Monkeys on a restricted diet had fewer age-related deaths than those on a normal diet, a study found. Calorie restriction has been shown to prolong the lives of lower organisms, like mice and worms, but this is the first study to demonstrate the effect in primates. Monkeys on the diet were less likely to develop, and die from, diabetes. If the study’s conclusions hold up, they would provide further evidence that resveratrol—the molecule in red wine that may impart health benefits—and other experimental drugs that have similar effects to calorie restriction (but without the diet) could someday be used to treat age-related maladies, like type 2 diabetes, in humans.
Source: Science, July 10, 2009