Previous research suggests that restricting calories by 20-60% promotes a longer lifespan in animal studies. This two-year study of caloric restriction in humans found that those who restricted their calories lost telomeres at different rates than the control group despite both groups ending the study with telomeres that were roughly the same length.
Telomeres are like protective caps at the end of our chromosomes. However, every time cells replicate the telomeres get shorter, and the genetic information they once protected can become damaged, preventing future reproduction or proper cell function, and throughout human life can eventually result in replicative cell senescence or apoptosis.
Telomeres are the focus of a great deal of anti-aging, regenerative, and longevity research because cells with longer telomeres are functionally younger than those with shorter telomeres; meaning that people of the same chronological age can have different biological ages depending on the length of their telomeres.
