Eating a little less every day could help you live longer.
Cutting your daily calorie intake by as much as 25 percent could reduce your risk of dying prematurely by as much as 15 percent—and that has the same impact as giving up smoking, say researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
They put 110 people on a calorie-restricted diet for two years and compared three metabolic measurements, known as the epigenetic clocks, with another group that continued to eat their usual diet.
Calorie restriction slowed the ageing processes by around 3 percent, which translates into a 10 to 15 percent reduction in overall mortality risk. In particular, the diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as heart problems, stroke, disability and dementia, said Calen Ryan, one of the researchers.
Calorie-reduction could be achieved through intermittent fasting or eating in a time-restricted period, or just by eating a little less at mealtimes and not snacking.
