Can you slow down aging by simply eating less

Previous animal experiments have shown that reducing calories can increase longevity. However, too severe restrictions have the opposite effect - weakened immunity and other problems.

Details

In the new study, scientists focused on a gentler approach. For two years, participants reduced their caloric intake by about 11-14 per cent, without rigid diets or starvation.

Analyses showed that their levels of C3 protein, an immune system element linked to chronic inflammation, decreased. Such inflammation is considered a key factor in aging and age-related diseases.

Interestingly, this effect appeared to be related not so much to weight loss, but to the dietary change itself. Even with a moderate reduction in calories, the body began to work differently.

Additional animal experiments confirmed: suppressing the activity of this protein may reduce age-related inflammation.

Why it matters

The study shows that the aging process may be partially controllable.

This means:

• moderate calorie reduction can affect long-term health
• ageing is linked to inflammatory processes in the body
• it is potentially possible to influence these mechanisms without rigid diets

However, the scientists emphasise that they are not talking about radical dietary restriction.

The results do not mean that it is necessary to drastically reduce calories or sit on a strict diet.

Too much dietary restriction can, on the contrary, harm:

• weaken your immune system
• reduce energy levels
• disrupt normal bodily functions

Background

The C3 protein is part of the immune system that helps fight infections. However, as we age, its activity can increase chronic inflammation.

It is these processes that are increasingly seen as a key factor in ageing.

Source

The study was published in the journal Nature Aging (2026). It analysed data from the CALERIE clinical trial, in which participants moderately reduced their calorie intake over two years.