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Living longer could hinge on one surprising dietary change, study review suggests - Fox News
Technology and Science8/3/20261 min read
A review of 350+ studies finds protein restriction triggers the hormone FGF21, delivering longevity benefits similar to calorie restriction.
✨ Key Highlights
- A scientific review of more than 350 studies, published in the journal Cell Press Blue, suggests that lowering protein intake—rather than cutting calories—may offer sedentary adults an easier route to a longer, healthier life.
- While calorie restriction has long been linked to improved lifespan and reduced age-related disease, researchers note that many people struggle to maintain strict low-calorie diets, making targeted protein restriction a more sustainable alternative.
- Across the reviewed studies, lower protein intake was associated with improved metabolism, altered nutrient signaling, reduced cellular damage, and better cellular maintenance.
- Much of the benefit is attributed to fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a metabolic hormone that surges when protein is restricted; animal studies show it can boost energy expenditure, reduce inflammation, improve blood sugar control, and extend lifespan.
- Researchers highlighted three essential amino acids—methionine, isoleucine, and valine—that under certain conditions may keep growth-related processes constantly active in inactive people, potentially driving cellular damage, systemic inflammation, and weight gain.
- Dudley Lamming of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the paper's corresponding author, emphasized that protein clearly benefits muscle growth and exercise response in active individuals, but that most people, being relatively sedentary, likely consume more protein than they actually need.
Eating less protein, not cutting calories, may be an easier path to a longer, healthier life for sedentary adults, according to a new scientific review.
While previous research has long tied calorie