A long-term study of monkeys’ diets is providing new insight into how the brain ages.
Researchers from Boston University, in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging, followed a group of rhesus monkeys over several decades.
The study, published in the journal Aging Cell, is unusual because of its long duration and its focus on aging.
The monkeys were divided into two groups. Both received a nutritionally balanced diet, but one group consumed approximately 30 percent fewer calories than the other.
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The experiment began in the 1980s and continued until the animals’ natural deaths.
According to the researchers, this extended time frame makes it possible to observe how diet affects the body and the brain later in life, something that is rarely feasible in animal studies.
Brain development
After the monkeys died, the researchers conducted a closer examination of their brains.
The study shows that monkeys with lower calorie intake exhibited fewer signs of age-related changes in the brain, according to the research team behind the study.
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In particular, cells that support the function of nerve cells were better preserved.
These cells are important for ensuring that brain signals can travel efficiently, and when they deteriorate, overall brain function is affected.
According to lead author Ana Vitantonio, the findings are not about a specific diet, but about understanding how the brain ages and which biological processes are involved.
What does this mean for humans?
Although the results are striking, both researchers and nutrition experts caution against directly applying them to humans.
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According to Medical News Today, long-term and severe reductions in calorie intake can lead to health problems in humans.
Instead, reference is made to human studies such as CALERIE, which examine more moderate dietary changes.
Here, the focus is on smaller reductions and on maintaining a healthy composition of the diet.
According to the researchers, the findings contribute to a better understanding of the link between diet, metabolism, and brain aging.
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Sources: Medical News Today, Aging Cell, and CALERIE.
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