In a study using rats the team found that elderly rats on a long-term
calorie-restricted diet had the muscle mass and function of much
younger rats.
The rats were specially bred and from a very young age were fed a nutrition
rich diet that was 40% lighter in calories than normal.
Rats fed a normal diet lost 50% of their muscle mass and 50% of their
muscle function at old age. The study found that elderly rodents on the
strict diet experienced only a 20% drop in muscle mass and no loss of
muscle function.
According to researcher Russ Hepple, a physiologist at the University
of Calgary's Kinesiology department, the diet appears to help the aging
rats rebuild and replace muscle but it is unclear why.
He suggests restricted-calorie diets preserve the function of mitochondria
which provide the body's cells with energy as the animals grow old.
However, Hepple is not suggesting that people cut their food intake by
40%. His advice is that humans eat a healthy diet, refrain from overindulging
and remain active to maintain their muscles.
A similar diet for humans would be drastic and possibly destructive to
muscle, especially if the calories came from protein.
Source: News-Medical.Net
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