Get Psyched! Psychedelic-Induced Neuroplasticity as a Therapeutic for Mental Illnesses√
Written by Gurveen Dosanjh
Edited by Carolyn Chiu
April 5, 2024
Edited by Carolyn Chiu
April 5, 2024
Research
Calorie restriction involves consuming food and nutrients in meals with small amounts of calories in a consistent manner that does not impact the body to the point of malnutrition. Scientists have experimented with calorie restriction in animal models and have shown calorie restriction to help slow down the development of diseases in aging. Through further experimentation, a peer reviewed paper in Aging Cell reports that said mechanisms in animal models are also noticeable in processes in the human body. The action of restricting calories in one’s consistent dietary patterns displays an improvement in the ability for the body’s muscles to be restored in addition to pathways in the body to be activated to improve long term functioning.
These experiments were done through the Comprehensive Assessment of Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE) through the National Institute of Aging. These experiments were performed over a period of two years in which the participants reduced their intake of calories by 12% percent and displayed a level of strengthening in their biological pathways that aided in the development of healthy aging. The results display that individuals actively participating in calorie restriction lost muscle mass and dropped quite drastically in their weight class. Some participants were reported to have lost twenty pounds and maintained their weight through their continuation of the diet. The loss of muscle mass that was apparent in participants surprisingly did not have any correlative changes in their muscle strength which was consistent throughout the duration of the diet. This sort of maintenance of muscle strength was related to the calorie restriction performed and touched on something within the human body known as muscle specific force. Muscle specific force is the overall strength capacity of human muscle units which in this experiment was displayed to have improved through the restriction of calories. The results of calorie restriction from this experiment were further investigated by extracting muscle samples or biopsies from the participants to assess which genes in particular were impacted by the restriction of calories. The gene pathways possessed levels of improvement in their operation within the body which aided in muscle cells to possess consistent strength in addition to the weight loss apparent within caloric restriction.
These findings suggest that calorie restriction could hold promise for promoting healthy aging and enhancing physiological functions in the human body. This research possesses prevalence within the future implications in developing strategies to manage age-related health issues, providing valuable insights for designing effective interventions for a healthier aging population.