Does calorie restriction impact telomeres?

The study was published in the journal Aging Cell.

Telomeres shorten with each cell replication, eventually leading to loss of the protective cap. This can result in damaged genetic information and impaired cell function or reproduction.

Longer telomeres indicate a younger cell compared to shorter telomeres. Thus, individuals of the same age may have different biological ages based on telomere length.

In the study, the researchers tested the telomere length of 175 research participants using data from the start of the CALERIE study, one year into the study and the end of the study after 24 months of caloric restriction.

The results showed that participants initially on caloric restriction lost weight and telomeres more rapidly than the control group in the first year. However, after stabilization of weight, caloric restriction slowed telomere loss compared to the control group in the second year. Ultimately, after two years, the telomere lengths of both groups were statistically similar.

"There are many reasons why caloric restriction may extend human lifespans, and the topic is still being studied. One primary mechanism through which life is extended relates to metabolism in a cell. When energy is consumed within a cell, waste products from that process cause oxidative stress that can damage DNA and otherwise break down the cell. When a person's cells consume less energy due to caloric restriction, however, there are fewer waste products, and the cell does not break down as quickly”

said Waylon Hastings, lead author of this study.

“This research shows the complexity of how caloric restriction affects telomere loss. We hypothesized that telomere loss would be slower among people on caloric restriction. Instead, we found that people on caloric restriction lost telomeres more rapidly at first and then more slowly after their weight stabilized"

Reference: Hastings, W. J., et al. (2024). Effect of long‐term caloric restriction on telomere length in healthy adults: CALERIETM 2 trial analysis. Aging Cell. doi.org/10.1111/acel.14149.