How to live longer by not really living, from Low-Calorie Diet May Extend Life:
The study, appearing this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that mice at the relatively advanced age of 19 months that were placed on a restricted calorie diet lived 42 percent longer than litter mates who continued to eat a standard diet.Other studies have shown that young mice put on a low-calorie diet live much longer than mice fed the standard fare. But the new research suggests that it is never too late to enjoy a life-extension benefit by reducing calories.
Stephen R. Spindler of the University of California, Riverside, leader of a team conducting the research, said there is little evidence yet that dietary restrictions will extend human life, but in mice, at least, sensible eating even at older ages clearly has a longevity benefit. He said a 19-month-old mouse is the age equivalent of 60 to 65 years in humans.