A new European review pinpoints ways four different dietary interventions – caloric restriction, ketogenic (keto) diet, Mediterranean diet and intermittent fasting – may significantly extend the years a person remains healthy and free from chronic diseases (known as ‘healthspan’).
Researchers at Romania’s University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, whose study was published in the journal Nutrients, examined how diet influences ageing, highlighting its crucial role in contributing to both longevity and healthspan. The findings (after analysing databases like PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) suggest these dietary patterns ‘may support healthy ageing by influencing critical pathways in the body, including those related to cellular repair, inflammation and metabolic regulation’, noted medicalnewstoday.com.
Caloric restriction promotes healthy ageing by contributing to weight loss and obesity prevention, reduced inflammation, improved cardiometabolic health, and slowed biological (cellular) ageing – potentially delaying onset of age-related diseases.
Intermittent fasting (alternating between periods of fasting and normal eating) offers short-term benefits in body composition and cardiovascular health, plus long-term advantages, such as better cholesterol, thyroid modulation, and decreased pro-ageing amino acid methiodine.
Compared to calorie restriction, intermittent fasting cycles may lead to superior improvements in insulin sensitivity and cellular stress responses, potentially offering greater cellular stress resilience and longevity.
The Mediterranean diet, abundant in plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains and olive oil, generally includes moderate amounts of dairy and omega-3-rich fish while limiting meat and ultra-processed foods. Following it may lower body mass index (BMI), support cognitive function and memory, slow biological ageing, and reduce frailty in older adults.
This dietary pattern (focusing on nutrient-dense, high-quality foods) enhances gut health and reduces inflammation by encouraging healthy gut bacteria and production of short- chain fatty acids; generally high in nutrients like unsaturated fats, fibre and antioxidants that promote insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health and healthy ageing. The review suggests a Mediterranean-like diet offers metabolic benefits similar to calorie restriction or intermittent fasting without cutting calories.
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, very low-carbohydrate diet that causes the body to burn fat rather than carbohydrates for fuel. It improves triglyceride levels, increases good cholesterol (HDL) and helps short-term weight loss, but may also raise bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, at least temporarily, which could be a heart health risk for some.
Substantially reducing carbohydrate intake decreases insulin-related activity and encourages autophagy, aiding cellular detoxification and promoting longevity; these effects are similar to those triggered by calorie restriction and intermittent fasting, but ketogenic diet might also reduce appetite and promote gastrointestinal issues.
