LESS MAY BE MORE

Restricting calories has been shown to benefit health, and even improve lifespan. But how or why has been less clear. Now, Buck Institute for Research on Aging documents how the brain is involved, in addition to how a restrictive diet affects the digestive system. Researchers uncovered a gene that is linked to lifespan extension seen with dietary restriction. The gene, OXR1, is also essential for healthy aging of the brain. The study, appearing in the journal Nature Communications, suggests intermittent fasting may enhance levels of the gene and its protective effects. Authors say the next step in their research is to find out if specific nutrients increase levels of OXR1, since what we eat, as well as when, may affect more than we know.