Key result
Long-term caloric restriction linked to improved diastolic function and ~29 mmHg lower BP vs Western diet.
Why the study?
Although caloric restriction retards aging in small mammals, whether long-term caloric restriction attenuates aging-associated impairments in diastolic function in humans was unknown.
Does long-term caloric restriction improve aging-associated impairments in diastolic function in humans?
Population
25 subjects practicing caloric restriction and 25 matched controls consuming Western diets
Comparison
Caloric restriction for 6.5 +/- 4.6 years vs Western diet
Design
Matched cross-sectional study
Authors
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Captured external expert commentary on this paper, strongest first. Original sources are linked where available.
“This is the first study to demonstrate that long-term calorie restriction with optimal nutrition has cardiac-specific effects that ameliorate age-associated declines in heart function.”
“They are powerfully protected against the diseases of old age, such as heart disease. They have low levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and extremely low blood pressure – similar to a young child, around 100/60. As a result of the low blood pressure, they have less strain on the arteries, which are much more elastic than usual for people of their age. Their hearts resemble the heart of a person 17 years younger.”
Caloric restriction may support better diastolic function; leaves open causality and clinical adoption pending randomized trials.
Observational (n=50)
Does long-term caloric restriction improve aging-associated impairments in diastolic function in humans?
Long-term caloric restriction is associated with attenuated aging-related decline in diastolic function, lower blood pressure, and reduced systemic inflammation compared to a Western diet.
Meyer et al. (2006) conducted an observational in Healthy aging (n=50). Caloric restriction vs. Western diet was evaluated on Diastolic function quantified by transmitral flow, Doppler tissue imaging, and model-based image processing of E waves. Long-term caloric restriction was associated with improved diastolic function and significantly lower blood pressure (102/61 vs 131/83 mm Hg) and CRP (0.3 vs 1.9 mg/l) compared to a Western diet.
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