Volunteers lost nearly 9 kilograms on average, while the control group lost nearly 2 kilograms on average. During calorie restriction, volunteers did not have any side effects, such as anemia, bone loss or menstrual disorders, and their mood and health-related quality of life improved.
For further analysis, the researchers measured the resting metabolic rate and blood samples of volunteers. They found that by the second year of the study, the resting metabolic rate of volunteers in the calorie restriction group dropped sharply at night, about 10%, and their body temperature also dropped slightly at night. At the same time, the researchers found that the oxidative stress of volunteers with heat restriction decreased by 20%, which was caused by metabolic by-products.
There are many factors that affect metabolism, such as antioxidant mechanism, diet, biological factors, etc. However, according to the current theory, slow metabolism is most conducive to healthy aging, and organisms that can burn energy most effectively have the longest life span, while low-calorie diet can slow down human metabolism, which may be an evolutionary mechanism to conserve energy, such as animals hibernating when food is scarce.
Dr. Ridman said: "This experiment strengthens the two most lasting theories of human aging: the slow metabolic rate theory and the oxidative damage theory." The latter links the excessive production of free radicals with oxidative damage of fat, protein and DNA, leading to chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. However, this study did not give specific dietary suggestions, and I hope that the follow-up study can further refine the dietary content.