Eat less, stay young, live long: Study

Dieting could boost your brain power because it activates a protein that helps the mind stay young and healthy.

Restricting the number of calories you eat activates genes linked to longevity and keeps the brain functioning properly for longer, according to research on mice.

Low-calorie diets have previously been shown by several animal studies to extend life, reduce the risk of dementia and disease and boost the memory but experts were unsure exactly how this happened.

A team from the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome claims that eating fewer calories triggers a protein called CREB1, which turns on genes that are linked to a longer and healthier life.

The researchers said their discovery could lead to new drugs that could keep the brain in a healthy, youthful state without the need for a restrictive diet.

Mice that were permitted only 70% of the calories they would normally eat typically lived a third longer than normal and demonstrated better memory and mental function.

They were also less likely to suffer from obesity or diabetes, slower to develop dementia and showed less aggression.

Genetically engineered mice in whom the molecule had been permanently deactivated did not get the same benefit from dieting.

Having too rich a diet is thought to bring forward the brain-ageing process and raise the risk of age-related diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

According to the new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, eating fewer calories activates the CREB1 protein, which in turn switches on sirtuins, molecules that are associated with longevity.

The finding backs up previous studies on CREB1, which is known to play a key role in a variety of processes in the brain, including memory and learning.

Because CREB1 is weakened as we grow older, triggering it by eating less could help slow down the mental ageing process, scientists believe.

Giovambattista Pani, who led the research, said: "This discovery has important implications to develop future therapies to keep our brain young and prevent brain degeneration and the ageing process.

"Our hope is to find a way to activate CREB1, for example through new drugs."