life?

For a longer life, cut the cheese?

This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying… ask mice!

Andrea Di Francesco and team at Calico and Jackson Labs did just that. They followed nearly a thousand mice on different diets. Some fasted, some cut calories, and some ate freely.

And? Mice on a forty percent calorie restriction lived the longest. But they were also colder, weaker, and more prone to infections.

Turns out, health and lifespan don’t always go hand in hand. Some mice with great health died earlier, while unhealthy mice hung around.

This study shows that diet CAN affect our longevity, but it’s a balancing act. 

So cut the calories if you want, but… maybe keep a pizza in the freezer… for morale!


Reference: Di Francesco, A., Deighan, A.G., Litichevskiy, L. et al. Dietary restriction impacts health and lifespan of genetically diverse mice. Nature 634, 684–692 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08026-3