Severe calorie restriction reduces aging-related cell damage

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Longevity researchers say they've shown for the first time that

following a strict low-calorie diet can decrease DNA damage linked

with aging.

The findings are provocative, but preliminary. Longer-term research

will try to sort out whether such changes can meaningfully extend

people's lives, said senior author Ravussin of the Pennington

Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University.

" They are the first proof that what has been observed in rodents seems

to be also working in humans, " Ravussin said.

The results are from the first phase of research at the Baton Rouge

center sponsored by a $12.4 million National Institute on Aging grant.

They follow unrelated research reported in January which suggested a

very restrictive diet seemed to help the heart age more slowly.

The latest study appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American

Medical Association.