WASHINGTON, July 8 — For nearly a century, scientists have been chasing a tantalizing question: can eating less help us live longer? The answer, according to decades of research, is complicated — but the evidence keeps piling up. The story begins in the 1930s, when Clive McCay at Cornell University first systematically studied caloric restriction.
His work showed that reducing caloric intake in rats extended their lifespan. Subsequent studies at the Jackson Laboratory in Maine, starting in the 1940s, confirmed those findings in mice.
The pattern was clear in rodents: less food, more years.
From rodents to primates
The big leap came in 1987, when two major long-term studies on rhesus monkeys began. One launched at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the other at the National Institute on Aging. These were the first serious efforts to see if caloric restriction worked in primates — animals much closer to humans.
In 2009, the University of Wisconsin team published results showing that caloric restriction reduced the risk of age-related diseases and extended lifespan in their monkey colony. It was a headline-grabbing finding.
But then came the twist. A 2012 analysis of the National Institute on Aging study found no significant increase in lifespan from caloric restriction in their monkeys. The practical upshot?
The NIA monkeys still showed health benefits — just not the longevity boost Wisconsin had reported.
The fasting revolution
Meanwhile, a related approach was gaining traction. Intermittent fasting — cycling between periods of eating and not eating — jumped into the spotlight after a 2003 study by Mark Mattson at the National Institute on Aging. Mattson’s work showed neuroprotective effects in mice.
A 2019 review in the New England Journal of Medicine pulled together human studies on intermittent fasting. The verdict?
Benefits for weight loss and metabolic health. The U.S. National Institutes of Health has put serious money behind this question. Since 2000, the agency has funded over $100 million in research on caloric restriction and intermittent fasting.
The practical upshot for anyone watching their health? The science suggests that when you eat, and how much, both matter.
But the details are still being worked out. Consult your doctor for medical advice.
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